Some people think that the concept of an overweight person playing sports is a contradiction in terms. Well, it really isn't. Babe Ruth wasn't a lightweight, and football players usually weigh between two and three hundred pounds. Sure, Babe Ruth may not have been able to run very fast, but when the ball he just was going over the wall, who cared how much time it took him to round the bases? The same thing goes for football players. Some may not be able to run fast, but when it comes to tackling an opponent, who better that a 300 pound pro?
When I was in high school I hated gym class. I never liked doing squat thrusts or sit ups. I still don't. But I liked playing sports. Softball, basketball, paddle ball, golf, badminton, soccer, I liked them all. Unfortunately, society seems to have problems with an overweight person playing sports.
My classmates knew I was a pretty good athlete. True, speed was not my strong point, but getting a basketball in the hoop or having a powerful serve in volley ball seemed to make up quite a bit for my slow running time. By the end of the first month of school, I was always one of the first people chosen to be on a team. Really1x
I remember one time I was playing soccer during gym class. We were outside on a mild spring day, and I was having a good time. I was running and kicking the ball and enjoying myself tremendously. I was, that is, until someone passed by the school grounds and shouted, "Look at that fat girl run1x Ha, ha, ha."
At that moment, I wondered why that person felt it was necessary to make such a rude comment. If it was to make me feel bad, well, he succeeded. I stopped running when I heard that remark, and I haven't run since. I mention this story because it happened so long ago, yet, I remember it still. As far as I'm concerned, "Sticks and stones may break your bones," but broken bones are forgotten a lot faster than cruel words.
I always thought that by the time I reached my 40s, misconceptions about overweight people playing sports would be erased. They haven't been. If anything, things are worse now than they were thirty years ago. Nowadays, if you see an overweight person playing a sport on television, it's usually done for "comic relief." I don't see the humor in it. On one hand, the public is told that in order to lose weight we should partake in physical activities--like sports. Yet, in the very next breath, we are encouraged to laugh at an overweight person who is trying to do just that.
If society really is so concerned about the number of overweight people in this country, its citizens will have to learn that seeing a heavy person jogging, or playing basketball, or doing some other activity is no cause for levity. Every person has a right to try and be healthy.
All the speeches and articles aimed at overweight people who don't exercise make those of us who are overweight feel bad about ourselves. With people always on hand to humiliate us, it's harder for some of us to try, and win, in the health game.
Choose the exercise that's best for you.
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