IELTS Essay # 61 - Some people think that watching sports as their leisure time activity is a waste of time. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

N.B.: This essay was asked on 25^th June 2016 in the IELTS test in India for the General Training exam.

Essay # 61

Some people think that watching sports as their leisure time activity is a waste of time. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Watching sports matches is a great pastime. However, some say that watching it in leisure time is not as productive. This might not be true wholly, and this essay shall attempt to explain the extent of watching sports games being acceptable.

Nowadays there are very few leisure time activities that people really like to do and ‘watching sports’ is one of them. The reason why ‘playing sports’ is ‘not’ is because people are so tired from their work schedule and other commitments so they don’t have enough stamina for actually playing outdoors. As a result, they satisfy their need for sports activities by watching the games, and this is mainly on TV. Many sports fanatics, whose only hobby is sports activities, have only this option to indulge in at leisure as not everyone can afford tickets to the stadium all the time.

Highly entertaining as they are, people can sit for hours watching the tournaments for cricket or football and such games. Alongside, they also keep on munching on chips and other junk foods. This is why many people say it is a waste of time. If instead of this, people would’ve gone out to play sports themselves, it would’ve proven to be a much fruitful leisure time activity. Even many stereotypical representations of unfit people are shown to be watching sports matches on TV all day with a bowl of junk food in front of them.

On a practical note, it is true that not all people physically indulge in playing sports. So, most of them prefer to watch them instead, be it a local game being held at a nearby ground, or on TV (which is a much convenient and preferred option). However, it is only a waste of time if the complimentary activities with that include unhealthy eating or lounging. In fact, inviting people for watching an important tournament together – say a cricket match final between your country and another is a great way to socialize and have fun with friends, and this is not a waste of time at all. This is what leisure time is actually for.

To conclude, I don’t agree with watching sports at leisure being a complete waste of time. It may be a waste if you watch too much of it on TV. But again, being a passive spectator on the ground or in front of the TV is not as bad is being portrayed commonly.

(405 words)