Future of Sports for Kids?

What is the future of Sports for Kids?

Is it never going to be the way it was when we grew : lush, green outfields. Lots of open space. Multiple games going around, kids making up rules as they go etc etc.

In India: It does seem like this is increasingly another of our so-called "glorious past"! Given the changing urban landscape, haphazard planning and lack of focus on kids, play spaces are disappearing.

But thats not the point of this post. Given the change, what does it mean for our kids - and what will the future be? Tempting to write: "Que sera sera" - but for all the reasons that most of us know (and some listed in earlier posts), it is important to pay attention to this.

If we assume space (or a lot of it) is not going to be easily available, do we let kids just stop playing? One way of measuring value of something is to imagine life without it! Are you ok with your kids not playing from this point onwards?
Most people vigorously reject the idea.
If that is true, and we dont have spaces, what do we do to ensure that kids still get the health and fitness - as well as the social skills that they learn *only* through mediums like sport. Not in their classroom.

Is it time to think through a radical redesign of apartment complexes - such that there are multiple configurable playspaces?

Is it time to design a "magic box" that converts your kids bedroom into an activity zone?

Or will the future be played in front of the television through Wii? Maybe.

Dont know the answer - but clearly, there is a problem to be solved - and hence an opportunity!

Where do the children play?

When we started SportzVillage back in 2003 - trying to get more kids to play, i had the good fortune of meeting a very evolved IAS officer. Someone who connected immediately on the need for kids to play - and said my conversation with him reminded him of a song by Cat Stevens: "Where do the children play?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjdVOfnYkyA

Well I think it's fine, building jumbo planes.
Or taking a ride on a cosmic train.
Switch on summer from a slot machine.
Yes, get what you want to if you want, 'cause you can get anything.
I know we've come a long way, We're changing day to day,
But tell me, where do the children play?

Well you roll on roads over fresh green grass.
For your lorry loads pumping petrol gas.
And you make them long, and you make them tough.
But they just go on and on, and it seems that you can't get off.
Oh, I know we've come a long way, We're changing day to day,
But tell me, where do the children play?

Well you've cracked the sky, scrapers fill the air.
But will you keep on building higher 'til there's no more room up there?
Will you make us laugh, will you make us cry?
Will you tell us when to live, will you tell us when to die?
I know we've come a long way, We're changing day to day,
But tell me, where do the children play?
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Makes you think, doesn't it?