The power of sport

This is a paid collaborative post.

The weather wasn’t the greatest on Tuesday and Lia and I ended up watching some television after lunch. As usual, she asked to watch Paw Patrol and I grumbled a bit and turned it on for her. But then something brilliant happened. Something went wrong with Netflix and Paw Patrol froze. As I was trying to get it back for her, I flicked the channel over to Wimbledon. And miraculously, Lia decided she’d rather watch the tennis than Paw Patrol. I’ll take that as a parenting win.

A few facts about Wimbledon

Wimbledon is where Lawn Tennis began, with the first tournament taking place 140 years ago. Back then, it was a small affair with only 200 people watching the final. They each paid a shilling to watch, and the winner was Spencer Gore.

These days, Wimbledon tickets are somewhat more sought after. It is of course televised throughout the world too, as the most prestigious Grand Slam tournament. In 2013 when Andy Murray beat Novak Djokovic in the final, 17.29 million people were watching from all over the world.

Power players

I have been fascinated to read the statistics from First Utility about the amount of energy used at Wimbledon. To put it in context, most people aim for 10,000 steps per day. This burns around 400 to 500 calories. In comparison, the players in the men’s singles final will burn around 2174 calories between them during the match.

And for anyone who would rather watch tennis on the television, you’ll be interested to know that 21 men’s single’s finals could power an LED television for a year. The statistic that shocked me the most was that one women’s final could charge a smartphone for a year. I think I need someone to invent a device that only charges your smartphone when you exercise. That would be the ultimate encouragement to stay fit!

Getting children into sport

I love the fact that Lia decided she’d rather watch the tennis than her usual children’s programmes. I’m not a huge fan of children having too much television time, but I do make an exception for watching sport. We have taken the girls to watch rugby, wheelchair basketball and athletics. Libby also came with us to watch Olympic water polo when she just a baby.

But it’s not always possible to take children to watch sports live, so watching on the television comes a close second. One day though, I’ll be taking the children to watch Wimbledon. Perhaps tennis will be their sport.