Sport, what's it for?

I can see why people find playing a sport attractive; it’s fun and the component of trying to beat an opponent gives it an extra edge, particularly for competitive types. There was a time when it was quite common for a firm to have a works football team, playing in a league consisting of other works teams. Apart from the personal challenge there was also the pride of your place of work to uphold. Other -non participating- employees could also take a legitimate interest in these matches and share in the glory or disappointment of the outcome. There were also inter village cricket matches with a similar reason for taking place. This all seems reasonable and it isn’t difficult to find purpose in it.

What I don’t understand is how sport became professional. Paying people to play a game seems quite odd to me. Being a completely non productive activity it more properly belongs to the category of hobby or pastime than profession. Regardless of how expertly someone can manipulate a ball with his foot, is it logical that the financial reward for showing that off is often far grater than that received for being a highly skilled tradesman, who actually produces something useful?

It could be said that there is entertainment value in sport, but why? It only becomes interesting if you have an interest in the outcome but why on Earth does anybody care about the outcome? It’s not like any of us has a real connection to the people we are cheering on and willing to win. It just doesn’t make any sense, the only good reason for sport is for its own sake, the involvement of money makes it completely senseless.

The World Cup should be abandoned immediately and I should get the £2 I invested in the works sweep stake back. And I’m not just saying that because I drew Senegal.