Excellent A. Pupil
ENGL 1101
Dr. Wisner
Research Proposal
3 November 1872
America’s Unhealthy Sports Obsession Research Project
I am researching whether America’s obsession with sports is healthy or unhealthy. After doing some introductory research, I have learned about the two sides to this argument. On the unhealthy side, people that sit around and watch a lot of sports can become lazy and physically out of shape. Obsession with sports can also lead to people gambling away money that should be used for basic necessities. Many athletes earn excessive salaries, which can set a bad example for starry-eyed children who want to have the same lifestyle. On the positive side, sports can be a joyous break away from the tough and mundane reality of a hard life. Having a real interest in sports can also lead people to participating in the sports, which can help improve their health and
mental well-being. From a research article about children and sports, “
‘Dating back to the early 1900’s, prior to the shift in sport’s professionalism, the number of children who participate in sports has been steadily increasing. It is currently estimated that there are between 25 and 35 million children under eighteen years of age who participate in organized school or community sports’ (Siegenthaler & Gonzalez, 1997) (Crandall 8)”. Sports obsession can also aid the economy because fans tend to spend money purchasing merchandise and tickets to sporting events. There has been some mention of sports obsession in the news, but I have primarily been exploring this topic through research and article reports. I also have been able to observe some of my family and friends who love sports and have seen the impact of their lifestyles.
America’s obsession with sports is unhealthy. On one side, it is a break from everyday life and entertains people, but it has gotten to the point where people have become obsessed and affected emotionally based on the results of a game. It also affects parents with kids who play sports because the children feel obligated to become very good at one particular sport. Sports are
so important to some people that they gamble money which is not legal. Additionally, sports have consumed a lot of money from fans because they pay to go see the games, whether it be at the stadium or for additional channels on television. Americans are also more likely to sit down and watch sports for hours, rather than get physical exercise for themselves, which is not healthy for the average American who lacks exercise. American obsession
with professional sports is unhealthy because many people lack physical fitness due to spending their time watching sports, gambling their money on sports, and gaining unreal expectations from the outrageous wealth of athletes.
I chose to write about whether American sports obsession is healthy or not because I found it intriguing due to my own interest in sports. I play two sports and my family also loves sports, so learning more about sport obsession and its impact on us was important to me. I was interested in the topic about social media and how it kept Americans more or less connected, but I chose not to write about that because it was very similar to my unit three essay and I wanted to research something different. I was also interested in the question about America’s obsession with celebrities, but after doing some initial research and discovery on Wikipedia and through other sources, I found that most of the facts were not statistical and were more opinionated,
which I did not think would make a persuasive research paper.
First, I will look at the sources collected at the bottom of the Wikipedia site to see if they are primary sources and if they link other sources that may be ideal. I will also search the topic on GALILEO since its content is accessible to all Georgia State University students. I will also look for more scientific research studies and experiments to expand my range of sources on sites including National Center for Biotechnology Information -National Institutes of Health online database. If I cannot find enough online sources, then I will go to my local library to find sources that relate to my topic. My main concern about the essay would be if I could make it the required length of four to six pages. I am not sure that the typical five paragraph essay would flow and be cohesive being four to six pages in total length.
Works Cited
Crandall, Emily J., “Reasons Why Children Choose to Play Sports”
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