Sport and healthTo consider sport t

Sport and health

To consider sport to be anything other than a fundamentally healthy endeavour is difficult in a society that so closely equates physical well-being with an active lifestyle. We are reminded on almost a daily basis that working out will lead to improvements in cardiovascular health, decrease the risk of lifestyle diseases and contribute to an overall feeling of wellness. Strategies to combat numerous public health concerns rely heavily on the promotion of physical activity through organised sport, whilst, at the same time, physical education programmes, once in decline, are being revived to ensure the health of the young. Elderly citizens are not immune to inter-ventions and are encouraged to exercise to improve their quality of life by stabilising their bodies and preventing injury. Governments of all descrip-tions explicitly state that health, both national and individual, is the critical foundation upon which their sports policies are based, and the relationship between sport and nature further confirms physical activity as essentially restorative. As a result the sport–health nexus has been constructed as a thoroughly natural and self-evident phenomenon (Waddington 2000).

Given the close association between the two, it would seem that those who participate in physical activities are assured of a healthy body and a bright future. Accordingly, athletes, more than any other population, are thought to exemplify good health and clean living, which means that when they engage in risky activities, such as binge drinking or smoking, they are sub-ject to particular condemnation for jeopardising their physical health and, as role models, for setting a poor example. It is, however, ironic that sport is uncomfortable being associated with unhealthy behaviours. Numerous

The nature of health 79

studies attest to the deleterious effect that sport can have on an elite ath-lete’s body, and even casual participants are exposed to potential physical problems as a result of their exercise regimen (Waddington et al. 2006). Indeed, given the number of injuries in junior, casual and elite sport, it could be argued that sport represents a very real public health issue, as well as a significant economic cost, in and of itself (Finch and Owen 2001). Rather than representing an activity dedicated to, or motivated by, improving health, it could easily be argued that sport is not a particularly healthy enterprise and might even justifiably be described as a ‘violent and hazar-dous workplace’ (Young 1993: 373). Nevertheless, those who perform in these risk-laden environments are expensive commodities, and accordingly, professional team owners, national governments and sporting organisations are typically concerned with safeguarding their investments.

The professional and elite sports industries have burgeoned since the 1950s, and athletes are required to play longer and harder than ever before. Cricket and rugby, once scheduled only during summer and winter respec-tively, are now essentially year-long sports, as their earning potential in international competitions has increased; baseball has lengthened from 140 games at the beginning of the twentieth century to the current 162 game season; and swimmers, who traditionally focused primarily on the Olympics every four years, now have a series of national and international cham-pionships, short course, grand prix and other events peppered throughout the intervening years. As a result, greater physical demands are made of athletes’ bodies, which require increasingly specialist care to ensure they remain fit, healthy and ready to perform. Rule changes, improved training programmes and techniques, and the inclusion of safety equipment have each contributed to protecting athletes from injury and illness, but it is perhaps the rise in sports medicine that has made the most significant impact on the health and well-being of competitors.

The ubiquitous presence of doctors within professional and national sporting teams would seem to suggest that athletes’ health must be a critical concern. Yet, the aims of medicine and the aims of sport are not always in concert, particularly when physicians are employed by teams rather than engaged by players. In this sense, the employment contract between the sports doctor and their employer may influence the type of care that is offered to athletes, whose bodies, beyond the confines of the game, may ultimately be regarded as expendable (Waddington 2000). For athletes, symptoms of ill-health are framed within a performance context, such that a player may be offered painkillers for a persistent headache for the short-term goal of returning to the pitch, rather than a scan that may reveal a more substantial condition. Furthermore, medical staff may be entreated to ‘patch up’ injuries for a timely return to the game or to recommend acourse of treatment that is influenced by the needs of the team rather than the best interests of the player. For example, an athlete who suffers from cartilage damage to the knee might be advised by the team doctor to have

Hasil (Bahasa Indonesia) 1:

