The Importance of Sport for Youth

Ever since I’ve been able to run and kick a ball, sports have been a huge part of my life. I come from a sporty family: my mom played volleyball in university, while my dad played football, and my siblings and I all play soccer outside of school.  Our weeks are insanely busy, organizing driving and carpools to games and practices. Sports is one of the things I spend the most time doing and in turn, it has shaped the person I am today.

Playing soccer and being part of team has taught me so many life lessons. Everything you learn in sports is transferable to the rest of your life. Your teammates are relying on you to do your job in order to reach your common goal, this reinforces commitment to your teammates, your coach, and practice.

If you miss a game you are letting down your team. No matter how good your team is, it’s hard to operate a machine with a missing piece. Just like you have a commitment to your team, you have a commitment to your friends, family, and classmates. If I agree to help someone out or hang out with them I can’t then go back on my word when something else comes along, even if I would rather do the other thing.

Sports have also taught me about respect. Games can often be a very emotionally charged environment. Competition brings out a different side in a lot of people. But no matter what happens on the field, you must have respect for the other team–they came here to do the exact same thing you did.

My coach always says, “what happens on the field stays on the field.” You can’t hold grudges if you want to be a successful athlete. Soccer has also given me the ability to accept failure and move on from it.

You can’t let your failures define you, or else no one will take you seriously. In soccer you must have a short memory; if I make a mistake in the game and a girl beats me, I don’t stand there and mope. I try as hard as I can too win that ball back and next time, I make sure it doesn’t happen again. On a sports team you win and lose together. Even if one person had a bad game, you can’t blame them. Everyone has bad days and it is your responsibility as their teammate to pull them up when they’re down, the same way it’s your responsibility to support your loved ones when they are dealing with a tough situation.

Most of all, sports gives you friends for life. When you are constantly being placed in situations that test your strength–mentally and physically–you learn to lean on your teammates.

Sport brings people together in a way nothing else can. I trust the girls I play with more than I trust some of my friends from school who I spend more time with. Simply because they have shown me time and time again that they have my back.

Personally, I think that every kid should try to have some experience with sports. Whether that experience is a rep team, intramurals at school, or just playing pick up with friends. However, I totally understand not liking sports because you don’t think your good at them or you are just more into science or the arts. If that’s the case, you can still be part of a team; join a club or group that incorporates your interests. It is an amazing way to make new friends and meet people outside of school.