I was referring to partaking in sailing at a local level rather than competing across Europe/World, as I thought that this is what Madness of Crowds was referring to. There seems to be an assumption that sailing is a costly and somewhat elite sport. Whatever about the elite nature of the sport, it is not that costly to get involved with initially. Obviously if you/your child wants to move into serious competition then it will become costly.
As for chasing scooters on a bike, I have tried that but I usually fail miserably to keep up. They don’t know that I am actually trying though. Although I did overtake some sort of electric scooter last week . The rider was riding in the cycle lane and there was no sign of a license plate. First time I had seen anything like it in Dublin.
Consider the social cost of not competing.
Firstly, the sporting bodies that support various sports would loose their reason for existing, the infrastructure below them would slowly crumble, the volunteers would disappear.
Secondly our youth would loose out on the social and health benefits of sport.
Finally the government would need to intervene to provide alternate social support to stop yet more kids gathering on street corners with too much energy and no outlet.
Doctors around the world have campaigned for years to outlaw boxing, their warnings underlined at the Olympic opening ceremony by the sad figure of Mohammed Ali with advanced Parkinson’s disease, looking punch drunk, lost, the legacy of a hard hitting career, a stark warning to young men and women the world over.
Meanwhile, here in Ireland, our government pumps money into boxing because that’s where we’ve done well in the past.
Ladies and gentlemen - the knowledge economy.
Indeed, because I’ve never know a pin thread to do a soft left, hard right or even come off a roundabout on the same exit as it entered heading back where it came from
Ah yes, let’s get poor people to beat the shit out of each other and give themselves brain damage. It’ll keep them from stealing our stuff. Capital idea, old chap.
Inner city area’s have little green space, there is little opertunity to engage in other sport. At amateur level brain damage is almost a non issue, rounds are short and everyone is well padded.
in my opinion, The social benefits outweigh all the costs.
Doesn’t boxing need a gym? Plenty of other sports fit into a gym-sized facility. I’d imagine there is a macho element to boxing that means it’s favoured above, say, table tennis or badminton.
See if you can inspire a disadvantaged teenage kid frustrated that dropped out of school to wear white and be polite. See if you can find anyone wiling to coach them.
The social benefits of a structured routine, discipline and taking direction are immeasurable.
There is always the dream they could turn pro too. While this is unrealistic it helps keep them on the straight and narrow.
It is amusing that no role whatsoever seems to be given to the choices made by these inner-city dwellers. Just give them a green table and some rubber paddles, and suddenly the desire to knock seven bells out of one another will be displaced by the urge to do tricks involving adding spin to a ball. I would say the more likely result would be a collection of abandoned dusty urban rooms, and a profusion of streetfights.
I will still argue that the overall benefit to society far outweighs the small risks that the individual boxers (or athletes in any adrenaline producing sport) freely accept.
The benefits gained from actively participating in a club are huge. The structure, routine, discipline and community involvement that any club environment offers really benefit the individuals in later life.
. The rider was riding in the cycle lane and there was no sign of a license plate. First time I had seen anything like it in Dublin.
