For a full, healthy and useful life, sports are as important and necessary as work. They help us mentally, physically and emotionally, and help us to develop a healthy outlook towards life.

Sports are very useful as a diversion for the mind. Most sports need skill and good judgment. Players not only develop their bodies but also develop their minds. Players must acquire the art of playing a game.

A person good at sports gets preference over others for admission to colleges. Some scholarships and other resources are also offered to meritorious players by some schools. In some departments of the government, good players with proven merit get the jobs in preference to others. In the armed forces, the police and other civil services, players get a better deal.

Sports develop our character. The players have to abide by the rules of the game. Any departure from these rules means foul play. Every foul stroke in a game involves a penalty. Therefore, players play a fair game. Fair play is a noble moral quality. Players become honest and punctual. Sports develop the sportsman’s spirit in a player. Defeat does not dishearten a true sportsman. He does not feel over-excited if he wins a match. He should learn to take both victory and defeat in stride. He never strikes his adversary for that.

Sports also teach us team spirit. Nearly all sports are team sports. A selfish player cannot score a goal. The captain is always to be obeyed. Sports also develop the quality of leadership.

Sports make us broad-minded. A good player gets many opportunities to visit other countries. Sports contribute to the strength of a nation.

A fish that is a great favorite with people is the salmon. It begins its life in a small pool up a river. Far from the sea, the fish lays its eggs in a pool in the river. When the baby fish are a few inches long, they begin to swim down the river. As they grow bigger, they make their way towards the sea. They jump over rocks, often with their tails first. Suddenly, they find themselves in the sea.

The fish live in the sea for three years. They swim far away from land. How do they find their way back? These fish have a wonderful sense of smell. They always remember the smell of their journey to the sea easily, because the river was flowing to the sea and carried them there. Most of them live and keep swimming towards pools. As soon as they reach a pool, the females lay their eggs. They lay their eggs near the edge of the water and cover them with sand. Soon the eggs hatch and the pool is full of small fish, getting ready for the long journey out to the sea.