By Peter Scobas ’12
THE ROUNDUP

“We like sportz, and we don’t care who knows / From shooting hoops, to the Super Bowl.”

Those familiar lyrics come from the song “We Like Sportz” by the Lonely Island.

Though the song is satirical, they speak of an interesting point. Society is full of sport fanatics. With major events such as the Super Bowl, the up and coming NBA All-Star Weekend and the recent Auburn-Oregon National Championship game on people’s minds, the question is brought up: should sports have such a prominent role in society?

In a recent online poll by The Roundup, students were asked if they played fantasy sports. 45 percent of participants responded “yes, frequently” and 25 percent responded “yes, occasionally” while just 30 percent said “no, never.”

If those results are at all that telling, here is another piece of information that puts the question of the prominence of sports into perspective.

A recent TIME Magazine article reads, “For avid fans, high-stakes games like the Super Bowl can trigger the same kind of stress and fight-or-flight response as extreme events like earthquakes.”

The article discusses how scientists are studying a connection between an increase in risk of a heart attack and the results of the Super Bowl game.

On average, more than 100 million people view the Super Bowl every year. To many sport fans, games like this have turned into a holiday, or at least a major event every year.

In addition, 132.7 million watch the college basketball Final Four, 700 million watch the World Cup every four years.

So why so many viewers? What’s the hook?

“Sports give people the opportunity to show their hard work on a field of competition,” said Chris Frame ’12.

Other students find that athletes become role models because they are so skilled at their roles.

“People look up to athletes because they are the best at what they do,” said Navin Prasad ’12, who added that he spends between 15 to 20 hours involved in sports throughout an average week.

Greg Ali ’12 said while people put a lot of stock in sports, all they really are is entertainment.

All those interviewed agreed school should take priority over any type of athletic activity and unhealthy activities, like television or videogames, would be better replaced by sports.