For Sport is a good for you. It keeps you fit physically and mentally throughout life. It teaches you teamwork and leadership and channels aggression and patriotism into something acceptable - it is far better for countries to compete against each other in the World Cup or the Olympics than fighting wars and killing people. Without sport you become a couch potato. With it you look good and feel good.

Against Where’s the fun in sport? It tires yo out, makes you sweaty and smelly, can leave you injured and costs you money which not everyone has. But worst of all, the point of sport is competition which provokes aggression and unfairly singles out those who are naturally strong and quick from other people. They become a clique on which all the trophies and praise is heaped, or earn pots of money, while the rest of us have to just get on with out lives. And in football some of their fans are the most vicious violent people around.

Ted Wragg is professor of education at the University of Exeter