Play ... For Life.

The late A. Bartlett Giametti, Renaissance scholar, former president of Yale University, and the commissioner of Major League Baseball at the time of his death, is often quoted as saying:

You can learn more about a society by observing the way they play as opposed to how they work.

If that's the case, then what do our current play patterns and preferences indicate about our society?

* The most recent Surgeon General's Report, the first one released since the report on smoking over 30 years ago, identified lack of leisure-time physical activity as a serious health threat in the United States.

* An average of 21 million Americans lived vicariously as they tuned in every week to watch a group of other people live, work, and survive on a tropical island.

* The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that today an average married couple works 26 percent longer each year than similar working couples did three decades ago.

* A University of Michigan study comparing "real" free time among children ages 12 and under found that leisure time had declined from 40 percent of a child's day in 1981 to 25 percent of a child's day in 1997.

* A study of children ages 6-17 conducted for Nickelodeon found that 50 percent of children were concerned about not having more time to relax.

* Casino gambling continues to hold a winning hand with gaming revenues up 13 percent in this last year, reaching a total of $31 billion.

* A Carnegie Mellon University study found that teens who used computers even for a few hours per week demonstrated increased signs of loneliness and social isolation. These online teens reported having fewer friends.

* Approximately 25 percent of American adults report no leisure-time physical activity and an additional 60 percent don't achieve the recommended levels of leisure-time physical activity.

* The average adult in the United States spent 3,448 hours using consumer media in 1999; that's a 22 percent increase from 1998 and a 55-hour increase from 1997.

* Bureau of Labor Statistics interviews found that by age 15, 64 percent of teenagers were working, with 38 percent of them employed formally. Average weekly hours for employed 15- to 17-year-olds were 17 during the school year and 23 in the summer.

Even a quick look at just a few statistics suggests that Americans are on the road to less free and unstructured time than originally projected for the 21st century and that our activities and preferences are becoming more sedentary, solitary, and passive.

Play -- Our Emerging Vision

It's not only time for all of us to infuse more play into our own individual lives, but it is an absolute necessity that we begin to shift our focus from just providing activities and programs. We need to become facilitators of PLAY -- Positive Leisure Alternatives for Your community. This shift needs to be the emerging vision and role for parks and recreation in the early days of the new millennium.

It's time that we as a profession revise how we perceive ourselves and how we present opportunities and options for play, leisure, and recreation activities to our public. It is clearly time that we help people to Come Out and Play! We can do this by:

-- raising people's awareness as to how important play can be in their lives and the lives of friends and family members.

-- creating interest and incentives to entice people out of the house and off of the couch and away from the computer.

-- involving people in their own lives and the lives of their neighborhoods and communities.

Some of the possibilities include:

Come Out & Play[R] America Campaign

This program is dedicated to connecting with consumers where and how they live, work, and play and is designed to reposition your department as the agency responsible for engaging the community in healthy recreational pursuits. More than 40 agencies throughout the country became involved in this pilot initiative this past summer. Some of the actions, activities, and events department launched included:

Raising awareness -- by including messages about the fundamental values and benefits of play as part of your communications efforts.

Creating interest in leisure activities -- one aspect of the Come Out and Play campaign is articles on various topics and slants of the values and benefits of leisure time. Departments raised awareness by providing local media with timely articles of interest.

Play and Civilization

This article started with a quote from A. Bartlett Giametti that suggested how revealing play patterns and practices are about a society. A quote that issues a challenge to that insight comes to us from Bertrand Russell, who said that

To be able to fill leisure intelligently is the last product of civilization.

What does play and leisure in our current society suggest about the quality of our lives and the future of our world?

gambling ... real TV. .. chat rooms ... cyber-everything and anything ... simulations

Maybe it's not just time but almost in the nick of time to evolve our role to one where we help people to Come Out and Play. We can make a difference in the lives of individuals, families, neighborhoods, communities, and perhaps even civilization through play. It's time to seize the millennial opportunity!

This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it. -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Yes, this is a very good time for parks and recreation and, as an added bonus, we do know what to do with it. Play pays!

Words from the Experts

Lack of "Social Capital"

Robert Putnam, author of the groundbreaking new book titled Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, warns that our country's stock of social capital, the fabric of activities that connects us to one another, is plummeting. He cites the following declines in social capital over the past 25 years: attending club meetings is down by 58 percent, family dinners are down by 33 percent, and having friends over has declined by 45 percent.

