Hiking Joshua Tree National Park

Sports and Environment

This paper discusses the game Rounders and its effects on the natural environment, as well as the effects of environmental factors on the sport. Rounders is a game that is played between two teams and, like several other games; it is played by the members of each gender. The sport is very popular among the British and Irish school children.

History of the Game

The game of Rounders is believed to have originated in England during the reign of the Tudors. The game may have begun at around 1744, and by that time, it was commonly referred to as baseball. The first official rules of the game were published in the “The boy's Own Book” of 1828. The rules defined the acceptable way of playing the game, which involved the practice of sticking the running batters out for the purpose of hitting them with a thrown ball (Schiff, 2008). The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) of Ireland was the first formal association to draw up a standardized set of rules. The association achieved this in 1844, while the British National Rounders Association (NRA) compiled its own rules in 1943. Presently, the game is popular though in its varied forms. Rounders is estimated to be played by about two million school boys and girls in the United Kingdom. The game is also played at the international level, especially in the countries that had Britain as their colonial master.

Impact of Rounders Game on Environment

In the countries, where the sport is popular, the game of Rounders attracts a large cloud of spectators. This is the case in Britain and Ireland, as well as a host of other nations around the world. Since heavy traffic does occasion the timing of these games, the emission of greenhouse gases increases, and this results into the environmental degradation. This is because most of the fans opt to use the private means of transport for the convenience purposes (Jagemann, 2003). While in these venues, a variety of soft drinks and fast foods is available; and players, as well as the fans, desire to acquire them make the business flourish a situation that result into wrappers and other kind of trash being disposed all over, due to the irresponsibility of the fans. Some of the plastic and polythene wrappers find their way into the draining systems around these venues; and they eventually end up clogging them, a scenario which aggravates environmental hazards to the neighboring population.

The natural resources are strained as a result of the growth of the game of Rounders in the sense that much electrical energy is required to light the stadium, do the fireworks, and run the concession stands. Due to the growing popularity of the sport, extra space has been utilized for the purpose of expanding the venues to accommodate a rising number of teams and spectators, as well as the necessary sporting equipment (Jagemann, 2003). The expansion into an extra territory endangers both the animal and plant species, as the natural landscapes are excavated.

As with other popular sports, the game of Rounders has increased the use of non-biodegradable materials. There has also been an increase in the emission of harmful substances. This usually happens during the construction of these sporting facilities, as a significant volume of the materials being utilized ends up being disposed off, sometimes in an irresponsible manner (Govorushko, 2011). The game of Rounders necessitates the utilization of a large volume of water and pesticides for the purpose of maintaining the grassed pitches. As such, water that could have been utilized for other purposes like crop irrigation is utilized in maintaining the beauty of the pitches. This is a costly endeavor, considering that it is done for fun. Sometimes, over utilization of water and pesticides contaminates the soil, and this may pose a threat to the participants, as well as the ecosystem.

Impact of the Environment on the Game of Rounders

The game of Rounders is affected by the nature of the environment, under which it is being played (Rosner et al, 2010). For instance, such factors as air, soil and water pollution impacts negatively on the sport especially, when their impact begins to be felt by the players.

The Green Tips

There is need for concerted effort amongst the stakeholders in the sports industry, the government, business people, social groups, the fans and the rest of the citizenry; as such, cooperation facilitates the protection of the environment, while developing the game of Rounders. The society should focus on adopting environmentally friendly sporting infrastructure, so as to ensure sustainability of the game, as well as other activities that are affected by the nature of the environment. Vulnerable localities should also be avoided, as utilizing them may prove to be counterproductive, a situation which may, indeed, decrease the popularity of the game. Whenever possible, the sporting facilities may even be located in the lands that could have been abandoned for one reason or the other. Sports operators should also be obliged to organize their programs and events in a manner that is friendly to nature and the environment.

Having these games played during the day could minimize the need to utilize the excessive amounts of electricity, much of which are actually generated from non-renewable sources. Similarly, carpeting the pitches would reduce the need to utilize the huge volumes of water for the purpose of maintaining the grass, a situation which would help save water for such purposes as irrigation (Govorushko, 2011). Finally, it would be necessary to conduct a systematic civil education for all the stakeholders, as well as the members of the society. Individuals should be encouraged to engage in those activities that does not cause havoc to the environment. Proper environmental conservation measures should be considered during planning, construction and maintenance of all outdoor sporting facilities.