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It’s no secret that being active is good for you. Getting the blood pumping even just a few times a week has been proven to benefit the heart and mind, as well as overall mood. For many people of all ages, the most fun way to stay active is to participate in a favorite sport. No matter what you play, sports are the perfect way to get up and get moving on a regular basis, providing a fun way to reap all the known health benefits of exercise.

While all of this might be old (good) news, what would you think if we told you that sports can also keep you looking forever young?

The search for the fountain of youth is as old as mankind, and despite our best efforts, it still has yet to be discovered. There might not be a magic fountain you can drink from to guarantee your eternal youth, but one recent study does offer such hope to the athletes among us.

It’s April, and after another exciting Spring Training session, Major League Baseball season is now well underway. Nightly baseball broadcasts of our favorite big league teams are the reason why so many sports fans live for the 10 months from February to October each year. Watching the pros pitch and hit in HD on your big screen TV at home is quite the experience, but what if I told you that you could be missing out on some serious baseball action right in your backyard?

Here are the top 3 reasons why you should get out to support your local Minor League Affiliate team and soak in that good ol’ ballpark experience:

Spring is in the air, and June is just around the corner! In just a few short weeks, the much anticipated FIFA World Cup will be underway, with the first match kicking off in Rio on Thursday, June 12th. As professional footballers from around the world get ready to take to the pitch, fans everywhere will be gearing up for a great month of Major League Soccer.

The start of springtime not only means World Cup 2014 is near - it also means spring youth soccer season is about to get underway. Boys and girls of all ages both in Canada and the U.S. enjoy playing soccer every year, having fun while learning the fundamentals. These days, youth soccer participation in the U.S. rivals that of Little League, the American Pastime!

College football teams forming an employee union? Now I’ve seen everything. It sounds farfetched, but unionize they shall. After a shocking ruling by the National Labor Review Board (NLRB), football players at Northwestern University have been granted employee status, meaning they have every right to form a union. The life of a college athlete can’t be so bad that they need to seek union representation, so what gives?

Their reasoning:

First of all, Northwestern University football players, like many other student athletes, dedicate upwards of 40-50 hours per week to their sport, meaning these guys are already working overtime before you even start counting their credit hours.

As we continue to travel into the 21st century, the wonders of technology continue to advance at a staggering rate, bringing us all new ways to access information. As with anything else, these technological advancements have enabled us to explore all new ways of making sports a success for all athletes, from optimizing performance to improving upon safety on the field.

Now, an all new wearable monitoring systems are giving experts a firsthand look at what happens to an athlete’s body on the field.Computers and other gadgets are becoming more and more powerful as we develop smarter technology that is ever faster and wider reaching. While the way we grasp information technology is growing, it is at the same time shrinking in physical size. This is evident with the smart phones and tablets that we use daily, with the newest models always somehow managing to be slimmer and more lightweight than the last. But the possible applications of tiny technology have the potential to really shed some light on athletics.

For generations, women have been striving for an equal playing field with men - first in the voting booths, then in the workplace, and now literally on the playing field. When it comes to competitive and professional sports, women often have their own corresponding leagues to match the men’s, but there is an ongoing question as to the equality between the separate leagues.

The fact that women and men are physically different is not up for debate; in many cases, like with hockey, it would be unsafe for men and women to compete when physical contact is such a big part of the game. The natural size and strength imbalance between the sexes would have dangerous implications for checking, a standard part of the game

Outdoor sports are back, and it’s almost time to take to the fields for tryouts and training. It’s been so long since we’ve enjoyed grass-stained uniforms and oddly-shaped tan lines, but it’s just about that time again! With the promise of warmer weather, players and field crews alike are busy preparing for 2014 spring sports season.

While athletes are working on ball skills and conditioning, sports facility managers are taking care to prepare the turf for the first day of practice. There is much to be done to ready the grounds, from field maintenance to equipment setup. Aside from freshly painted lines on the field and sturdy goals and uprights, no field is complete without backstop netting.

Soccer Barriers

When it comes to soccer games, every second counts. After every goal, during every substitution, while setting up for free-kicks and throw-ins, you can bet that clock will be running. Cut back on stoppage time with netting barriers specially made for keeping the soccer ball on the pitch. Measuring in at 20’ high and 65’ long, the dimensions are perfect for catching those high and wide shots before they stray into the next field over.