Speech-sports is just a game

SPORTS IS JUST A GAME

It is Sunday morning and my brother is psyched up, as it is his famous cricket match where they never make much runs but concede many yet they never give up. My dad continuously reminds my brother that ‘sports is just a game’ and ‘winning is not everything.’ My 9-year-old brother took heed to this advice until the cricket world cup when his favorites of the world cup were knocked out. Yes, Pakistan surprised us when they gave up so easily. My brother was still getting over his team’s loss when he over heard that there coach MR. Bob Woolmer was murdered....

Assalaamu alaikum to my teacher and fellow classmates

I have never been too keen on sports but I have been sort of following the world cup as a trend, but the news of Mr. Woolmer did leave even the uninterested interested! My brother has one question: if winning is not everything than why was Mr. Woolmer murdered? I was so intrigued that I decided to further check this on the Internet.

It was deduced that Mr. Woolmer was brutally murdered by being strangled and poisoned. The speculations are ‘WHO? And ‘WHAT? And what was more unbelievable to me was that the suspects could be one of the Pakistani players. The worst is that the murder is related to gambling. This was too much for me. The Pakistani cricket team is a Muslim team who are supposed to be setting an example to young Muslim boys, like my brother. Sports are about team play, dedication, fairness, good spirit and fun and yet this tragedy has given sports a whole new meaning.

After doing more research I realized that this was not only in Pakistan and at this world cup, but rather it has been happening along time around the world. In England, children and adults worship soccer. Manchester united; Liverpool and Chelsea have become a mantra. The scariest thing was that they actually take their lives in the name of sports. It is sad that life has become so meaningless and cheap that it has become so easy to simply take your life.

In our own country Hansie Cronje, a mentor to South Africans and around the world was also involved in match fixing. What I found quite a coincidence: at the time that Hansie was involved in match fixing, Mr. Bob Woolmer was their coach. We learn in Islam never to judge people and it could simply be a coincidence, but I just can’t believe how corrupt and disruptive our world has become.

For someone who is not an actual lover of sports, I have become quite involved in the politics of sports. But even though I am not a passionate sportsperson or fan, I am sure of one thing, sports was never intended to take lives but rather to make lives. It was never intended to harm people but rather bring joy.

We need to fight against corruption in sports. We need to take away greed from our hearts. The very same greed that steels your soul… that greed that robbed Pakistan of playing a good game of cricket and maybe even win… it robbed south Africa off a captain whom they trusted and loved.

Corruption in sports is robbing nations from enjoying the simple pleasures that we can have. So let us remind people that sport is just a game and always remember that winning is not everything. The fact that you made the effort to play makes you a winner.