Communities that have higher levels of this "social capital" receive more benefits than just potluck dinners and friendlier streets, they tend to have less crime, better schools, and a vastly improved quality of life, according to the author.

Putnam indicates that the United States has reinvented itself "civicly" at the turn of the last century, and it is both time and possible to reinvent itself again. Check out these Web sites for more information: www.bowlingalone.org and www.BetterTogether.org.

Leisure -- The Future Economy

According to Graham T.T. Molitor, the editor of the Encyclopedia of the Future, our current economic era of knowledge and information is well underway and we are rapidly approaching the new era of leisure. Did he say leisure is the future economy? Molitor indicates that an "era" is so designated when a particular area of the economy becomes the largest provider of employment and soon after accounts for the biggest share of gross domestic product. This author suggested in a recent article in Futurist magazine that by 2015 we will be immersed in the leisure economy. He offers the following insights and information as support for his projection:

-- Leisure-oriented businesses including everything from bars to video stores and opera houses will account for 50 percent of the gross domestic product in the United States shortly after the year 2015.

-- Fifteen million Americans visited Disneyland in Anaheim during 1996, while only 108 million (non-business travelers) visited Washington, D.C.

-- Big entertainment conglomerates and mergers including companies such as Viacom-Paramount and Disney's ABC and Time-Warner-Turner are forerunners of this new age.

The Steep Price of Time Deepening

While most people insist that they have less leisure time than before, the time diaries reported in The Time for Life by John P. Robinson and Geoffrey Godbey reveal that we actually have an hour more per day of free time than people did 35 years ago. What's the reason behind this perception of our fun-time shortage? Something that the authors refer to as "time deepening." Americans are trying to get more from the leisure time that they have, and they are doing so by speeding up participation and combining several activities.

This theory assumes that people feel the pressure and the need to do more. People may drop activities that require too much of their precious free time. They may speed up participation as do people who drive through or by parks or historic sites and cross them off their vacation lists. In many instances, we are combining more than one activity at a time, which is the case every time you watch television while reading a favorite book and eating dinner.

Robinson and Godbey actually go as far as suggesting that this way of life, when incorporated into our leisure time, may actually produce additional stress in our lives.

Leisure as a Paradox

Watts Wacker and Jim Taylor, the futurists who last brought us The 500 Year Delta, are back with a new book. This time they joined with writer Howard Means to create a handbook that contains nine paradoxes that will shape the future of your business.

These authors believe that there have been five different epochs since the beginning of mankind and that each of these epochs brings with it different cultural interpretations for work, travel, status, activity, and recreation. The five epochs include the Hunter-Gather, Agricultural, Consumer or Industrial, Knowledge, and the fifth and current era, which the authors label as the Era of Uncertainty. Most of us recognize how ever-changing and uncertain life has become in the last few years.

Paradox of Leisure -- When's the last time you saw a business-oriented bestseller that included "leisure" as one of its main topics? The authors talk about and give examples of the blurring between work and play. If you play on the company softball team, is that work or leisure? If you play golf with a customer, is that work or leisure? How can we tell the differences? The same goes for tacking on two days before or after a conference trip or taking you laptop to the beach. This is likely to become a major challenge for parks and recreation.

The authors create a very insightful and useful chart that pulls together on one page an overview of the "microissues" for each of the five "macroculture" eras. Naturally, the one that it is of greatest interest for our profession is the microissue of recreation. Across the five eras, Wacker and Taylor identify the following as focus areas for recreation in each of the epochs:

Hunter-Gather Agricultural Consumer/Industrial Knowledge Uncertainty Storytelling Socializing Belonging Viewing Being

In the Hunter-Gather era, people gathered around fires and shared their stories either by words or symbols. The Agricultural era created a social hub around barn raisings, quilting bees, and covered-dish suppers. The Consumer or Industrial era brought with it groups for everything from the Alcoholics Anonymous to the Zoological Society as we became a nation of Elk, Lions, and all other kinds of joiners.

Televisions, VCRs, and computers have given rise to a strong preference for viewing, and we do plenty of that in our free time. Movie attendance grows right along with VCR ownership, and the number of channels on cable television just continues to proliferate.

The authors project in this new phase of uncertainty that what people do in their free time begins to define who they are. Belonging and viewing of previous eras have in one sense combined to a time where we define ourselves by our favorite recreational pursuit or passion.

