Life Lessons Learned Through Sports

As we grow up, we learn new Lessons that will stay with us for the rest of our lives. These lessons come from many different places and settings. For example, we can learn manners from our parents, we can learn how to treat others with respect from our teachers, and we can even learn things important lessons from books and movies. These lessons any many more are things that can be taught almost anywhere and in any setting. However, there are some lessons that kids can only be learned through the participation of team sports. These lessons vary widely from sport specific lessons to ones that will stay with them throughput their entire lives. The Lessons that can only be learned in their entirety through team sports are Teamwork, and Sportsmanship. These two overarching ideas are not only lessons of there own but have their own mini lessons that can only be learned through sports

In team sports it’s important to know how to take charge when you need to but also when to step down from being the leader and let someone else take charge. This is what people usually call teamwork. Teamwork as whole is a valuable lesson to be learned. But what does teamwork actually mean and what other lessons can be considered teamwork as well? The phrase “one for all and all for one” comes to mind. The idea that everyone needs to work together in order to get the job done. That’s not the only thing that teamwork is through. Like stated earlier Teamwork has a lot of other lessons that could be considered teamwork. One for example is the lesson of learning your strengths and weaknesses. Why can these lessons only be learned through sports though? Because its only when kids are playing team sports that they can learn the importance of working with your peers. When you do stuff with other people such as a group assignment during school, it usually goes like this. The work gets split up and they don’t talk about it until the last day when they have to mash it all together. This was the case for me and many others during school. However, in team sports there is no way for this type of behavior to happen. Simply, if kids don’t learn the importance of teamwork, they will lose the game. If one kid decides he’s more important than the rest, they lose. This result will be repeated again and again until the kids on the team learn to work with others. That’s why Teamwork can only truly be learned through team sports.

Similar to teamwork there is another lesson that can only be learned through sports and that is sportsmanship. And just like teamwork there are other lessons to be learned from sportsmanship. But first what is sportsmanship. Sportsmanship is the lesson that no matter what happens on the field you act with dignity and respect your opponent. While learning how to do this, kids will pick up other lessons. Lessons that these kids will carry with them their entire lives. Through playing sports kids learn how to control their emotions because if they don’t and let their anger get the better of them, they get a foul or penalty. Kids will also learn the very important lesson of how to deal with pressure. When things start to heat up and the score is tied a kids stress could be at an all-time high. That’s when team sports teach kids that when things get hard and the pressure is on, its ok to rely on others and to focus on the things you can do. There is no other environment in which a kid could learn something like this and be able to take it to heart. There is no other place for a kid to learn every lesson sportsmanship has to offer other than sports.

Just as kids can pick up good lessons from sports they can just as easily pick up bad ones. The same kid who learns how to appreciate his teammates can also be the kid who thinks himself to be better than everyone else. We have to remember that its not only good lessons that can only be learned through team sports but the opposite of each lessons as well. When kids play any team sport, they go one of two ways. They either see themselves as the only reason their team wins, or they learn that they are a small piece of a bigger picture. Its important to keep this in mind whenever discussing lessons learned from sports.

In conclusion kids learn many lessons throughout their lives but some lessons kids will never learn without participating in sports. A kid could never completely learn the importance of teamwork or sportsmanship without participating in sports.