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Mental benefits of playing sports, added this source because didn't want to just have life lessons from sports. This article talks about the mental benefits a teen gets from playing sports. Even though my question asks for life lessons, I believe mental health is still very important and can fall into that category. The article gives multiple ways why mental health improves/benefits from playing sports. It helps me deepen my understanding of my question because it gives me insight on how peoples mental health benefit from playing sports and not just what life lessons they gain or life skills.

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Teen Sports and Mental Health: 10 Mental Benefits of Sports

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Teen sports can have a major impact on quality of life. Physical activity has significant benefits for teen mental health.

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Life skills from this blog. This blog talks about the life skills you learn from playing sports and the benefits from playing sports. This blog gives me multiple examples of life skills that you learn from sports. This source helped me deepen my understanding of my question by giving me a view on how sports can help peoples physical and mental health and how that is just as if not more important than learning and developing life skills.

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Kids can learn many valuable life skills through playing team sports. These skills can help them in all areas of their lives, from academics to relationships.

Studies show that participation in team sports benefits mental, emotional, social, and physical health while endowing kids with essential life skills. In fact, the President's Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition (PCSFN ) recently released a report that detailed the many advantages of team sports. Read on to learn how things like teamwork, discipline, and sportsmanship can help kids in all aspects of their lives, from academics to their future careers.

Team Sports and Health

Participation in team sports yields both short and long-term benefits for kids and communities. The PCSFN data showed that team sport involvement:

Reduced the occurrence of anxiety and depression

Lowered stress levels

Boosted self-esteem and confidence

Decreased suicide risks

Cut-down on the incidence of substance abuse

Bettered cognitive performance

Ignited creativity

Enhanced life enjoyment and psychological well-being

Augmented bone health

Lowered obesity and fat percentages

Increased cardio and muscular fitness

Lowered cancer and diabetes risks

Team Sports and Life Skills

Playing team sports is a great way to develop life skills while teaching kids how to deal with both victory and defeat. Ultimately, team sports provide kids with a valuable learning environment that endows them with the following essential abilities:

Teamwork is key in team sports. Kids learn how to work together to achieve a common goal. Playing as part of a team can also help individuals learn important life skills such as cooperation and communication. This teamwork skill can be applied in all areas of life, from the classroom to the workplace.

Children who participate in team sports learn how to be good teammates. They develop a sense of responsibility to the group and understand that their actions influence others. This is an important lesson that carries over into many facets of life. When people can work together towards a common goal, the results are impressive.

Sharing the load with a team makes workloads easier to manage. It allows kids to learn from the strengths and weaknesses of others and become a more well-rounded individual. Teamwork also allows your children to build relationships. Working together with others allows them to form strong bonds and friendships that can last a lifetime.

Discipline

One of the many benefits of playing team sports is that they teach discipline. This is because to be successful, players need to follow the coach's instructions and work together as a team. If someone doesn't adhere to the rules or starts behaving selfishly, it can disrupt the whole team's performance. As a result, players learn the importance of discipline and how to be accountable for their actions.

Sportsmanship

Sportsmanship is another important life skill that kids can learn through team sports. This skill teaches kids how to be respectful and fair to their opponents. It can help kids develop positive relationships with others, both in and out of the classroom or workplace.

Sportsmanship is about being a good role model both on and off the field.. It is a vital life skill that teaches kids how to act with grace and respect towards others, whether they are winning or losing.

Turning a Setback into a Step Forward

Team sports also help children learn how to deal with disappointment. Not every game goes the way we want it to and not every player gets to be in the spotlight. Learning how to cope with these setbacks and still be a part of the team is an important life skill.

Communication

There are many benefits of team sports, but one of the most important is the development of communication skills. Playing on a team teaches children how to compromise, cooperate, and problem solve with others. This valuable experience helps them in all aspects of life, from school to work.

Good communication is essential in any successful relationship. When everyone is on the same page, tasks become easier and are done with fewer misunderstandings. The skills learned while playing team sports carry over into all aspects of life, from work teams to families.

Problem Solving

The more you practice problem solving, the better kids become at it. This is true for any skill, but it's especially important in team sports. The more time your kids spend working on strategies with their teammates, the better they get at implementing them when it matters most.

This practice of problem solving helps kids learn how to think on their feet and make decisions under pressure. It also allows them to listen to different perspectives as they problem solve to come up with better solutions as a team.

To be successful in a team sport, players must learn how to be patient and wait for their chance to contribute. This can be difficult, especially when athletes are eager to make an impact. However, if players try to do too much, they may end up making mistakes and costing the team a victory.

Practicing patience on the field helps kids learn to stay patient under pressure off the field as well. This will help as they grow into adulthood and experience more stressful situations such as college exams or an important presentation at work.

Get Started with Your Local Kids' Sports Leagues

Team sports provide a great opportunity for kids to learn important life skills. These skills can help them in all aspects of their lives, from academics to their future careers. Kids who participate in team sports are more likely to be successful in life.

is the nation's largest multi-sport provider dedicated to offering high-quality, community-based kids sports leagues. today to find a program near you!

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Valuable Life Skills Kids Can Learn Through Team Sports

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Kids can learn many valuable life skills through playing team sports. These skills can help them in all areas of their lives, from academics to relationships. Studies show that participation in team sports benefits mental, emotional, social, and physical health while endowing kids with essential life skills.

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Stats that back up sports being important for life skills. This source talks about how participating in team sports can help you with your coworkers or in any form of teamwork later in life. Levels of trust goes up if you have played team sports before. This source deepens my understanding of the source because it gives me specific stats about how people who have played sports have more confidence and trust in their coworkers/peers if they played sports.

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New research found that employees who participated in team sports at some point in their life are more likely to believe their work team exceeds its goals, trust their co-workers, and tap into their individual strengths every day on the job.

