A great aspect of physical activity is that it isn’t only fun to do, it’s so often just as fun to watch. From competitive sport to dance, there is something intrinsically pleasing about watching other human bodies in motion, performing coordinated and highly skilled feats of strength, speed, balance, flexibility and grace. Such physical actions rarely occur in isolation. They are often surrounded and underlined by rich stories and drama, as arch-rivals face off for battle in the sporting arena and performers construct and manifest their emotive narratives on stage. The power of human movement can often be spell-binding and breathtaking.
The ancient Greeks knew this, and duly gave the gift of an Olympic legacy to the world, one we still enjoy and marvel at to this very day. The Roman emperors would virtually intoxicate their people with larger-than-life gladiatorial games, and it would be hard to nominate a culture that did not appreciate the beauty of dance in the myriad forms it has assumed across continents and millennia. Physical spectacle remains dear to our collective consciousness now more than ever, as we embrace countless types of physical activity for sport, leisure and pure viewing pleasure.
Many sports fans may never even have practised sport themselves. Own physical ability simply isn’t a prerequisite to having a favourite team or athlete, and watching the drama unfold onscreen from the comfort and safety of one’s living room. Millions of viewers around the world ensure that sport and physical entertainment remains big business and a lucrative career for top performers. Standing or indeed sitting in awe of the world’s best, however, can make it easy to forget there is so much more to the story.
A whole other sporting world exists beyond the fringes of the all-conquering elite. Watching the very best on TV or computer screens is great, but watching physical activity performance in general significantly predates the advent of modern technology, and at least in my opinion, however good broadcasts get or clear, high-definition transmissions appear to be, they pale in comparison to the excitement and drama of the real thing, as seen live and first hand, close enough to immerse oneself in the sensory and emotion-rich magic of it all.
Consider ditching the armchair sports fan routine in favour of real events shared with real people
Of course, I’m not talking about expensive season tickets or trips abroad to watch the same stuff we can see on TV. I’m referring to something even more raw and close to home; live sport in our own communities, performed by people we know, representing places we come from, and performing a range of disciplines we might never have discovered had we left it to the remote controls and search engines alone. This world generally remains hidden from view for all but the most direct members of small and close-knit communities, which is a shame, because a world of sporting and entertainment drama is contained within.
Some of my most powerful memories of watching sport have not been World Cup or Olympic finals seen onscreen, but rather were local events I happened to experience live and first hand. I’ll never forget as a small child watching the visiting Scottish side from Kilmarnock play a series of friendlies against top local premier league sides at Ta’ Qali during a training camp in the early 90s, or being at the National Stadium in 2007 when Malta drew Turkey two-all, or at the basketball pavillion in 2010 for that matter when Steve Aquilina and Scott Dixon drew gloves in a fantastic nine-round boxing grudge-match.
I also have powerful memories of other events I’ve chanced upon over the years in local athletics, men’s rugby, women’s basketball and women’s volleyball. Even during my own days of competing in weightlifting and powerlifting, a marginal and underground world I never expected any of my friends, family or acquaintances to find even remotely interesting, I would always be surprised about the fascination with which unlikely visitors would comment on so many of the details. The characters they observed competing, the psyching-up antics before lifts, the grunts and cries of effort, the passion, the admiration of the small but hardcore audience, the electric atmosphere and the strange aroma of talcum powder, hand chalk, deep heat creams, sugary sports drinks and body odour – a magical blend competitive powerlifters thrive on.
It is truly a shame in this digital information-rich age that we don’t know more about the events and competitions happening all around us on an almost constant weekly basis. Such spectacles are less than a half-hour’s drive away wherever you live on the island, often completely free of charge to watch, and sometimes drastically more entertaining than many of the shows gracing the TV schedules on any given weekend. Local sports events, dance shows and physical activity festivals are a great way to get out, meet people and indulge in a formative and memorable afternoon for the whole family.
If you look closely in the local sports section of the newspaper, or keep an eye open on your news feed, and add a little effort to actually go, you may be treated to more drama than you could have ever expected. You or your kids might even be persuaded to try out something new for yourselves. So consider ditching the armchair sports fan routine in favour of real events shared with real people and I promise you will be far from disappointed, and experience a completely different perspective on the benefits of physical activity: the psycho-social ones.
matthewmuscatinglott@gmail.com