Team sports have many benefits and have a positive impact on the body, mind, and spirit. When you consider the benefits of team sports, the chances are your first thoughts will have to do with the physical fitness benefits.
While it’s true that regular physical activity is essential in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, research has also shown that participating in exercise and team sports may positively affect your mental, social, and spiritual health, alongside the body.
As cited by Edutopia, “team sports are said to bolster the five C’s: competence, confidence, connections, character, and caring. At the heart of this is self-esteem – an increased sense of self as a result of better social interactions, stronger relationships, and higher academic performance.”
Benefits of Team Sports
The following list includes team sport benefits, as well as advantages of incorporating regular physical activity and fitness into your daily schedule. Whether you are in elementary school, middle school, high school or college, these benefits will help you live more fully.
- Spiritual Health – Create a spiritual path and sense of purpose
- Establish Values – Put your core values and principles into practice
- Personal Growth – Keep learning, developing, and growing as a person
- Lower Stress – Create more calm in your life and lower your stress
- Academic Performance – Improve your focus and grades
- Achieve More in Life – Set goals, aim high, and feel more confident
- Leadership Skills – Learn how to lead as well as work within a team
- Social development – Expand your circle of friends and build bonds
- Mentorship – Receive mentorship from coaches and teammates
- Health Benefits – Improve your overall long-term health and fitness
If you’re interested in how this all plays out in team sports in high school, you may be interested in checking out this all-boys school for grades 7-12 in Carlsbad (San Diego County), California. This is a private college prep school located on a historic beachfront campus, where athletics is integral to academic excellence, leadership, and character development.
Team Sports Build Spiritual Health
Curious about how team sports tie in with spiritual health? For a burst of relaxation and happiness, few things are more effective than exercise.
Team sports help you lower your stress level and stimulate a positive outlook and improve your overall spiritual health and feeling of well-being.
In an article by The Sport Journal, they speak to the spiritual aspects of connecting to self, others, and a higher purpose that can stem from participation in team sports.
On a scientific note, physical activity actually stimulates chemicals in the brain that help you feel happier and more relaxed. Regular fitness activities, exercise and playing team sports reduces the levels of cortisol and adrenaline in your body. This in turn, stimulates the production of endorphins and leads you to feel more “centered” as a person.
- Incorporate spirituality and purpose into your life
- Connect with nature by being outdoors
- Learn how to “get outside yourself” and work within a team
- Practice respect, integrity, compassion, and gratitude
- Gain self-acceptance and push your full potential
Team Sports and Academic Performance
Want to improve your grades? Studies frequently demonstrate the positive impact that playing a team sport can have on academic achievement.
Research conducted by various fitness institutes indicates that physical exercise leads to enhanced creativity, better memory, and concentration, and even maximized problem-solving skills. This set of cognitive benefits contributes significantly to strong academic performance, all real advantages of playing team sports.
Students who play team sports often experience these benefits:
- Learn how to focus and be self-disciplined
- Know how to seek support and mentorship
- More likely to graduate high school with higher grades
- More likely to go to college and graduate school
- Develop a passion for learning and improving
Team Sports Build Strong Individuals
Interested in becoming a stronger person? Almost every study reveals benefits in competence, character, confidence, and other critical components of positive personal growth and development.
Because of this, it’s clear that the various facets of playing team sports, from the discipline of training to the balance provided by teamwork, provides a foundation for character development and core competencies.
- Develop confidence and motivation
- Develop resilience and discipline
- Practice accountability and personal responsibility
- Increase tenacity, perseverance and resilience
- Set goals and achieve them
Team Sports Create Social Connections
Interested in making new friends or expanding your social circle? Team sport advantages include: increased opportunities for social interactions and the development of strong friendships centered around common goals.
Playing a sport as part of a team requires persistence, patience, and practice with yourself and others. Working within a team can help you improve your communication skills and much more.
- Expand your circle of friends
- Learn valuable leadership skills
- Play a vital role on a team
- Enjoy fun, laughter, and camaraderie
- Create a context for social interactions
Team Sports Impact Health
Perhaps it goes without saying that you will improve your overall physical health. As a result of team sports and fitness participation, you will probably also begin to monitor your sleep and nutrition to optimize athletic performance. Here are some direct outcomes of staying physically active in team sports or other types of fitness programs.
- Improve cardiovascular health
- Strengthen muscles
- Increase strength and flexibility
- Lower illness and disease
- Live longer and more productively
Team Sports and their Impact on Society
Want to make an impact on society? Research into careers and the people who achieve greater success in their chosen occupation have found that 95% of individuals at the level of executive vice president in 75 Fortune 500 companies played sports during their school years. This really underscores the importance of team sports in high school and college.
What’s more, research cited by the University of Oregon from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth found that 32-year-old men who played sports in school were paid wages 31% higher than those who hadn’t played sports.
Though it’s impossible to guarantee that playing team sports will help you generate a higher income, it is possible to suggest that the development of hard work, discipline, determination, and leadership skills can help you achieve more in life and have a greater impact on society.
- Find your passion and achieve your life goals
- Develop life skills in leadership and management
- Develop a work ethic and see outcomes directly
- Achieve high-level career positions and top wages
- Give back to society through skills learned in playing team sports
Athletic and Sports Programs at Private High Schools
Are you checking out team sports at private schools near you? If you are currently looking for a private school, consider all the athletic options.
There is a whole world of private schools out there with different approaches to athletics. While some public and private schools offer a traditional array of team sports, some boarding schools in the U.S., for instance, have a long list of athletic choices for each season.
There is even an all-boys boarding school on the beachfront with a surf team! Private school team sports often include: baseball, basketball, football, lacrosse, soccer, water polo, and hockey.
Tips to Find the Best Private School for Team Sports
- Check out team sport offerings on private school websites
- Look for a history of high school athletic championships
- Check out the college planning services (e.g. athletic scholarships)
- Speak to school coaches when you go on private school tours
- Attend live games and athletic events on their campus
Now that we have reviewed the many benefits and advantages of team sports, hopefully, you will be more informed in making sports and fitness choices. Get involved early by playing team sports from elementary school through high school. It will pay off when you go off to college and need to navigate mental, physical, social, and spiritual pursuits. Guaranteed, you will feel better, do better, and live a happier life!
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