The Role of Sport

Some people argue that the pressure on international sportsmen and sportswomen kills the essence of sport—the pursuit of personal excellence. Children kick a football around for fun. When they get older and play for local school teams, they become competitive but they still enjoy playing. The individual representing his country cannot afford to think about enjoying himself; he has to think only about winning. He is responsible for entire nation's hopes, dreams and reputation.

A good example is the football World Cup. Football is the world's most important sport. Winning the World Cup is perhaps the summit of international sporting success. Mention Argentina to someone and the chances are that he'll think of football. In a sense, winning the World Cup put Argentina on the map.

Sports fans and supporters get quite unreasonable about the World Cup. People in England felt that their country was somehow important after they won in 1966. Last year thousands of Scots sold their cars, and even their houses, and spent all their money traveling to Argentina, where the finals were played. So, am I arguing that international competition kills the idea of sport? Certainly not! Do the Argentinians really believe that because eleven of their men proved the most skillful at football, their nation is in every way better than all others? Not really. But it's nice to know that you won and that in one way at least your country is the best.