There is an opinion that the government’s budget should be invested in sports and artistic activities for students in schools, instead of being spent on professional sports events and artistic performances for the public. However, others, myself included, argue that each of these two investments is important in its own ways. Therefore, the government should try to allocate money to both these developments at a reasonable ratio.
On the one hand, investments in professional sporting and artistic events offer manifold benefits for the government and individuals. For one, organizing and bidding for world-renowned sports leagues, such as the World Cup, the Olympics, or the Sea Games, would probably attract visitors from different parts of the world, thus increasing revenues for travel agencies and contributing to the development of the host country’s tourism industry in general. Moreover, the increased volume of international tourists could give rise to the burgeoning of services, such as accommodation, restaurants, and souvenirs, in the host venues, thus creating employment opportunities for the locals. Also, the investment in the training for top athletes could provide them with better infrastructure for practice and training conditions so that they could bring home more medals, raising the country’s image. By the same token, spending money on building the necessary performing sites and the training of the best artists would likely boost the development of the entertainment industry by serving the general public’s artistic tastes better, selling more tickets and unleashing the abilities of would-be talents. Some people might argue that the infrastructure for sports and arts events, such as stadiums, auditoriums, and gymnasiums, often falls into disuse after the events are over, becoming a big waste of the government’s money. However, these facilities can still serve long-term purposes and be used for upcoming events. This is a strong testament to why the government should invest in professional sports and arts.
However, there are equally significant advantages to pouring money on children’s sporting and artistic activities. As for sports, having a chance to practice different sports could keep children away from a sedentary lifestyle, along with its associated health problems, like obesity and poor immune system. Not only could sports improve children’s health, but these extracurricular activities would also train them mentally. To be specific, intensive sports like football, basketball and running, necessitate participants who embody the qualities of persistence, perseverance and commitment, which likely develop the children’s qualities. Furthermore, team sports are conducive to instilling in children a sense of community spirit and solidarity, which would prepare children better for the future world of work where effective cooperation is a must. Some might argue that some children are not physically strong by nature; therefore, there is no point in persuading them to engage in sports. However, what they fail to factor in is the long-lasting educational values of this participation. In fact, even if the children cannot develop themselves physically, they could still be more aware of the merits of sports. As time passes by, such a positive mindset will reverberate in the generations to come nurturing a more holistically well-rounded environment. Turning to artistic activities, they can offer a chance for schoolchildren to deeply immerse themselves in the world of literature, music and sculpture, thus fuelling their imagination and artistic tastes. What is more, artistic activities often hold valuable life lessons that stand the test of time, which means that frequent exposure to such pieces of art would nurture children’s sense of compassion, altruism, gratitude and empathy. To this end, more money should be spent on the reforming of the current school curriculum, the establishment of school facilities, and the training for teachers and staff. Therefore, the government’s provision of funding for these schemes is obviously needed, as a country benefits much from a well-educated workforce in the future.
All things considered, both investments in sporting and artistic activities for children and professional events and performances for the general public are important in their own ways. Therefore, one side should not be prioritized over the other, and an equitable distribution of the government’s budget is highly necessary.