📘 Part 3: Sport and society

This Episode's Vocabulary

Vast majority (phrase) – almost everyone; the largest part of a group. → Example: The vast majority of citizens voted in favor of the new park.

Obesity crisis (collocation) – a serious public health problem where a large proportion of the population is dangerously overweight. → Example: Governments are trying to tackle the obesity crisis by promoting healthier school lunches.

Crucial (adj.) – extremely important or necessary. → Example: It is crucial to get enough sleep before an important exam.

General well-being (collocation) – the overall state of being healthy, happy, and comfortable. → Example: Regular exercise and a balanced diet are essential for your general well-being.

Dead set against (idiom) – to be strongly opposed to something. → Example: My parents were dead set against me getting a tattoo.

Promote bonding (collocation) – to encourage the formation of a close relationship or connection between people. → Example: Team-building activities are designed to promote bonding among colleagues.

In-group (n.) – a social group to which a person psychologically identifies as being a member. → Example: The new members of the club quickly became part of the in-group.

Monitor bodily functions (phrase) – to use technology to watch and check biological processes like heart rate or blood pressure. → Example: Many smartwatches can monitor bodily functions while you exercise.

On the surface (idiom) – when you first look at or think about something, without considering the details. → Example: On the surface, the plan seemed perfect, but it had several hidden flaws.

Lift their spirits (idiom) – to make someone feel happier. → Example: The good news really helped to lift their spirits after a difficult week.

Profit motive (n.) – the desire to make money as the primary reason for a business or action. → Example: The company's decisions were clearly driven by a strong profit motive.

Questions and Answers

Maria: Is it necessary to build public sports places?

Rory: Well, for the vast majority of people I'd certainly say so. There's a huge obesity crisis right now, and people need opportunities for exercise and personal development. So not only is it necessary, you could also say it's crucial or things will only get worse.

Maria: What are the benefits of sports for children?

Rory: What, aside from shielding them from the worst effects of the crisis I mentioned? It's good for them to have the opportunity to compete against each other and socialize, which sports, and sports events like the Olympics can offer people. Of course, there are other ways to do this. It's just one of the healthier options.

Maria: Do young people like to do sports?

Rory: You'd have to ask them. But I suspect most of them do, probably, unless they can't participate in it, or maybe they don't want to take part for some reason. I mean, it can be fun and promote general well-being in addition to releasing all the various neurotransmitters and endorphins that people are always on about.

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But obviously, if you are dead set against that, then the opposite would probably be achieved.

Maria: Do you think local sports teams can help increase community connections?

Rory: It depends on how the whole thing is structured, really. And it could also be a matter of perspective. Historically, in my country, there have been sports teams with memberships based on religious affiliation. So, while it might promote bonding among people in the in-group, it probably reinforces the borders with out-groups. So, it's certainly possible, but it should be done with consideration for aspects similar to those that I mentioned if that's the goal.

Maria: Is technology helpful for people to do sports?

Rory: Oh, definitely. I mean, not just in extreme cases like monitoring bodily functions and output, but also in terms of enabling people to do things. A wheelchair is a piece of technology that helps to do this. A hip replacement could be another.

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Of course, it could also be used to exclude people, but I think that's probably the exception rather than the rule.

Maria: What do you think of companies donating sports venues for poor children?

Rory: I mean, on the surface, it certainly seems like a nice thing to do and can give people an opportunity to lift their spirits or even lift themselves out of poverty if they become a professional sports player. However, I always find myself asking how the companies benefit from such an arrangement. Sadly, corporations are always driven by things like the bottom line and the profit motive. So this has to be a factor in such decisions somehow, which can poison how you think about these things.

Maria: Yay. Thank you, Rory, for your answers.

Rory: No worries. Hopefully, they were very sportsman-like.