Sports are life!
I grew up playing sports and so did my siblings. Most of my friends used to play sports, too. I started playing sports when I was seven and played until my senior year of high school. Most of my life consisted of sports. I'm not the only one whose life consisted of sports. Many other people know exactly what I'm saying. Throughout my life of sports, I have learned a lot about many different things.
I learned:
1. Teamwork
One very important lesson I learned from sports is teamwork. Teamwork can apply to sports, school, family or work. Everyone needs to know that there is no "I" in team. One person cannot play every position on the court or field. You have other players and a team for a reason. They are there to help you out. I learned that in order to succeed on and off the court/field you need to work as team.
2. Respect
Sports has also taught me how to respect authority. You may not like your coach or how they teach, but they're still your coach. You need to learn how to put your attitude aside and respect them. This can be very important in the future when you don't like your boss but need the job. There may be situations when you want to tell them what you think but you hold back because it's disrespectful.
3. How to manage time
Time management is something many people struggle with. This lesson still follows me around now that I'm a college student. Let me tell you in college, time management is very important. Learning how to go to school and playing a sport can be challenging. There were many late nights in high school but I learned how to limit them. I knew that school was my number one and sports came second. Before games/practices and free periods in high school were spent doing homework. You learn real quick how to manage time when your grades are on the line.
4. Friendship
I can honestly say I met some great people because of sports. Most of my friends have played sports. I learned something very valuable from sports and that is friendship. Friendship is something that will last a lifetime. Friends are like a second family. What you can't say to your family, you say to your friends. Sports have helped me create some great friendships I know will last a lifetime.
5. Leadership
Everyone knows being the boss is never easy. A lesson that can be learned from sports is leadership. You learn how to put your feelings aside for the team. It's very hard to be a leader and have friends at the same time. Sports teach you that being a leader doesn't mean being the boss. In order to be a good leader, you need to respect and hear out others. A good leader is someone who cares about their team's problems and tries to help make the team the best it can be.
There are many lessons sports have taught me. I'm truly lucky to have been able to play sports. These five lessons will follow me through life. I hope other people get the opportunity to play sports and learn the things I have. Thank you sports!
