Team sports have many wonderful benefits that should be explored and compared. Sometimes parents overlook these sports because they want their kids to shine in individual sports. Kids and teenagers can benefit from team sports in more ways than what is on the field/court.
There are leaders and there are followers. There is nothing wrong with being a follower but it is often emphasized that we should be leaders. If everyone on a team was a leader then the team would fall apart at the seams. Some kids have natural leadership abilities and other times they gain leadership because of their physical abilities within a team. In team sports, it is important for each player to know their position on the field and within the leadership hierarchy. Some were not born to be leaders, those people are not normally the stars on a team but the stars would not be there without the followers. Without that assist or defensive play, then the leader would not have been able to score or push forward. All of this is essential to a team and great for kids to learn early.
For me, I knew that there were academic expectations that came with my sports abilities. I knew that if I did not complete my school work in a timely matter that my parents would not let me go to practice. This teaches responsibility. Kids learn what the standards are and know that is their responsibility to reach those standards. Also, knowing the schedule and being on time is good practice for college and career. It helps develop a sense of what is to come and it grows the confidence in the student/athlete.
With such high expectations of what our bodies should look like, is it any wonder that so many kids and teenagers are anorexic or bulimic? Not really. We overload them every day with air-brushed, beach bodies, and tell them they are not good enough if they do not look perfect. Team sports can build the confidence needed to avoid such harsh self-images. It keeps kids healthy and (if the coach is doing a good job) it also promotes healthy eating habits and lifestyle. When I was playing team sports, I knew that I should not eat junk food and all of my teammates would point it out to me if I ate around them. It was not a bad peer pressure but a good one. It made me want to better myself for the team.
All of these attributes are an important part of team sports. The friendships made during middle school and high school, really help with confidence and “fitting in”, healthy lifestyles are often started in sports with the desire to get better, and confidence is sure to grow in a good team environment. I encourage you to look into the possibilities for your children and maybe even yourself. There are many adult leagues for team sports if you are interested in picking up where you left off, or if you want to try it out for the first time.
