On a serious note, the 'in corpore sano' bit of the Latin ideal could certainly do with a bit of a kick up the overly upholstered butt. And screen-based learning is probably not the best way of achieving the 'mens sana' bit anyway.

If only our society could find some balance, rather than an erratic clown car lurch from oversteer to understeer to crash straight into obvious obstacle.

Our Dumb Species.

The town where I live is actually in the grip of massive sports overdevelopment - the mayor is a big sports fan (he used to be provincial sports 'delegate', kind of a mini-minister), and had already had a far larger sports complex built than the town needs. It does mean that kids here have a host of sporting options for little money, conveniently located and with excellent facilities.

And it brings in national and international events and team training camps, which also benefit the economy and society more than sun, sea, sand, sex, sangria tourists.

But it is now being further expanded, and may be about to pull us over the physical exercise event horizon, into some kind of New Sparta where javelins trump geography.

At least pickleball, if properly managed (like a fungal infection?), can be kept to just a limited proportion of available land. Imagine if it were golf.