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Jim Davies believes there are four reasons “why humans can’t do without sports.”

Playing sports prepares us to deal physically with the world. We practise skills that we once needed to survive — running, aiming and throwing were very important to hunters on the savannah.

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Sports also stimulates our brains. The same brain areas that are stimulated by playing sports are also stimulated when watching sports, thanks to “mirror neurons.” That’s why spectators twitch in their seats when athletes fall.

We also watch out of appreciation for athletes’ physical excellence, the esthetic beauty of what they do.

And, finally, spectators are driven by an affinity for drama — which isn’t the same thing in sports as it is in movies. Moviegoers may not know exactly how a James Bond flick will end, but they know filming ended months ago, so they’re just waiting for pre-ordained events to play out. Sports competition, on the other hand, produces previously undetermined results.