4 ms·

I can show you a lot of teenagers doing the same but playing football(soccer), less hours at least, and even pushed by their parents with the hope that some of

I can show you a lot of teenagers doing the same but playing football(soccer), less hours at least, and even pushed by their parents with the hope that some of them will be the next Messi, Xavi or Ronaldo.

zo1 11y ago
Exactly, and because it's part of the "normal culture", then no-one bats an eye (I exaggerate a bit there). If we were to look at football and basketball sports' effect on children, and how pervasive and time-consuming it is to normal teens/young-adults the same way we do when it comes to "e-sports", then we'd be positively disgusted (a bit of extrapolation there).
- kendallpark 11y ago
  I think there is a difference in that sports like football and basketball are more limited by the body's abilities to perform. A natural mechanism for moderation. You don't have gaming binges where someone plays football for 18 hours straight without sleeping. But this happens all the time with gaming. Furthermore, most traditional sports also improve one's physiological health. This is not the case for e-sports where one is simply sitting in a chair all day. I can understand why a parent would be more concerned about their kid that doesn't leave his computer than their kid that plays three sports a year. But in both e-sports and traditional sports you have the risk of sacrificing too much for the sake of the game. I have known many athletes in both camps that have done this.
  - MichaelGG 11y ago
    Is it true that competitive sports are actually physically healthy? I'm probably just over valuing notable cases, but even things like ballet tear up feet pretty badly. And tennis is known for injuries, isn't it? American football is rough, though I suppose normal football is basically the same as targeted running/sprinting.
    - hacst 11y ago
      At the very top you'll probably have to search very hard to find a sport that is actually good for your health. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XnQyI3Mgbc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XnQyI3Mgbc is a great documentary on what it takes to win gold in the Olympics. These athletes knowingly - and willingly - trade their health for a shot at their goals.
    - slavik81 11y ago
      Soccer players hit the ball with their head. Hard. I'd be unsurprised if that resulted in measurable damage after a few years. In fact, it seems it does. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/does-heading-a-soccer-ball-cause-brain-damage/ http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/does-heading-a-soc...
    - kendallpark 11y ago
      It really is a trade off. Like I play football competitively and I know that I'm wearing out my joints, but my muscle mass and bone density is way higher than that of the average female. Muscle mass and bone density have a huge effect on your health later in life. Meanwhile, physically inactive people my age (20s) are losing muscle mass, decreasing their metabolism, increasing their body fat percentage, and so on. Yeah, I probably could just do weightlifting and cardio on their own (and will sometime have to transition to this) but to be honest football is my primary motivation for doing these things in the first place. A lot of competitive athletes make a successful transition from competitive play to less injurious activities after their careers and are none the worse for it. (Minus NFL concussion cases...) There are also intangible benefits to playing competitive sports. Being part of a team, working hard to achieve a goal, being challenged, pushing your limits, pursuing something you're passionate about, succeeding at an elite level... Sports can give you unique experiences you'll treasure for your lifetime and also shape you as a person. It really is an optimization between the all the trade offs. Every year I have to weigh what the sport gives me and what the sport takes away and decide whether it's my last season.
  - ufmace 11y ago
    I thought I read somewhere that most physical sports aren't really that healthy when played at the intensity level needed to be a national-level star. Everything in moderation, and all that.

zo1 11y ago

Exactly, and because it's part of the "normal culture", then no-one bats an eye (I exaggerate a bit there). If we were to look at football and basketball sports' effect on children, and how pervasive and time-consuming it is to normal teens/young-adults the same way we do when it comes to "e-sports", then we'd be positively disgusted (a bit of extrapolation there).

kendallpark 11y ago
I think there is a difference in that sports like football and basketball are more limited by the body's abilities to perform. A natural mechanism for moderation. You don't have gaming binges where someone plays football for 18 hours straight without sleeping. But this happens all the time with gaming. Furthermore, most traditional sports also improve one's physiological health. This is not the case for e-sports where one is simply sitting in a chair all day. I can understand why a parent would be more concerned about their kid that doesn't leave his computer than their kid that plays three sports a year. But in both e-sports and traditional sports you have the risk of sacrificing too much for the sake of the game. I have known many athletes in both camps that have done this.
- MichaelGG 11y ago
  Is it true that competitive sports are actually physically healthy? I'm probably just over valuing notable cases, but even things like ballet tear up feet pretty badly. And tennis is known for injuries, isn't it? American football is rough, though I suppose normal football is basically the same as targeted running/sprinting.
  - hacst 11y ago
    At the very top you'll probably have to search very hard to find a sport that is actually good for your health. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XnQyI3Mgbc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XnQyI3Mgbc is a great documentary on what it takes to win gold in the Olympics. These athletes knowingly - and willingly - trade their health for a shot at their goals.
  - slavik81 11y ago
    Soccer players hit the ball with their head. Hard. I'd be unsurprised if that resulted in measurable damage after a few years. In fact, it seems it does. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/does-heading-a-soccer-ball-cause-brain-damage/ http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/does-heading-a-soc...
  - kendallpark 11y ago
    It really is a trade off. Like I play football competitively and I know that I'm wearing out my joints, but my muscle mass and bone density is way higher than that of the average female. Muscle mass and bone density have a huge effect on your health later in life. Meanwhile, physically inactive people my age (20s) are losing muscle mass, decreasing their metabolism, increasing their body fat percentage, and so on. Yeah, I probably could just do weightlifting and cardio on their own (and will sometime have to transition to this) but to be honest football is my primary motivation for doing these things in the first place. A lot of competitive athletes make a successful transition from competitive play to less injurious activities after their careers and are none the worse for it. (Minus NFL concussion cases...) There are also intangible benefits to playing competitive sports. Being part of a team, working hard to achieve a goal, being challenged, pushing your limits, pursuing something you're passionate about, succeeding at an elite level... Sports can give you unique experiences you'll treasure for your lifetime and also shape you as a person. It really is an optimization between the all the trade offs. Every year I have to weigh what the sport gives me and what the sport takes away and decide whether it's my last season.
- ufmace 11y ago
  I thought I read somewhere that most physical sports aren't really that healthy when played at the intensity level needed to be a national-level star. Everything in moderation, and all that.