You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Sport is one of the most popular draws on television today. Some people argue that the practice of showing sport on television is to blame for the poor health of the young generation by encouraging them to watch rather than partake in physical activity. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this view?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
You should write at least 250 words.
Sample Answer 1:
Technology has given people wings to fly, but along with that, it has made them lethargic. One such technological advancement is television. With different kinds of content being lined up on television, sport is one such programme which is watched and enjoyed by all groups of people, and the ongoing craze of different sports on television has inspired the young generation to a great extent. Now the question arises if this trend is supposed to be blamed for the poor health of the young generation or not. This essay delves into this issue.
The more they watch their favourite sports on TV, the more they become addicted to watching it, whilst the evolution of sports on television was not meant to do that. The motive to promote sports on televisions was to inform people of sports activities and to instil a feeling of vigour and enthusiasm in people, particularly among young people, so that they take part in different sports. However, these days, the young generation takes watching sports on television as a leisure activity. Instead of inspiring, it has rather instilled a feeling of apathy about taking part in outdoor sports among youth by occupying their free time.
Moreover, the young one’s, these days, just love to have a gala time watching sports. They no more feel the need to go out and partake in physical activities which in turn has affected their health. According to some recent statistics, more than 80% of youths watch major football tournaments on TV, a many-fold rise than the last decade, but the actual participants in football in real life have considerably decreased than our past generation.
In my view, there is no harm in watching sports on television sometimes. But if it exceeds the desired time limit then the alarm has to be raised. Along with watching sports, they should take part in these sports in the fields and outdoors.
[Written by – Aditi Tyagi ]
Sample Answer 2:
Sport has truly become one of the most entertaining and popular television shows these days. A group of people believe that these sport shows have negative effects on young people, as they prefer to watch those games on television rather than exercising or taking part in them in their free time. To a certain point, I would agree with the statement, but I also believe that its effects depend on the personality of each individual.
It is a fact that the number of sports channels has increased rapidly in recent years. Cable channels such as ESPN, Ten Sports, Star Sports, Fox Sports and so on broadcast attractive sports and live competitions all day long. As a consequence, many young people watch television for several hours just to watch these games. The condition gets worst as they are also consuming unhealthy food such as popcorn, candies and soda when they watch these shows. Therefore, a lot of people believe that these channels have been the main cause of bad health conditions of young generation nowadays.
Having said that, these sports programmes should not be primarily blamed for youngsters’ poor health conditions as there are other factors which affect the health of young people. Firstly, many parents do not teach their children about a healthy lifestyle. They let their children watch television, play video games and chat on mobile phones for many hours a day and do not take them outdoors. The popularity of different junk foods and soda is the reason many young people’s health condition is deteriorating.
I believe that it depends on the personality of each individual. Some young people understand the bad effect of watching television for such long hours, but others just do not care about it. Therefore, sports channels would only be one of the factors that affect the health condition of young people but not the primary cause of it.
In conclusion, to a certain extent, I would agree that sports programmes on TV have some negative effects on the health condition of young people, but, I also believe that there are other equally and more important factors which can also lead to poor health situation among youngsters.
[Written by – Darwin Lesmana ]