Competition Carried to an Extreme?

Competition Carried to an Extreme?

by Julian David Rincon

Multiple Choice

Although

• to cause to be or treat as being more splendid, excellent

• even though

• forcing young people to behave immorally

• an extreme amount or degree;too much

Multiple Choice

Glorified

• to cause to be or treat as being more splendid, excellent

• even though

• forcing young people to behave immorally

• an extreme amount or degree;too much

Multiple Choice

Corruption

• to cause to be or treat as being more splendid, excellent

• even though

• forcing young people to behave immorally

• an extreme amount or degree;too much

Multiple Choice

excess

• to cause to be or treat as being more splendid, excellent

• even though

• forcing young people to behave immorally

• an extreme amount or degree;too much

Multiple Choice

win

• instead;on the contrary

• lacking in strength or vigor

• to finish first, as in a race or contest

• an extreme amount or degree;too much

Multiple Choice

weaken

• instead;on the contrary

• lacking in strength or vigor

• to finish first, as in a race or contest

• an extreme amount or degree;too much

Multiple Choice

rather

• instead;on the contrary

• lacking in strength or vigor

• to finish first, as in a race or contest

• an extreme amount or degree;too much

​Competition Carried to an Extreme?

​Although sports in the United States are glorified by many, there are others who are especially critical of the corrupting power of sports when certain things are carried to excess. An excessive desire to win in sports, for example, can weaken rather than strengthen traditional American values.

Open Ended

Complte the following sentence using your own words: An excessive desire to win in sports __________

​Critics have pointed out that there is a long tradition of coaches and players who have done just this. Vince Lombardi, a famous professional football coach, was often criticized for stating that winning is the "only thing" that matters in sports. Woody Hayes, another famous football coach, once said: "Anyone who tells me, 'Don't worry that you lost; you played a good game anyway,' I just hate."

Multiple Choice

What does the following statement provoke in players ?

"Don't worry that you lost; you played a good game anyway"

• Weakens the idea that other things, such as fair play, following the rules, and behaving with dignity when one is defeated, are also important

• Strengthens the idea that other things, such as fair play, following the rules, and behaving with dignity when one is defeated, are also important

​When the idea of winning in sports is carried to excess, however, honorable competition can turn into disorder and violence. In one base ball game, the players of two professional teams became so angry at each other that the game turned into a large-scale fight between the two teams. The coach qf one of the teams was happy about the fight because, in the games that followed, his team consistently won.

​Have you ever argued about sports?

Open Ended

​Have you ever argued about sports? if so, What did you argue about.

Have you ever witnessed a sport fight? Why do you think people were fighting about?

​Recreational Activities

​Unlike organized sports, what is generally called recreation in the United States is not expected to encourage competition. For this reason, recreation is much more spontaneous and serves the individual's needs away from the competitive world of work. Nevertheless, much can be learned about the values of Americans from an examination of the kinds of recreation in which they engage.

​-What is the difference between sport and recreation?

Poll

Some Americans prefer recreation that requires a high level of physical activity. This is true of the most popular adult recreational sports: jogging or running, tennis, and skiing. It would seem that these Americans carry over their belief in hard work into their world of play and recreation. The expression "We like to work hard and play hard" is an example of this philosophy.

Do you take recreational activities to seriously?

• Yes, I do

• No, I don't

• Sometimes

Open Ended

Physical fitness is a way of life for these Americans. Some of them regularly work out at community gyms or private sports clubs-lifting weights, swimming, playing squash or racquetball; participating in aerobic exercise classes; or using exercise bikes, treadmills, rowing machines, or stairsteppers. Some choose to do long -distance running. What type of physical activity do you usually do?

Poll

How did you like this lesson?

Multiple Choice

1. Organized sports in a society

• a. are a poor reflection of the values of that society.

• b. are a good reflection of the values of that society.

• c. are leisure activities and games which tell us very little about the social values of a country.

Multiple Choice

2. Which of the following ideals is at the very heart of organized sports in the United States and is, therefore, the most important ideal expressed in organized sports?

• · a. self-reliance

• b. self-denial

• c. competition

Multiple Choice

3. Which of these statements is not true?

• a. Billy Graham, a Protestant religious leader, has criticized sports for having a negative effect on the morals of young Americans.

• b. Most Americans would probably agree that organized sports are an important way for young people to learn to compete.

• c. Organized sports are an example of the unational religion," the mixing of national pride and religious values.

Multiple Choice

4. Vince Lombardi, a famous professional football coach, expressed the view that

• a. sports help boys grow into men.

• b. a good football player makes a good soldier.

• c. winning is the only thing that matters.

Multiple Choice

5. Leading sports publications such as Sports Illustrated have stated that

• a. sports are good in general, but excessive violence in sports should be stopped. ·

• b. sports corrupt the American spirit and should be replaced with noncompetitive activities.

• c. many aspects of American culture, such as music and art, have been replaced by the love of sports.

Multiple Choice

6. Some of the most popular forms of recreation in the United States, such as jogging, reflect the attitude that

• a. Americans like the challenge of adventure sports.

• b. contact with nature is good for the soul of man.

• c. it is good to work hard and to play hard.

Multiple Choice

7. Which of these statements is not true?

• a. Many Americans like to spend their leisure time learning new skills in order to improve themselves.

• b. The American respect for self-reliance can be seen in the popularity of adventure travel, where people often have to rough it.

• c. Because of their active lifestyles, the number of people who weigh more than they should is decreasing.

Multiple Choice

8. Why do so many Americans have poor eating habits?

• a. They are unaware of the dangers of high-fat diets.

• b. The foods that they buy in the stores have no labels that give nutritional information.

• c. They are too busy to cook, and they eat a lot of fast ~ood.

Multiple Choice

9. Which of these statements is not true?

• a. The majority of American homes have TV systems that can get fifty channels or more.

• b. Most Americans have such a busy lifestyle that they watch very little TV.

• c. American children watch a lot of television, and play a lot of video games.

Multiple Choice

10. Which of these statements is true?

• a. Most Americans are not concerned about the level of violence on television.

• b. The federal government censors programs on TV to maintain high standards of decency.

• c. Some children's television programs are educational and have much less violence than adult programs.