Page 56 - Active Skills for Reading Intro Book

Are sports important?

Sports are all around us. we watch and read sports news. There are
also sports bars and even sports-only channels on TV. In many
countries, athletes make millions of dollars every year. But why
are sports (like soccer and baseball) so important? They're only
s games, right?

our readers answer:

Sports bring people together. In 2006, our team qualified for
1
the soccer world Cup for the first time. Everyone was happy.
Rich and poor, old and young, men and women-everyone
was dancing in the streets together!

Vlad
(Kiev, Ukraine)
10 Sports bring people together, but they divid them, too. Fans
of different teams fight all the time-they yell and hit each
other. For example: My brother plays high school baseball. Last
week, his team played an important game. At the game, two
2
parent fought about a call. come on ... b&3seball is only a
1 s game! Sports are so competi these days. It's all about
winning. When fights happen, the game isn't fun anymore.
Kelly
(Philadelphia, USA)

Right now, some of the world's best soccer players are from
African countries (Cameroon, Senegal, the Ivory Coast), and
the 2010 world Cup was in south Africa. Yes, some athletes
20 make a lot of money-maybe too much. But sporting events
(like the world Cup) bring tourists and money to countries
and help their people. And that was really good for Africa.
Oba
(Abuja, Nigeria) � Send us your opinion.

1 If you qualify for something, you are good enough to compete.
2 A call is a decision made in a sports game.
Are Sports Important? 55