The Consequences of The Amateur Sports Act of 1978

My opinion is the Amateur Sport Act should be reformed. Nowadays, elite competition is still important, but we are faced with many problems such as obesity and physical inactivity. We should go back to the times of Eisenhower and Kennedy, who promoted mass participation. We need to promote physical fitness and athletic opportunities to everyone. We would be a healthier society if the Amateur Sports Act did not emphasize or promote "elite" athletes only.

During the Cold War between the Soviet Union and The United States, the American government believed that losses at international sport competition in the Olympics detracted from American prestige abroad. It was a competition against the Soviet Union for world dominance, to see which country could get more medals at the Olympic games. This gave rise to elite athletes to represent the United States in international games. This excluded the notion of encouraging the entire population to participate in sports. Sports was not longer geared towards mass involvement. The rising percentage of obese people shows that American lead a sedentary life, and lack opportunities to participate in sports.