Sports are a huge part of many people’s childhoods. Many kids grow up watching sports and dreaming of their chance to be able to get on the field, court, or rink.
There are many great benefits to playing sports, ranging from physical to mental. Sports have impacted the majority of us in several important ways.
I say the most significant thing football taught me is to navigate through a crowd without bumping into anyone (cue my slow, uncoordinated juke and spin moves).
In all seriousness, here are some of the great benefits of playing organized sports. I will lean heavily towards football when giving examples, simply because that’s where my experience lies.
Exercise
Physical fitness is an aspect of life that many people let fall to the wayside. It’s easy to put off going for a run when you have a million other things to be doing.
Sports help athletes set a habit of physical fitness and overall health. We all hated conditioning, but it helped us all be healthier and to get in better shape.
The daily exercise helps teach how to stay fit for a lifetime. Many athletes also adjust their diets to help maintain a healthier lifestyle.
This is another crucial part of being healthy. By learning these tips and tricks, young athletes are laying a foundation for a healthier life.
Mental Toughness
Being physically tough is something associated with athletes. One overlooked aspect is being mentally tough.
There are not many athletes who enjoy the physical rigors of getting into top shape. I remember having to do some crazy exercises as part of summer conditioning and attending two-a-days (hours of practice in the morning, followed by a break and then more training in the afternoon/evening) was not one’s favorite thing.
What many athletes learn is to control their minds and be disciplined. They learn to push through the pain, move past a missed assignment or bad play, and not back down from challenges.
Work Ethic
If you want to be good at your sport of choice, you have to put in the work. Even if you are naturally talented, you need to put in hard work to get to the next skill level.
Sports help young athletes learn to work hard. Many of these kids don’t have many other opportunities to gain a good work ethic.
While playing sports, they learn to push themselves and never give up. You hear terms like “hustle” and “high-motor” being thrown around in games, encouraging athletes to keep working hard, and describing the elite athletes who never stop grinding.
Increased Intellect
I know the stereotype of a dumb jock. It sometimes fits, but many times doesn’t.
Even some of the athletes many would categorize as dumb are quite intelligent; they need the right learning method.
One crucial part of any sport is to be able to have excellent recognition skills. By that, I mean there are patterns to every player, group, coach, and team.
Many athletes are not the biggest or the strongest but make their living by knowing what is happening as soon as the play begins. This requires a lot of time studying film to learn about others’ habits, which is just as important as time on the field and in the weight room, getting yourself physically ready.
While some athletes may not be 4.0 students, they have their mental strengths.
Camaraderie
There are few bonds that people remember more in their youth than that of their teammates. There are real friendships and care that forms among members of a team.
I remember during my freshmen year of high school watching the seniors after losing our last game, a game that had we won would have sent us to the playoffs. They were devastated.
While I can’t claim to be that close with them, I felt so sad watching them all so discouraged.
I remember feeling elated during games when you could see their excitement when they made a good play or won a game. The camaraderie felt on a team is unique, and will last a long time.
Final Thoughts
There are many reasons organized sports are great. There have been many concerns voiced in recent years about youth playing sports, many of these concerns revolving around injuries.
Make sure and get treatment for sports injuries if they come your way. The benefits listed above aren’t so helpful if you don’t get the medical attention you need.
If you do play sports, they can be an excellent source of memories, lessons, and emotion you can draw on for a lifetime.
If you have an athletic child, you probably want them to experience sports and physical activity in a positive way that promotes mental and physical health. Yet the ongoing threat of an injury that harms your child may keep you on edge.
If this is the case, it’s important to learn what strategies you can implement to keep your athletic child injury-free.
