Ever since I was a little boy, I have always loved sports. I was drawn to them and couldn't get enough—whether it was playing or watching. I always wanted to try and play every sport possible; even when I had no time for anything else, I always begged my mom to let me play. This continued throughout my childhood, but baseball was always my favorite to play.

I have played baseball ever since I was 4-years-old, and I continue playing it today at the University of Wisconsin on their club baseball team. Baseball (and sports in general) have taught me many different lessons and have shaped who I am as a person today.

Sports have impacted my life greatly and showed me the way I should live. It has always made me want to become the best that I can be, whether on the field or off. Many sports are a team game and you have other people relying on you to be the best you can be.

You have to practice to become better and that you must push yourself to get better every day.

This mindset has correlated with my life outside of sports. I have tried to push myself in every aspect of life to be the best that I can be, and I have learned that from sports and I am grateful. I strive to get better every day of my life and that is all due to the values sports have taught me.

I have met some of my best friends through sports. There are some of my close friends that I met by playing flag football or t-ball with them. Also, when I was going into high school I didn't know a whole lot of people because I went to private school from K-4 through 8th grade, and a lot of my friends were going to different high schools.

So, being the big sports fan I was, I decided to join the football team as a freshman because I had played before. That is probably the best decision I could have made my freshman year because through practice and summer lifting, I met friends that I've had before the first day of high school up until this day.

Sports make people become really close because of a common goal: winning. If you want to win, you must have good team chemistry. Bonding with your teammates through wins and losses really creates amazing friendships that can last a lifetime.

Sports have taught me that no matter the outcome of the game, as long as you leave everything out on the field and give the game everything you have, then there is no need to get down on yourself.

There is nothing more you could have done, and if you want the outcome to change the next time, then you must get better.

Only you know if you truly gave your all and that you tried to better yourself for every game, so you must hold yourself accountable... no one else will. This applies to everyday life, too, because if you know you tried and truly did your best with anything, then you know that is the best result that could have occurred from it.

Sports have changed my life for all good, positive reasons and have taught me many important lessons that I carry with me throughout my life. I highly encourage everyone to at try and go out for a sport, because it teaches many lessons that can't be taught in a classroom or through studying.

The only way to truly learn important life lessons like these is to get out there, get involved and challenge yourself. If you do that, then I promise you it will change your life for the better.