What is sport? ASU faculty members, historians and athletes weigh in

What is sport? ASU faculty members, historians and athletes weigh in
May 30, 2018
Suzanne Wilson

Now's a great time to find out more about our undergraduate and graduate degrees in physical education

"Move it or lose it" is the old saying, but maybe it's time to flip that: Move it — because you have so much to gain.

May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, and these members of the Arizona State University community prove that physical activity is a great way of life. 

From fitness' role in the classroom to favorite ways to stay active, these Sun Devils share what sport means to them.

Sport is ... empowerment 

ASU sports historian, Victoria Jackson (Jackson is a lecturer of history in the School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies at ASU) and cross-country runner J.P. Nelson (BS '18) share what sport and fitness mean to a country's military preparedness and its gender equity — and why running makes them feel smarter and more complete.

Sport is ... education

For Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College Professor Hans Van der Mars, physical activity is education. It's also how to better ensure a better quality of life.

Sport is ... wellness

Physical education teacher and Arizona's 2018 Teacher of the Year Josh Meibos (MPE '11) talks about how to get naturally wiggly kids interested in physical activity. Fellow ASU alum Chelsey Sands (MPE '18) shares the opportunities for all in adaptive fitness.

Sport is ... leadership

ASU women's tennis coach Sheila McInerney — who earlier this year became the sixth ASU coach to reach 500 wins — and tennis alum Alexandra Osborne (BS '17) talk teamwork, toughness ... and their favorite tennis stroke. 

Sport is ... a lifestyle

ASU men's basketball coach Bobby Hurley talks about why sport is a lifestyle — and his famous Hollywood debut.

Sport is ... for everyone

Global Sport Institute CEO Kenneth Shropshire discusses how sport can change a society, whether the winter or summer version of the Olympics is better and why Muhammad Ali really was the greatest.

 

This piece was originally published in ASU Now.