Prompt: Some people feel that sports is beneficial to the society. Others, however believe that it is nothing but a leisure activity. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

People have different opinions on the benefits of sports. Some argue that sports are useful for the society while others feel that sports are only for leisure. I firmly believe that sports are essential for the society and let us consider the differing opinions on the same. Ċ While the money earned from ticket sales of most sports events goes to the organizers and players, there are several instances when sports events are organized for raising funds for charitable purposes. For instance, funds raised in IPL matches in 2007 were donated for rehabilitation of Tsunami victims in India. In these cases, the sports events directly contribute to the welfare of the community. Sports activities tend to bring together people in a common gathering and promotes social development. Further, sports help in the overall personality improvement of players honing their leadership, team spirit, physical and mental stamina. Thus, sports are beneficial to the public in multiple ways. Ċ However, on the other hand, there are people who believe that sports can only serve as leisure activities. This could be true when there is no real value addition to the people involved. For example, if a person watches a football match on TV, he does not engage himself with others watching the match and there is no development as a result. In such scenarios, sports are reduced to merely a past time than societal value adder. Ċ In conclusion, sports are beneficial to the society because during the current time when children immerse themselves in video games and lack physical activity, sports act as motivating factors for people to come together and be physically fit. A community where its citizens are physically strong is a healthy community. Therefore, in my opinion, sports definitely play a role in the development of a healthy society.