Sports are an excellent way to stay healthy and fit while teaching life lessons such as discipline, responsibility, accountability, and teamwork. Sport can also lead to a positive social environment.
During the 19th and 20th centuries, the relationship between sports and mass media has been central to the development of both institutions. Commercial and public mass media increasingly recognized sports coverage as a low-cost means of reaching a broad audience and capturing their attention.
In a global context, sports can either enhance or undermine national identity politics. On the one hand, sports have been used to reaffirm and refine national identity in established hegemonic societies. They have also played a critical role in liberal nationalist struggles to overcome oppressive and repressive regimes.