Badminton

Time was running out. I gripped my racket and slid forward as my opponent attempted a drop shot. The net of my racket whipped the shuttle up and I held my breath as it was carried through the air, gliding past the net and…TIME.

Such are the experiences of a typical badminton game, a feeling of adrenaline, competitiveness and either victory or defeat perfectly wrapped in a sequence of smashes, drops and drives. Only few have mastered each move and even then their success relies solely on their instinct. You would think, then, that as I browsed through the internet, when I would come across a list of the most popular sports badminton would be at the top. Unfortunately, you would be wrong and instead find that the sport that has taken the athletic world by storm is in fact football. A game that involves violent plunges in the mud for a seemingly meaningless ball, all the while risking life-changing injury as well as their sanity.

Although this may sound harsh, many forget that badminton is a sport that while teaching you life-long skills on the court can also teach you important virtues such as confidence and organisation. Whilst football may hold some of these values each player has a sense of less responsibility in terms of gameplay, whereas in a doubles match of badminton the teammates will have a feeling of responsibility but also trust in their partner. Furthermore, it is a non-physical game which means there is no violence involved. The results are purely based on the natural skills and abilities of those who play. On the other hand according to Wikipedia “Badminton in the United States” the sport is viewed as something people will play in their backyard and as a result barely able to compete against modern day ones.

The point of this argument is to expand on why badminton is one of the best sports of our time and possibly misunderstood. It has caught the attention of many for over 2000 years. As a matter of fact, the sport was recognised by India from where it originated and was immediately introduced to the west by Britain. Through bursts of energy and swift movements the game proved to be popular among the nation and soon thrived. Therefore, also proving why it should be a popular sport today.             

By Jannat Awais