Many people today are rather passive concerning their out-of-work activities. They don't read books, they don't write letters, they don't do any sports. All they do is sit in front of a computer or a television turning themselves into couch potatoes.

Not many adults walk or cycle to work. Some go by bus or underground but they usually drive to work and back.

And what do people do when they get back home? Do they go out and play with their children? Do they take a book and read? Do they take part in a sports game? No. The only game goes on in front of a computer – they enjoy playing video games together with their children. The only reading goes on in front of a TV. The only talk goes on over the phone. The aim of the game is – not to move.

But this is not the case with Philip Smith. He is a 43-year-old sales manager who lives with his wife and two sons in a suburb of Leeds. Although he has a lot of daily work, he never misses an afternoon to join his friends on the basketball court. He's a true basketball fan so we asked him some interesting questions about his favourite sport:

How did you start playing basketball?

My father was a basketball coach and my younger sister plays basketball too, so I guess it was natural for me to start playing basketball, first in the high school team and then with my colleagues from work. As we are all middle-aged now, we like when we replace the office with the court and the telephone with the ball.

How often do you play?

I try to organize my time so that I can play basketball every day because I think it's very important to practice as much as possible, at least four days a week. And there's always a game on Sunday afternoon against some other team from our company.

And what do you think is the best thing about basketball?

Well, it's definitely the team spirit. I like being a part of a team. I also think that the best friendship starts on the court. We feel that we are more efficient at work and we communicate better with each other.

Are your children interested in basketball too?

Well, my older son John is 12 years old and he plays basketball in the school team. But Mike who is 8 doesn't like team sports. He prefers individual sports, such as tennis. He joined the local tennis club last year and he spends every weekend on the tennis court. I am glad to say that my sons have no interest in silly television shows or violent video games. I believe that sport is one of the ways you can take to become healthy and to have an optimistic view of the world.

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