A sporting nation? Fat chance
Anna:
March 2nd, 2007
I came across the results today of a recent “Spaces for Sports” survey conducted by Barclays. According to the study, teenage schoolkids think sport helps keep them out of trouble. They also believe there is a need for role models and sports facilities. Sounds great!
But then I read on and found an eye-opener of a statistic. One in five of the teenagers interviewed (aged from 13 to 18) play no sport at all. Over half said that they’d be more likely to take up sport if access to facilities was cheaper. What happened to having a kick-about on the fields, scaring the neighbours with attempts to break the land-speed roller-skating record or playing frisbee? I know hopscotch might be a little outdated but surely there are plenty of other ways to play sport that don’t cost a penny? In an age of gym subscriptions and designer trainers, it’s a sad fact that the nation’s kids are getting fatter and missing out on the exhileration and social interaction that sport provides by the bucketload. The irony is that the teenagers blaming their lack of sporting involvement on costly facilities are probably sporting the latest pair of Nike’s and this season’s Chelsea strip…