For school age children sports teach cooperation in working together for a common goal. It also brings home a hard reality that in life some people are better at some things and get to play while some people get left out. Professional sports as entertainment is such a great outlet for people's frustrations!

 It teaches good teamwork, leadership and it is GREAT exercise, no matter what sport you're playing. If you are going to stick with something, it isn't a waste of your time or your money because if you are still playing it, obviously you don't hate it.

 "Some people" forget that sports generate more revenue than they expend. With merchandising, collectibles, apparel, travel (people actually take flights to see games), and food and beverages (beer and chips for Super Bowl Party), etc, I think it is fair to say that Sports do their part to help our economy. MUCH less people would go to bars and pubs if we did not have sports to watch. The majority of them are SITTING, WATCHING something. Keep in mind that ALL of this revenue gets taxed at least once. If someone buys a pack of cards, they get taxed on it. After finding a rare, expensive card in it, he decides to sell it on eBay. The purchaser gets taxed on it. The manufacturer also gets taxed from their revenue. Taxed on THREE levels. This is more revenue for us to spend on our public programs. Add this to all the different aspects of sports-generated revenue, both direct AND indirect (like product placement), and YOU decide if sports are a waste of money. You may not see a penny of it in YOUR pocket, but it is in OUR budget.

As regards to time, I am split. Maybe it's my bias. I 'wasted' a lot of time as a child playing video games and watching T.V. I now regret it, as I could have used it more productively. I sometimes imagine how well I could have learned to play an instrument with all that time. On the other hand, I KNOW it is human to find pass-times. No matter how hard I try, I always seem to get enveloped in something. Blurtit.com is my latest. Nevertheless, I am learning how much time spent here is too much and, ultimately, it is MY responsibility to do just that. Although I feel that some sports nuts could spend at least some of their time toward education/discipline, I am going to give people the benefit of the doubt and assume that they will use their time wisely.

 No I will disagree. I believe that it is important for all children to be able to choose one or even more sports to play. It is the Parents that become obsesssed when their own child plays the game and all you hear is the child being yelled out, parents our out of control even when the their own children cant play or have to sit out for an any amount of time. Now if youre speaking about Pro sports, I enjoy them alot, The only thing I will say is, in all pro sports the players are payed way to much money

 Sports is not a waste of time because it is needed for young children

 No sports keep children involved in activities outside of school. Which can be good it. Most of the time children that grow up in school doing sports are less likely to get in to drugs .

 Definintly not a waste of time

 In response to "matooch", I must remind that the generation of revenue is not in itself a virtue. Be careful not to assume that every observer (or even a neutral one) would share the same capitalistic value system as is yours. Rather than this, I think we should be focusing on the inherent and assured benefits of sport, not some secondary and unlikely possibility (for example, if the entire revenue were donated to some charity.)

I think that MDB49 has a point when he talks about leadership, teamwork, and fitness. I think these are all excellent and commendable aspects of sport, but these aspects are only present when one participates actively in sport. My qualms are with watching sport, which accomplishes none of these. To my eyes, and I've been observing the phenomenon of professional sport and random for a while, professional sport only serves to give a sense of triumph by proxy to the thousands of rabid fans who are starved for triumph or victory of any sort in their unfulfilling office or factory jobs. This desire, addiction to some, is abused by promoters, stadium owners, team owners, merchandisers - in short the entire professional sporting establishment - to generate revenue.

Indeed it seems most of you have weighed in on this debate from the perspective that sports are not a waste of time because participating in sport has myriad benefits. I agree with you, but because of the nature of professional sport, I've decided to commit a thumbs up, just to add some counterpoint and encourage more debate.

 Sports are a great thing to do, especially for the young, it teaches then teamwork.

 Wow.. Sports get us active in our lives and off the couch or computer...

I play hockey for example...

 Aside from the revenue college and professional sports provide, it is more than merely a business. Sports provide social interaction and exercise,

Sports teach leadership and teamwork. With the rise of obesity in the US today, sports are a way of getting exercise. Instead of kids playing video games and watching dvds, they need to get off their butts and out of the house. If you want to talk about a waste of time and money, spending a couple of hundred dollars for a game console and sittng around playing for hours are good examples of waste. They have their place, but they shouldn't be the only recreation kids participate in.

 Sports rock

 In my opinion, I think that sports are great. It lets people of all ages get some stress out every once in a while. It also gives people to hang out every once in a while. I think that it brings people closer together and what could be more important than that?

 Sports are definitely not a waste of time. Sports teach leadership and teamwork they also keep you in shape.