Interesting ideas as to how this and other projections for the future, including moving from factory to office to theme park, will play a role in how we live, work, and play.

End of Leisure?

Park and recreation professionals across the country were excited to learn that the July 2000 issue of American Demographics was going to feature leisure. What a way to celebrate July is Recreation and Parks Month. Imagine the dismay when the cover of the issue boldly stated, "The End of Leisure," the artwork featuring a beach umbrella with a laptop next to it.

This feature article, by contributing editor Alison Wellner, included information and insights related to how the demands of modern-day employment impact upon how people work, live, and play. Wellner maintains that "if we're not living at the office, we're working from home -- or in the car of from a hotel room." The cyber world of work that brought us toys and tools such as e-mail and the cell phone have created what Joanne Ciulla, author of The Working Life: The Promise and Betrayal of Modern Work, calls an "electronic umbilical cord to the workplace."

Some fast facts related to this blurring between the world of work and play include:

--According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, today's average married couple works 717 hours more each year than working couples did in 1969.

--The increased hours at work apparently take a toll. The 1998 General Social Survey, conducted by the National Opinion Research Center, found that 41 percent of American workers report coming home from work exhausted. That percentage is up from 36 percent in 1989.

--Stress is a way of life for newer workers. Inforum's 1999 Pulse Survey found that adults ages 35 and younger were more stressed than older adults. Nearly 70 percent of younger workers reported that they were anywhere from somewhat to extremely stressed. Not so for the 65-and-over set, with 31 percent reporting no stress at all in their lives.

"Couch Potatoes," another related article in this same issue of American Demographics, cited exhaustion at the end of the workday as the reason Americans just collapse on the couch. This article included additional data from the 1998 General Social Survey, including the following:

--Forty-four percent of women and 38 percent of men indicate they are exhausted at the end of the workday.

--The percentage of people in their 40s who report they are always or often exhausted at the end of the workday rose from 32 percent in 1989 to 45 percent in 1998.

A big surprise or contradiction to some of the recent findings of similar surveys where Americans have said they want to spend more quality time with families and would be willing to swap money for time is counter-indicated in this survey. This survey found that:

--Only 9 percent of workers would work fewer hours if it included a pay cut.

--Fifty-three percent would not make the trade of time for money.

--Thirty percent indicated they would like to increase their income by working more hours. [American Demographics, July 2000)

A Message from the Surgeon General

Life is short. So is 30 minutes.

30 minutes of "moderate" physical activity a day. A brisk walk. A romp with the kids. A dance break. Hard to believe that so much fun can dramatically reduce your risk of serious disease and early death. Even if it's done 10 minutes at a time. And considering that it decreases stress and increases your energy, you may not only live longer, you'll probably enjoy it more.

Physical Activity. A little goes a long way.

So What?

An outsider to our field might respond with a resounding "So what?" when presented with those statistics. After all, it's only play. It's not like it's something really important. Wrong. Play is important and becoming increasingly more important not only to the quality of our future life, but to the health and well-being of society overall.

Think for a minute about what issues are either important or troubling to us as individuals or collectively as a society as we venture into this new millennium. The reach and role of play may very well be hiding under the surface of those concerns. Pick up a newspaper or listen to the news and you'll quickly find that there are some common issues that repeatedly garner people's attention. Some of those issues include:

Kids -- lack of after-school supervision, increasing rates of obesity, and a growing sense of isolation are just a few of the concerns with this age group.

Elderly -- that rapidly growing group that is living longer and at risk for becoming isolated from friends, family, and other social supports.

Health -- the ever-escalating cost of health care and its relationship to obesity and sedentary behavior and its impact upon individuals' quality of life.

Impact of technology -- this far-reaching aspect of modern-day life has the potential for making us more stressed, sedentary, and increasingly isolated from one another.

Sense of community -- growing gaps between and among individuals, neighbors, communities, and society leading to a decline in civility, civic involvement, appreciation of differences, and social capital.

The Play Connection

Yes, play pays! We don't often think of it that way, but play pays off for us as individuals, communities, and for our society overall. Consider some of the following examples of the myriad ways in which play makes a positive difference in the lives of people and goes a long way toward addressing the needs of society

* Students who spend one to four hours weekly in extracurricular activities are 49 percent less likely to use drugs and 37 percent less likely to become teen parents than students who do not participate in these types of activities (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1996).

