Recent studies have shown that as the costs of competitive sports increase, for example in terms of equipment, league fees, travel, and so on, so too do rates of obesity among children. Some people believe the government needs to subsidize sporting activities for children to help keep them fit. Others believe that it is up to parents to ensure their children are active and healthy. Compare the strengths of both views and state your own opinion.

Keeping children fit these days is very expensive. However, treating adults with complications due to obesity developed in childhood is even more costly. It is no wonder then that people want governments to somehow mitigate these expenses by making sports more affordable. On the other hand, it is understandable that some lay blame on parents for allowing their children to develop sedentary lifestyles. While both arguments have merit, I believe the best solution requires a combined effort by both authorities and parents. To begin with, sports have become a conglomerate of associations and competitions that promotes winning and being well-equipped over having fun. Thus, kids need to buy hockey skates, tennis rackets, and special shoes, for example, and pay to join a program or team. In other words, sports and health are becoming luxuries that only high-earning families can afford. By giving families tax breaks on healthy spending, governments can, in the long run, actually save money in terms of healthcare costs as more children will maintain active habits as they get older. More importantly, this will make sports fun for kids and their parents and consequently make healthy lifestyle choices more attractive. At the same time, parents need to encourage their children to go outside and play or to engage in a sport. They need to set time limits on computers and other devices and participate with their children in these fitness activities. After all, children learn from their parents, and if the parents ride bicycles with their children or play games with them, the children will consider these activities more natural. In contrast, parents who are lazy and use the television as a babysitter are doing their children a great disservice. In the final analysis, governments can and should help kids be more active in terms of affordability by rewarding active parents who look after their children’s health. Likewise, governments can levy higher taxes on parents whose children develop health problems due to a lack of exercise. Ultimately, the only solution is a combination of government assistance and parental will.