Jeff Kemp, a retired professional NFL quarterback, once stated, “Sports teach positive lessons that enrich America even while revealing its flaws” (Kemp). Athletics offer so much more than the joy of game day and the thrill of a win. Being involved in sports holds the key to a world filled with passion, excitement, and once in a lifetime opportunities. There is nothing better than seeing the student section arrive in full force or hearing the school fight song chanted before kickoff. However, when life moves on and leaves sports behind, the lessons it has instilled in athletes never disappears. The play calls may be foggy and the jersey will be too tight, but what was innocently learned in the jersey shines out at an older age. Although life lessons can be learned through everyday activities, lessons such as teamwork, self-confidence, and dealing with failure are only truly learned through sports by young athletes.
It is unquestionable that lessons of teamwork are learned through involvement with sports. Sports are all about working as a team to reach a common goal- winning games, meets, or matches. As most athletes know, this goal is not possible without becoming one joined team rather than a bunch of individuals. According the newspaper, Courier Mail, “It teaches you to always treat others with respect and not to get too cocky about your own abilities” (Sport a Teacher on the Playing Field of Life). If athletes play the game just to benefit themselves and their personal future, it is impossible to improve as a team overall and achieve success as a whole. Along with treating teammates with respect, it is equally important to be honest with not only fellow teammates but with oneself. Quarterback Kemp also said, “I learned that if...
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... are all learned by athletes at a young age. Sports are loved and appreciated by America today more than ever before, offering exclusive lessons to athletes that cannot truly be learned any other way. Athletics provide athletes with once in a lifetime opportunities to better themselves, along with aiding young athletes in chasing success. Today everyone admires the lessons that successful athletes have learned, lessons they will carry with them for the rest of their life.
Works Cited
Kemp, Jeff. “SPORTS AND LIFE: Lessons To Be Learned.” USA Today Magazine 127.2646 (1999):
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Metsch, Steve. "Life lessons from the hardcourt." SouthtownStar. Sun-Times Media,
2014. Ebscohost. Web. 7 Apr. 2014.
“Sport A Teacher On The Playing Field Of Life.” Courier Mail, The (Brisbane) (2011): 22.
Newspaper Source Plus. Web. 7 Apr. 2014.
Athletes in times of difficulty can be important role models.” This shows that sports are in fact helpful because they can grow children into being important role models for the rest of society. Studies have shown time and time again that playing sports can be beneficial to children and we also believe this to be true. Many people still think that sports cause “too many injuries”, or coaches “are not fair enough”, but adolescents will experience these things all throughout their lives because injury can happen anywhere and they will not always be the best at what they are doing. Sports are beneficial to the youth because they can teach children and teens important life skills, help them maintain a fit and healthy lifestyle, all while improving their mental health.
He begins with putting an emphasis towards a great coach and what he or she has to offer. He believes that a coach can have a huge impact on a child’s life. He adds that a coach can be a great role model for athletes and teach them beneficial life skills. Stallworth believes that a strong coach and a committed athlete can go a great distance together and can achieve more than imaginable. He states that there is so much to be learned and much of it is not offered in an actual classroom. Stallworth uses “teamwork, responsibility, perseverance, [and] accountability” as examples of life skills that are learned through athletics. Stallworth does agree with Ripley that school is needed for basic skills, however, Stallworth believes that sports offer numerous amounts of skills that will benefit the athletes in their current and future life. Another aspect of his article portrays that sports are more than about winning, they allow children to “step out of their comfort zones and challenge themselves.” Much of his writing explains what many people overlook when considering children and
Stephen D. Keener, writer for the New York Times, says in his article Sports Teach Kids Valuable Lessons, “The lessons young players gain between the foul lines have guided some to become astronauts, emergency first responders, bestselling authors, military heroes, professional athletes and even president of the United States” (Keener). Keener talks about how playing on a sports team as a child can teach the kid very important characteristics, like: teamwork, leadership, and sportsmanship. Any kid who wants to get a job when they’re older is going to have to know how to work well with people, which is where learning the skill of teamwork is so huge. Considering Ripley’s point about sports lowering academics, Keener argues, “These lessons directly translate into the classroom and beyond” (Keener). These are some very important lessons I think that kids can benefit from
High school sports are approached with clashing opinions. Some of these opinions are positive, and supportive of athletics. “Athleticism, among many activities, offers teens a physical outlet to exert their troubles, anger, emotions, and other feelings” (Chen 1). This can be observed in nearly all of the football players in Friday Night Lights. This can also be noticed in the world today. “Athletics help high school students understand their own abilities and talents” (Chen 1). This piece of evidence is very accurate when describing high school athletes. Sports can make a high school student humble. As can be seen by the preceding information, high school athletics can have a positive impact on a student’s life.
Each game, my passion grew. Each team, new memories and lifelong friends were made. Sports sometimes make me feel disappointment and at loss; but it taught me to be resilient to a lot of things, like how to thrive under pressure and come out on top. Being the team captain of my high school’s football and lacrosse team showed me how having a big responsibility to bring a group together to work as one is compared to many situations in life. Currently playing varsity football, varsity lacrosse, and track I take great pride in the activities I do. Staying on top of my academics, being duel enrolled at Indian River State College, working three nights a week, and two different sport practices after school each day shaped my character to having a hard work
When discussing why sports matter and the influence it has had over the course of history, many controversial issues have been whether or not sports have taught us to cultivate discipline. Sheed explains that sports can play an important role in the lives of people by helping them discover who they are and where they want to be. The lesson of sports goes deeper than just practicing or playing a game, they help build characteristics that will prepare you for many obstacles in life. Sheed mentions that sports were created and put into schools to teach discipline, patience, and honesty to male students. He continues to point out that sports are very competitive and that sportsmanship and discipline does not matter anymore, but instead the very need to win. In “Why Sports Matter,” Wilfrid Sheed, contends that “sports did not only outlaw cheating but drilled its participants to detect and despise it in each other”. This was a crucial lesson taught to a nation based on transactions.
