What is a Team Sport?
Team sport involves a group of players who interact directly and simultaneously to achieve a common objective. The objectives of most traditional team sports involve teammates facilitating the movement of a ball or similar object in accordance with a set of rules, in order to score points.
Unlike other conventional groups, such as family units or scholastic groups, sport teams are subject to extensive external controls over their internal processes (Carron & Eys, 2012). These include the size of the roster (e.g., a volleyball team must have a certain number of members on the court at any given time), the timing of the practice sessions and the competitions, and the scholastic requirements for sport team membership.
These external controls allow for clear norms of effort and performance to emerge among sport team members. Those who exhibit these norms are rewarded through verbal appreciation, increased group acceptance and social status, or sanctions such as verbal criticism, ostracism, physical abuse, or expulsion from the team.
Playing team sports can help you develop a variety of life skills, including persistence, patience, discipline, and trust in your teammates. You’ll also learn to appreciate and value each member of the team and how their skills can help you win. These skills are transferable and important for a successful and happy adulthood.