10 ways we discourage our children from playing sports

Come Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games and other World Championships, India is suddenly gripped in a mad frenzy and what follows is an eager wait for the medals. More often than not, we struggle on the world stage and celebrate single digit wins - although, we have the talent with immense potential. While we all want India to win more laurels at such international sporting events, this won’t be possible unless we change our mindset about sports. Sports is an integral part of education and till it is treated at par with 'academics', we cannot expect to improve the dismal scenario. If a child is goaded into concentrating only on studies instead of 'wasting time' on sports, then how can we expect to emerge as a great sporting nation?

The onus to nurture India's next great sports person lies on each and everyone of us. If we wish to elevate India's ranking, we have to actively build a culture of sports. And for that to happen, we have to fight the existing prejudice against sports. The latter is often manifested in a few statements which children are used to hearing from their elders.

Here are some of the most common ones here:

• Sport is such a waste of time.
• Sport has no future. Concentrate on your studies if want a successful career!
• Sport aren't meant for girls. You'll get tanned and look masculine.
• What if you get a scar while playing sports? Who will marry you then?
• Thoda khel kya liya, khud ko khiladi samajhne lage!
• Sport is just a hobby - a distraction from studies.
• You need to focus on your exams - sports won’t help you score marks.
• What will you do after you get married? Sports won’t feed your family.
• Aise hi koi bhi Sachin thode hi bann jaata hain!
• Our hard earned money is to ensure that you have good education - not to play sports.

It is this thought process which deprives our children of the opportunity to discover their passion and hone their talent for a particular sport. At some level, we, the adults, believe that sports as a field is not as rewarding or as respectful as that of a doctor, an engineer or a MBA graduate. Who knows, we may have lost out on numerous would-have-been champions, owing to this flawed thinking!

It’s time to bring about a radical shift in our attitudes. Join our movement to change this mindset and petition the HRD Ministry to make sports a part of educational curriculum.

Sign the petition launched by Tata Tea to make sports a compulsory subject in schools across India. Sign the petition here

Alarm Bajne Se Pehle Jaago Re!