Participation in sports has proven to increase self-discipline and self-esteem, and can teach athletes to learn from their mistakes and move on (Issitt). Athletes playing team sports also develop the ability to work well with others and use teamwork in their everyday lives. Teammates form relationships that are strengthened over a common passion and goal. These relationships can last long after high school is over (Chen). These social skills translate into better communication used with an athlete’s family, peers, and in the community. Likewise, “A 2006 study in Maryland found that student athletes are 15 percent more likely than non athletes to be involved in their communities and to take the time for civic engagements, including participating in voting and volunteer activities” (Issitt). The same study also concluded that athletes are far more likely to be comfortable with public speaking than non-athletes. This study provides concrete evidence that high school sports can help to gain mental and social skills that will be used later in life
Zeigler, Terry. “Instilling Core Values Through Youth Sports.” Suite101. Suite101.com. (May 2009). Web. 18 Jan. 2011.
In the world of sports, sportsmanship is fundamental to playing any competitive sport. When people watch, or play a sport, they admire when an athlete shows true sportsmanship and respects the game. It happens after every game from the elementary level to the professional level, players shaking hand and congratulating each other for participating in the event. Sportsmanship help builds character and teaches young children to be humble. Sportsmanship has become a social norm in today’s society of sports as it goes wildly noticed when an athlete portrays acts that are not sportsmanlike. Professional athletes have become role models because of their acts of sportsmanship and respect towards others as children have looked up to them to set an example.
The values of sports can influence the way people view themselves and others. Being part of a team creates a bond between teammates that can last a lifetime. Also, enduring the criticism of the coaches distills proper direction and discipline that you would likely not learn off the field. In “The Real New York Giants”, the author, Rick Reilly, writes about how a football team of firefighters lost many teammates and friends due to the attacks on September 11th, 2001 on the Twin Towers, and how the bonds and closeness of that group helped them to keep playing football and honor their fallen friends whom they became so close with through the sport (**insert beginning pg #). While in this certain circumstance, the importance of sports does not affect the performance of the players in their everyday life, there are instances where the sports overtake other aspects of life and could become dangerous for the player.
With regard to the other half of the statement, athletes of all ages develop more life skills than the average adolescent who does not engage in team activities. Teamwork, honesty, perseverance, commitment, and cooperation are just a few among many positive contributions of sport to peer relationships. Sports allow for an exciting venue in which youth actively rely on one another to contribute to the task at hand and achieve a common goal. Other youth organizations do not yield the same lessons. Boy scouts, for example, teach many skills and life lessons, but it does not focus on the type of fast passed teamwork like a
When people play sports, they often learn various aspects of skills to be part of the team but the one that sticks out to me is the communication among your teammates. Most people will generally agree that even though somebody maybe extremely athletic in their sport they would be fantastic if they communicate. If players can manage to communicate with each other and the coaching staff the team who has the better communication, the majority of the time would come out on top as the winner. In life practically everything involves some sort of communication.
Between the indifferent and the protestor, we find a marvelous creature called an athlete whose species is varied into many different types; the marshmallow, the jelly bean, and the rock. Athletes can be found everywhere- in the classroom, locker room, the gym, the thick of the game, and in church. Places people will not find athletes are up late, in bars, missing church, in trouble, or being disrespectful to his elders. An athlete is made of wondrous stuff. Athletes have the eyes and the steadiness of an architect, the muscles of a body builder, the speed of a bullet, the reflexes of a cat, the heart of a lion, and the faith of a saint. To his coach an athlete is a modeled player, a perfectionist to be encouraged, a student to be taught, and a dream come true. To his teammates an athlete is a hard worker, unselfish, modest, determined, and understands the meaning of teamwork. To himself the athlete is never good enough, aware that he is an example to others, the reason his team lost, but never why they won. An athlete is an amazing being. People may dislike him, but you have to admire his performance; doubt his capabilities, but never his courage; question his efficiency, but never his effort. People might be able to defeat the athlete, but never make him quit.
Participating in team sports is important not just for health reasons, but also for your healthy intellects and emotions. Playing sports that is in range of the player’s interest helps relieve stress and maintain their mental health. A team is mostly about unity within the team and with the coach, so no one can be selfish. Therefore playing in team sports develops good characteristics within oneself. Being part of a team sport should help create the opportunity to gain meaningful insight into one's leadership, social and cognitive development. Team sports helps build good character because they teach athletes discipline and how to have good sportsmanship. Chatterjee and Jatta declared that human beings learn and work together in various professional
Sport, according to the oxford dictionary, can be defined as an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment. Sport may seem like just another, simple five letter word yet it has the power and aptitude to teach humanity such fundamental and intellectual life lessons. In my speech I will explore these vital lessons, such as failure, success, perseverance, teamwork, tolerance, responsibility and discipline by exhibiting how each lesson can be learnt and utilised.