Reasons Why Your Teammates Quickly Become Your Best Friends:
Anyone who has participated in sports knows that an athlete has an extremely special bond with their teammates. These are the people who have been playing just as long as you have and without a doubt have the same burning passion you’ve always had for the sport you play. But what makes a bond between an athlete and their teammates so special?
1. You share a love for the sport
Friendships often start because you have something in common with one another. When you start to get acquainted with your teammates, there is always that one thing that draws you together: a love for the game. Whether it’s a high school football team, a travel volleyball team, or a youth soccer league, your teammates love the game just as much as you do. Growing up with a sport as a huge part of your life has the tendency to bring people together who might not have been friends without that sport to thank.
2. You find out you know mutual friends
“Oh my gosh, you played there?! Do you know so and so?” It's a common conversation with your teammates at your first few practices. The sports community is known to be very close-knit, and when you meet your new teammates, you find out they knew your best friend from middle school travel ball that you haven’t seen in years. Small world, isn’t it?
3. You spend way too much time together
Whether it’s smelling each other's sweat on a six-hour car ride home from a tournament, practicing for three hours straight multiple times a week, or doing homework together, you start to realize that your teammates are the people you spend the most time with in your life. You start to feel extremely weird if you don’t see them for two days straight, or if you aren’t constantly group messaging them between classes.
4. You go to parties with them
After spending hours with your teammates during the week, everyone ends up exchanging plans for the weekend. Before you know it, you’ve got your whole team in your apartment playing drinking games three hours before the party even starts, and you realize that the time spent with your co-players before the party is what you desperately look forward to throughout your busy week.
5. You go to them for help with problems
If you’re having trouble with school, a boyfriend or girlfriend, or are just upset about anything, you know you can always count on your teammates to be there. From analyzing screenshots of conversations to helping each other with homework, your teammates will always have your back, and that is a fact.
6. They've seen you at your worst
Sometimes you have those rough days and you need a teammate's shoulder to cry on. Your teammates will always be there for you, especially when you're having a bad game and need that extra pick-me-up.
7. They can relate to your busy schedule
Balancing between school, sports, work, and anything else you have going on can be extremely difficult at times. Your teammates know exactly what you're going through because they struggle with the same things. Having people who share similar schedules is something that is appreciated in a friendship.
Having that special bond with your teammates can make all the difference in your team experience. It doesn’t take long for you to realize that the ones you call on a Friday night to hang out or the ones you go to with your biggest problems are, indeed, your teammates. Over the course of a few months, your teammates become people you couldn't see yourself living without and quickly learn you wouldn't know what to do without them.
