Sport

Sport plays such a large part in British life that many idioms in the English language have come from the world of sport, for example 'to play the game' means 'to be fair', and 'that's not cricket' means 'that's not fair'.

The most popular sport in Britain as a whole is football. A lot of people support their local clubs at matches on Saturday afternoons, or watch the matches live on television.

The football league in England and Wales has four divisions. (Scotland has its own separate system, and there are not many professional sides in Northern Ireland.) Each division contains twenty-two teams, and at the end of each season the top three clubs from the lower divisions are promoted to a higher one. Those who are at the bottom are relegated. There are two main prizes each season. The football league championship is won by the team that is top of the first division, whereas the FA cup (FA stands for Football Association) is a knockout competition between all the teams of the league. The final of this competition takes place every May at the famous Wembley stadium in London. Some of the best-known clubs in England are Manchester United, Liverpool and the Arsenal. In Scotland either Rangers, Celtic or Aberdeen usually win the cup or the championship.

Many clubs have problems with money at the moment; increasing costs and falling attendances. Some people say that the league is too big and that the players get paid too much. Others say that television is making the crowds stay at home. Many clubs, however, are now earning extra income by using the players' shirts for advertising as a way of staying alive in the 1980s.

Sport at school

Sport has for a long time been a very important part of a child's education in Britain, not just - as you may think - to develop physical abilities, but also to provide a certain kind of moral education! Team games in particular encourage such social qualities as enthusiasm, cooperation, loyalty, unselfishness. Above all, absolute fairness (no cheating!) and being able to lose without anger (being a 'good loser') are considered important.

Susan Sheerin, Jonathan Seath, Gillian White: Spotlight on Britain; Oxford University Press, 1985, page 117 f.