Olahraga dan kesehatanUntuk mempertimbangkan olahraga untuk menjadi apa pun selain usaha fundamental sehat adalah difficult dalam masyarakat yang begitu erat menyamakan kesejahteraan fisik dengan gaya hidup aktif. Kita diingatkan hampir setiap hari yang bekerja keluar akan mengarah pada peningkatan kesehatan kardiovaskular, mengurangi risiko penyakit gaya hidup dan berkontribusi rasa keseluruhan kesehatan. Strategi untuk memerangi berbagai masalah kesehatan umum sangat bergantung pada promosi aktivitas fisik melalui olahraga teratur, sementara, pada saat yang sama, program pendidikan jasmani, sekali di penurunan, yang sedang dihidupkan kembali untuk memastikan kesehatan muda. Warga tua tidak kebal terhadap antar ventions dan didorong untuk latihan untuk meningkatkan kualitas hidup mereka dengan menstabilkan tubuh mereka dan mencegah cedera. Pemerintah semua descrip-tions secara eksplisit menyatakan bahwa kesehatan, nasional maupun individu, Yayasan kritis yang berbasis kebijakan olahraga mereka, dan hubungan antara olahraga dan alam lebih lanjut mengkonfirmasi aktivitas fisik sebagai dasarnya restoratif. Akibatnya nexus olahraga – kesehatan telah dibangun sebagai fenomena alam dan jelas (Waddington 2000).Given the close association between the two, it would seem that those who participate in physical activities are assured of a healthy body and a bright future. Accordingly, athletes, more than any other population, are thought to exemplify good health and clean living, which means that when they engage in risky activities, such as binge drinking or smoking, they are sub-ject to particular condemnation for jeopardising their physical health and, as role models, for setting a poor example. It is, however, ironic that sport is uncomfortable being associated with unhealthy behaviours. Numerous The nature of health 79studies attest to the deleterious effect that sport can have on an elite ath-lete’s body, and even casual participants are exposed to potential physical problems as a result of their exercise regimen (Waddington et al. 2006). Indeed, given the number of injuries in junior, casual and elite sport, it could be argued that sport represents a very real public health issue, as well as a significant economic cost, in and of itself (Finch and Owen 2001). Rather than representing an activity dedicated to, or motivated by, improving health, it could easily be argued that sport is not a particularly healthy enterprise and might even justifiably be described as a ‘violent and hazar-dous workplace’ (Young 1993: 373). Nevertheless, those who perform in these risk-laden environments are expensive commodities, and accordingly, professional team owners, national governments and sporting organisations are typically concerned with safeguarding their investments.The professional and elite sports industries have burgeoned since the 1950s, and athletes are required to play longer and harder than ever before. Cricket and rugby, once scheduled only during summer and winter respec-tively, are now essentially year-long sports, as their earning potential in international competitions has increased; baseball has lengthened from 140 games at the beginning of the twentieth century to the current 162 game season; and swimmers, who traditionally focused primarily on the Olympics every four years, now have a series of national and international cham-pionships, short course, grand prix and other events peppered throughout the intervening years. As a result, greater physical demands are made of athletes’ bodies, which require increasingly specialist care to ensure they remain fit, healthy and ready to perform. Rule changes, improved training programmes and techniques, and the inclusion of safety equipment have each contributed to protecting athletes from injury and illness, but it is perhaps the rise in sports medicine that has made the most significant impact on the health and well-being of competitors.The ubiquitous presence of doctors within professional and national sporting teams would seem to suggest that athletes’ health must be a critical concern. Yet, the aims of medicine and the aims of sport are not always in concert, particularly when physicians are employed by teams rather than engaged by players. In this sense, the employment contract between the sports doctor and their employer may influence the type of care that is offered to athletes, whose bodies, beyond the confines of the game, may ultimately be regarded as expendable (Waddington 2000). For athletes, symptoms of ill-health are framed within a performance context, such that a player may be offered painkillers for a persistent headache for the short-term goal of returning to the pitch, rather than a scan that may reveal a more substantial condition. Furthermore, medical staff may be entreated to ‘patch up’ injuries for a timely return to the game or to recommend acourse of treatment that is influenced by the needs of the team rather than the best interests of the player. For example, an athlete who suffers from cartilage damage to the knee might be advised by the team doctor to have