* People who involve themselves in a variety of social contacts, family, friends, work, and community activities are four times less likely to get colds than people who lead more isolated lives (Carnegie Mellon University).

* People ages 65 and older who volunteered up to 40 hours a year were less likely to die during the following seven and one-half years than people who didn't volunteer at all (University of Michigan).

* Office workers when given views of trees or landscapes were more productive than those without such venues (University of Michigan).

* Men ages 71 to 93 enrolled in the Honolulu Heart Program who increased their daily walking from less than a quarter of a mile to eight miles a day lowered their risk of a first heart attack by 15 percent for each additional half mile (University of Virginia School of Medicine).

* Both Moody's and Standard and Poor's include open space and its management when setting their ratings. Such changes in a community's bond rating can translate into substantial savings over the life of a bond (Trust for Public Land).

* A study of employee wellness program at Citibank, NA. showed a substantial return on investment -- from $4.56 to $4.73 for every dollar invested [American Journal of Public Health).

HIGH TECH-HIGH TOUCH ALTERNATIVES

What do going for a walk, planting a garden, building a bird house, holding a neighborhood block party, and fishing have in common? These activities are just some of the leisure-time pursuits that Americans are turning to as alternatives to their immersion in the world of high tech.

If you're looking for a couple of high-touch alternatives, consider "turn-offs." Turn-offs can be as simple as turning off the television, computer, beeper or cell phone for two hours a day or even two days in a row. If you're concerned as to what you might do with all this extra free time, let your mind wander and recall things you enjoyed doing or always wanted to do before we became so intoxicated by technology. Think people. Think natural. You'll be surprised how quickly those intoxicating symptoms of technology can be replaced by casual conversation or strolls in the park.

Involve People

Consider holding a Come Out and P.L.A.Y. festival. The word PLAY is an acronym for Positive Leisure Alternatives for You (as an individual) or Your Community (as a whole). Such festivals provide a unique opportunity for your community to "get a taste of" recreation, leisure, and fulfillment. They can have seasonal themes or a neighborhood feel to them or focus on specific age groups.

SIGNALS OF A SHIFT -- THE HOWS, WHENS, WHYS, AND WHERES OF HOW WE LIVE, WORK, AND PLAY

                From                       To

Work            went to work and           24/7; work every
                came home for R&R          where--home, car,
                                           plane, hotel

Community       place to sleep and eat     place to live and
                                           belong
                friends and neighbors      cyber-communities

Family          two weeks of               two days tacked
Vacation        togetherness               onto a business trip

Childhood       neighborhood fun and       day-care-like,
Summers         pickup games at the        structured, or
                park                       highly specialized

Youth           participate in             near year-round
Sports          recreational leagues       competition in one
                seasonally                 sport

Socialization   neighborhood chats         chat rooms
                family gatherings          TV talk-shows
                backyard play              play dates

Physical        traditional team sports    individual
Activities      (softball, baseball,       activities, youth
                volleyball, football)      adventure (inline
                                           skating &
                                           snow-boarding), mature
                                           fitness pursuits
                                           (walking, gym
                                           workouts)

Play            teams and clubs            individual focus
                fun and relaxation         well-being
                status and socialization   self-definition

Dr. Ellen O'Sullivan

A partnership between the National Recreation and Park Association and Active. com has resulted in the production of Active Parks.org -- an Internet-based resource that will become a daily essential for both park and recreation professional and the citizens they serve. At the core of the ActiveParks.org project is a comprehensive database containing information on all the parks and recreation facilities in the country. When completed, this database will increase exposure and visibility for parks and recreation while providing the public with easy online access to the latest activities and services available. In addition, the technology tool will offer online registration and league management as well as keep professionals up to date on industry information, events, and continuing education opportunities. This premier online resource is attracting the attention and interest of park and recreation professionals nationwide.

And finally, frequent contributor Dr. Ellen O'Sullivan, a professor or public health at Southern Connecticut State University and the president of Leisure Lifestyle Consulting in Glastonbury, Conn., explains to P&R readers why play pays. "Play is important and becoming increasingly important not only tot he quality of our future life, but to the health and well-being of society overall," says O'Sullivan. "Play makes a positive difference in the lives of people and goes a long way toward addressing the needs of society. It's time that we as a profession revise how we perceive ourselves and how we present opportunities and options for play, leisure, and recreation activities to our public." (p. 98)."