Sports is a game that instills positivity, intellectuality, self- esteem ,self – reliance, self-competence and self-confidence. It builds friendship and encourages relationship. If we talk of sports as a route to erase the menace of drug abuse, we might be right or not – but it actualizes that spirit by which youth could be driven towards something positive. But would the initiatives by organizations working in this field can really bring revolution? I have many things to say. It is not just lingering here and there in the play ground that could prove effective in embracing sportsmanship as a guide to erase drug menace. Before we acknowledge it , let us first get known about the variety-in-sports that youth are magnetically drawn. Knowing the interest of a youth towards sports and its variants would be an effective first – line step in giving a moral and ethical touch to such de-novo initiatives.
Sportsmanship is never considered true unless its worth is imbibed very enthusiastically. It is actually a team dynamics , culture and patriotic unison that exhusistively determines the worth outcome of true sportsmanship. Respect and understanding between teammates, coaches and captains , handling authorities and selection committees – is the crucial unique character that holds sportsmanship with true spirit igniting. You might be catching day today the sportsmanship whether at state, national or international level – becoming mal-norm due to athletes motivating their body by indulging into negative ways of body maintainance. Drug abuse is no escape in such athletes. Then do you think is it possible to claim sports as a way to control drug menace? I am not giving a guarantee that it can’t be. But with positive encouragement ,skill development learning, counselling and catering about healthy ways of body maintainance – could prove to be an effective agenda for keeping high-profile stand of true sportsmanship.
Sports is considered to be a way in building friendly circle. There are two possibilities – either a good or bad as usual with every matter. “Positive Vibe friendship” is playing sports with vigour, zeal , enthusiasm and definitely for the cream of nation. On the other hand when sports is played for tempering, personal vested interest, corruption and mal-fixing , it definitely puts an impression of dark thought in ones self and one’s nation. The latter is I think a risk factor in negative motivation of Sportsmanship including no escaping of indulging into drug menace. If latter ideologies in sports continue to prevail , do you think sports can suffice to control drug abuse? Again I am not giving gurantee that it can’t be . With true spirit igniting and by embracing the ideology of former narrative as mentioned above – it is possible to create an environment of legality and hence a way to erase drug addiction.
When I talk about my personal experiences being a sports person for some time- I can confidently put a point of enormous opportunity that sports is a way to control drug menace. I remember the time when I used to be a commentator in cricket matches in tounaments being organized at local level. During the innings especially on finals , I usually used to discuss with the organizers about the opportunities that cricket ( Sports) could provide to budding youth. The most debatable opportunity elucidated from the discussion was to use sports as a source of community development free from evils of the society – smoking, alcoholism, substance abuse or in short terms , drug abuse menace. Even we were used to have protocols that whosoever player if any time found in indulging any kind of substance abuse will be barred from playing onwards. Smoking was prohibited during the innings. Whosoever, if in case was found doing smoking – whole team was punished by bearing penalty in either batting or bowling. In short, if we summarize true sportsmanship – it embraces and encourages discipline and sense of true spirit in every aspect of its corner. If we conduct sports events with clear positive protocols,rules and regulations- it can suffice to encourage fair sportsmanship. Even during my recent Interview with Hollywood Actor Chris Levine, who has been a Steroid Abuser in his teenage – we relate healthy ways of couping with body image issue that is almost an inborn thought of concern among youth in the current times with health-risky ways of dealing with it. Amazingly there was an elucidation that sports could be a far fascinating health- friendly option in overcoming body image issue – indirectly drug menace.
Encouraging the sportsmanship with positivity, true spirit and discipline is the way forward to deal with drug abuse.
There are a number of initiatives run either by NGO’s or other well-policy based groups regarding the matter of controlling drug menace. They are using multiple projects, protocols and strategies to multi-directionally create a way towards drug free society. I remember one of such humanitarian Non- Governmental organization , Mother Helpage Worldwide, founded by a well known Kashmiri doctor turned pilot , Dr Sohail Nasti. If to describe the organization in a sentence- it is a very well renowned, multi-projected humanity serving organization- working at state, national and international level. Under its banner and protocol – there is an initiative for healthy community development that includes encouraging and conducting Sports events mainly to embrace drug – free society. Youth are getting nowadays an opportunity to freely and fairly explore their talent in Sports of their interest through the magnanimity of this Organization.
In conclusion, I would say Sports can be a best alternative in setting-off drug menace from the society provided the initiatives concerning about it are truly with thought of humanitarian desire and fulfilled with various streams of healthy community development like- by evolving the Sports as core human resource development; by providing guidance regarding skills and learning experience; by embracing moral dynamics , cultural and safe-centered protocols in their management; by concentrating on goal-setting and their proper manipulation and by periodic evaluation and monitoring of their work.
(The author Medico,Motivational Speaker,Activist is also Educator at Unacademy. His views are personal)
