Most people will agree that playing a sport is one of the best ways to keep active and healthy. It's exercise with a more entertaining purpose. And there is no denying just how popular sports are. They are a bit part of the American culture and a good part of many other countries'. It's also then no surprise just how popular sports video games are, either.

Of course, there's a lot of irony in that. They are complete opposites. Sports video games do promote some things. If played with friends, there's the social interaction of them. It would be like watching a game with buddies. But even watching the game lacks activity that playing it in real life provides.

The good thing is that a lot of kids that do play the sports video games also play the sport or a sport in real life. They're active young athletes that just like to have a little fun at home or a friend's house. It's also a great thing for rainy or snowy days. It could even help improve their own play and understanding of the rules. The bad thing is that there are some parents that don't promote the real thing enough.

They might just think that because it's a sports game that it will get the kid excited about going outside to really play it. This isn't always the case. A parent doesn't have to stop allowing his or her child to play the game, but the parent should promote outdoor activities too. It's quite funny when you think about it. The fascination and fixation of many outdoor sports has lead to the creation of indoor activities and ways to experience them. There are even video game tournaments.

You can't blame these people though. Sports has just grown a part of their life as it has for many others. I may not understand the fascination with playing a sports game or watching it on TV over playing it in real life, but it's still good. Everyone has their own preferences. I just hope we don't become too unattached from the real world as a society and start making simulations of other things. It's bad enough we already watch too much TV, a lot of it pointless and repetition of already successful things.

I'm not the most active person in the world, or biggest sports fan, but I still believe its more fun to play it in real life than do anything a video game or TV can about the sport. .

By: Jake Rose