The Benefits of Playing a Team Sport
A team sport involves teammates facilitating the movement of a ball or similar item in accordance with a set of rules in order to score points. Examples of team sports are soccer, baseball, basketball, and tennis. Swimming, rowing, sailing, dragon boat racing, and track and field are also considered team sports.
Team athletes must reconcile competitive and cooperative demands in co-opetition to a greater extent than individual athletes. As a result, they are more likely to perceive cooperation as necessary to performance enhancements than individual athletes.
Children who play team sports learn to respect authority figures, particularly coaches and senior players. These are often people who have proven themselves in the game, which makes them a kind of meritorious authority not to be taken lightly. Exposing kids to this type of authority is a valuable lesson in and of itself, and the respect they develop for these individuals will have a trickle-down effect in the way they respect teachers and other authorities in their life.
One of the most important lessons that a child can learn from playing a team sport is commitment, training, and dedication. This will carry over into their academics, as well as other aspects of their lives where they may need to work hard to achieve goals. It also teaches them to be patient and persevere through challenges, and how to make a loss into a learning opportunity.
Lastly, it teaches them the importance of communication. Not only do they need to communicate with their teammates, but they also must effectively communicate with opponents, referees, and other officials. Whether it’s a verbal or nonverbal communication, team athletes must be able to relay information quickly and efficiently in the heat of the moment.