For a long time, sports have been viewed as a way to stay healthy and in shape, but their importance goes much further. As a matter of fact, playing sports teaches life lessons like discipline, responsibility, self-confidence, accountability, and teamwork.
Studies have shown that exercise increases blood flow to the brain and helps the body build more connections between nerves, leading to increased concentration, enhanced memory, stimulated creativity, and better-developed problem solving skills. In short, playing sports helps your brain grow and makes it work better.
From a social standpoint, sports are a powerful tool that brings people together and creates a sense of community. They develop connections that bond together people from all walks of life. As an international student at the University of Rochester, playing pick-up basketball at the gym was the fastest and easiest way to make friends. As a matter of fact, during my second day on campus I had the chance to make two friends who showed me around and gave me tips about life in Rochester.
As an undergraduate student who majored in electrical engineering and electronics, I had very challenging classes and occasionally had to deal with bad homework or midterm grades; my ego took a bad hit whenever that happened. I believe that playing sports taught me how to deal with failure and disappointment in life. I learned that I am not always going to get the results that I want, but no matter what, I have to persevere and not give up. Sports gave me a positive attitude where I see falling as a way to learn how to pick myself up.
In addition to that, exercising is a great way to get out of the stressful college life that is all about homework, presentations, and group projects. In fact, playing sports helps students relax and reduce their anxiety. I personally think that I would go crazy without going to the gym at least three times a week. Health care professionals recommend physical activity as a key ingredient to any stress-management activity.
The reason most students do not play sports is because they feel lazy about it and don’t have the energy for it. However, the belief that the intense exercise of playing sports will leave you exhausted has been proven wrong by research. Because exercise pumps more oxygen through your blood and makes your entire system more active, the benefits of playing sports actually include giving you more energy to accomplish everything else you need to do to manage your busy college schedule.
To sum up, playing college sports has some serious benefits. Besides just being fun, sports can help you perform better in school, relax more and worry less, deal with setbacks, work better with others and increase your energy — all of which helps you balance school and everything else going on in your life.
– Amir Ianis KHELIL ’15 (MS)
At a glance
- Team sports provide kids with important lessons on personal values.
- Children who play team sports are less likely to feel isolated.
- Team sports can encourage parents to become active with their kids.
- Team sports help kids deal with winning and losing.
- Team sports can help kids overcome shyness.
If you want your child to grow up to be a confident and well-adjusted adult, then team sports may well be the answer.
"When you play a team sport you learn that it doesn't just come down to the best player," says Ross Morrison, a sports expert with the NSW Department of Education and Communities.
"It comes down to working as a team, accepting decisions and understanding that people have different abilities."
Learning about values
Playing a team sport provides kids with important lessons in personal values, Ross says. "Kids learn that things aren't going to go their way all the time, and that they need to respect their peers as well as referees and sports officials."
These experiences can influence them throughout their lives such as when it comes to working for a boss, or respecting the police or other authority figures.
Kids learn that things aren't going to go their way all the time, and that they need to respect their peers.Ross MorrisonNSW Department of Education and Communities
Team sports can also be good for a child's mental health. Children who play team sports learn how to be more resilient when presented with a setback, and are less likely to feel isolated, Ross says.
"Society puts a lot of pressure on kids to be more academic," he says.
"But there is evidence to suggest that physical activity might increase numeracy and literacy. It's like that old adage, ‘a healthy body, a healthy mind'."
When your kids take part in team sports they develop:
- friendship and camaraderie
- cooperation and teamwork skills
- leadership skills
- appreciation of different abilities
- respect for team mates/ opponents/officials
- a sense of belonging/team membership
- social interaction skills
- physical skills
- self-esteem and self concept
- team goal-setting skills
- self-discipline, patience and persistence
- resilience through sharing positive and negative experiences.
Getting active (together)
With so much research emphasising the benefits of getting more exercise rather than being a couch potato, knowing their child is involved in team sports can put a parent's mind at ease.
"It's satisfying for parents to know that your kids are getting fit and healthy instead of just playing electronic games or watching television," says David Haggart, head teacher of PDHPE at South Sydney High School.
"But as well as the social side of standing around with other parents and making friendships, there can be a spin off too," he says.
"Sometimes parents look at their kids running around and think, ‘Maybe we can get together and do something like that, too'."
Teams sports give kids the opportunity to:
- be less selfish and to think of other people
- deal with losing as well as winning. They learn that things are not going to go their way, or the team's way, all the time
- overcome shyness by putting them into situations where they need to communicate with others
- become more sociable in different environments. They have to deal with different people, who may or may not be their friends.
Finding a team sport for your child
Local sports clubs advertise registration dates before seasons begin so read the sports pages of your local papers. Try accessing the Find a Club section on the NSW Sport and Recreation website.