Boxing is a popular sport that many people seem to be crazy about. Newspapers, magazines and sports programs on TV frequently cover boxing matches. 【小题1】

It seems to me that some people, especially men find it attractive because it is an aggressive(攻击性的) sport. When they watch a boxing match, they can identify with the winning boxer, and this gives them the feeling of being a winner themselves. It is a fact that many people have feelings of aggression from time to time, but they cannot show their aggression in their everyday lives. 【小题2】

However, there is a negative side to boxing. 【小题3】 Although boxers wear gloves during the fights, and amateur(业余的) boxers even have to wear helmets, there have frequently been accidents in both professional and amateur boxing, sometimes with terrible results. Boxers have suffered from head injuries, and occasionally, fighters have even been killed as a result of being knocked out in the ring(拳击台). 【小题4】 Sometimes even if a boxer has never been knocked out, he might have suffered severe brain damage without knowing it.

【小题5】 I think it would be better if less time was given to aggressive sports on TV, and we welcomed more men and women from non-aggressive sports as our heroes and heroines in our society. I believe that the world is aggressive enough already! Of course, people like competitive sports, and so do I, but I think that hitting other people in an aggressive way is not something that should be regarded as a sport.

With more and more kids picking up bats and gloves, efforts to build a “baseball ecosystem” in China continue to produce impressive results. And with Major League Baseball (MLB) a key contributor to the drive, Chinese kids are learning from the very best in the business.

“The baseball environment has changed greatly since MLB entered the Chinese market. When we first came to China in 2007, the baseball population in the country was very limited,” said Tony Qi, managing director of MLB China. “But in 2019, the active baseball population had reached over 20 million. When we first organized the youth baseball match in five Chinese cities in 2008, each city had only one age group to take part. But this year we have 20 cities, and in some cities we have competitions for five age groups.”

Around 400 teams have taken part in the MLB China Cup, a nationwide youth competition designed to encourage kids to take up baseball. During one recent season in Beijing, there were about 100 teams that wanted to take part in the MLB Cup. So, MLB, the Chinese Baseball Association and local baseball organizations are all working together for a brighter Chinese baseball future.

Audiences have also been attracted by the 2020 documentary Tough Out, which tells the lives of a group of Chinese teenagers whose lives are changed through baseball. “In the documentary, the kids build a new home in their baseball team, together with their coaches in a Beijing suburb,” said Qi. “The notion (观念) of home is very important in baseball culture. Through baseball, these kids gained home, friendship and confidence. They also gained the courage to fight against the hard situations they found themselves in. We’re planning to produce more content like this to make baseball culture popular.”

Last April over 21,000 fans were at Wembley Arena in London, shouting and cheering. Thousands more were watching online. But this wasn’t a football, basketball or tennis match. It was esports, or competitive computer gaming. The prize money for the winners: 3 million.

Millions of people in the UK play esports for fun. Some of them have made it their full-time job. It’s not easy being a professional gamer, though. They sit in front of a computer for anywhere from 10-15 hours straight, doing the same thing over and over again, trying to improve on that craft like typing fast. In order to stay fit enough to compete, teams often maintain a consistent gym routine.

As well as playing esports, many people in the UK like watching them too. Esports can be exciting to watch: just like traditional sports, there are close games, last-minute victories and amazing performances. Sometimes online viewers can interact with games.

Despite the word “esports” having “sports” right in the name, there’s still a frequently asked question: are esports really sports? Some say no. While they have a lot of similarities to traditional sports like football, soccer, and basketball, it’s appearing to miss one thing: movement. Physical activity. Esports players don’t need to run, jump, throw or do big physical action. At the moment, the UK government regards esports as kinds of games, not as sports.

But others say yes: esports are sports. Players do need some physical skills, especially hand-eye cooperation, reflexes, accuracy and timing. If darts (飞镖), snooker and shooting are seen as sports, then perhaps esports should be too. In fact, China and South Korea do see esports as sports. And esport is already an official medal sports in the Asian Games since 2022.

For many esports fans and players, though, the most important thing is that esports are growing in popularity and importance. If esports are not as important as sports now, they definitely will be in the near future.