"This research makes it clear that businesses can learn from the high performance and teamwork culture that often is cultivated in sports," says Melissa Jezior, Eagle Hill's president and chief executive officer. "Across the board, we found that team sports athletes say their workplace teams are high performance, embrace continuous growth and change, have a common purpose, and capitalize on their strengths."

More and more, businesses are moving toward team-based initiatives. Harvard Business Review reports that employees spend 50% more of their time on collaborative work than they did 20 years ago. And, research from Eagle Hill Consulting finds that nearly half of the workforce says their work is becoming more team-oriented, while half of the workforce predicts that team-oriented projects will become increasingly prevalent at work.

"Business isn't a game, but it is a team sport," Jezior said. "Gone are the days of working alone in closed door offices. Businesses that can figure out how to create a mission-driven culture that fosters teamwork broadly across the organization will have a competitive advantage. Building this type of culture is increasingly important as companies focus more on group initiatives, collaboration and trust to achieve the business goals."

In a new national poll of U.S. workers that examines teamwork and change in the workplace, Eagle Hill found that:

83% of team sports athletes say they use their strengths every day at work, as compared to 63% of employees who didn't play team sports.

76% of team sports athletes say they trust their teammates, as compared to 55% of employees who didn't play team sports.

73% of team sports athletes said their work team is committed to success, as compared to 49% of employees who didn't play team sports.

73% of team sports athletes say their team constantly learns and strives to get better, as compared to 50% of employees who didn't play team sports.

56% of team sports athletes said their team enthusiastically responds to change, as compared to 35% of employees who didn't play team sports.

69% of team sports athletes say their team capitalizes on individual strengths, as compared to 48% of employees who didn't play team sports.

66% of team sports athletes say their consistently exceeds goals, as compared to 45% of employees who didn't play team sports.

The findings are contained in new Eagle Hill research, What makes workplace teams to go all the way?

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Study: Team sports participation improves workplace attitudes, performance

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New research found that employees who participated in team sports at some point in their life are more likely to believe their work team exceeds its goals, trust their co-workers, and tap into their individual strengths every day on the job.

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This is a clip from the documentary "The Last Dance" in this clip teammates of Michael Jordan talks bout his leadership style and how it was helpful even though it wasn't the nicest way to be a teammate or lead. This helps answer my question because it is an example of lie skills being used in basketball. Leadership and teamwork are being used in this clip and with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.

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The Last Dance | Michael Jordan, the tough guy

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The Crossover is a graphic novel that follows two brothers playing basketball and dealing with off the courts issues like relationships and family health problems. It is the perfect example of how participating in a team sport can teach valuable life lessons. It helps me understand my question better because it covers and shows how basketball teaches leadership, teamwork, communication, and resilience.

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This source talks about the life skills you can develop in sports. It mentions 6 skills - teamwork, communication, leadership, time management, self discipline, and exercise + socialization. It helped me understand my question better because it talked about those skills it improved and how it can be seen in someones everyday life.

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6 Ways Sports Can Help Develop Other Life Skills

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We’ve outlined six ways that participating in adult recreational sports can develop your other life skills.

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This source talks about all the different life skills we can learn from playing sports. It mentions less fear/anxiety, greater motivation, more resilience, improved relationships, and stronger sense of your authentic self. This article covers everything that my question is asking with communication, leadership, and resilience. This source deepened my understanding of the question because it went into detail and explained why and how sports can improve these skills.

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For many people, the value of a traditional education is clear: Knowledge improves decision-making, which is valuable for personal and professional life. However, a balanced approach to living can often include athletics and, as any athlete knows, physical education isn't just about dominance in games and channeling aggression. In fact, competitive sports teach life skills in a uniquely memorable way, instilling functional and interpersonal abilities that are useful on and off the field.

Competitive Sports Teach Self-Confidence

"I don't think it's bragging to say I'm something special."
-Muhammad Ali

Writing for Sports Psychology Today, Mike Edger noted, "Confidence is a player's belief in their ability to perform well in any situation, practice or game." ¹

As any basketball player quickly learns, driving to the hoop assertively will yield better results than a tentative approach will. An assertive defense is most effective at flustering opponents. To play any sport well requires a great deal of self-confidence-to make decisions on the fly and to respond to the actions of one's teammates. Confidence can also help a person relax and avoid frustration, anxiety, or uncontrolled aggression. No matter what sport you play, practice helps you build the confidence to know that when the moment comes, you'll be prepared to act. ²

Valuable Life Skills Gained

In Psychology Today, Dr. Barbara Markway wrote, "Self-confidence is linked to almost every element involved in a happy and fulfilling life." ³ Her article details five essential benefits to everyday life afforded by healthy self-confidence: ³

Less Fear and Anxiety

The more confident you become, the more you'll be able to calm the voice inside you that says, 'I can't do it.' You'll be able to take action in line with your values.

Greater Motivation

Building confidence means taking small steps that leave a lasting sense of accomplishment. Think of the satisfaction that comes with learning a language, mastering a challenging piece of music or taking on a new skill. As your confidence grows, you'll find yourself more driven to expand your abilities.

More Resilience

Confidence gives you the skills and coping methods to handle setbacks and failure. It doesn't mean you won't sometimes encounter failure, but you'll know that you can handle challenges without being crippled by them.

Improved Relationships

Self-confidence can breed deeper empathy. When you're not preoccupied with your own self-doubt, you can be the person who reaches out to help others.

Stronger Sense of Your Authentic Self

Confidence roots you in who you really are. You'll be able to accept your weaknesses, knowing they don't change your self-worth. Your actions will be in line with your principles, giving you a greater sense of purpose.

Competitive Sports Teach Teamwork

Any team sport emphasizes the team over the individual, though each sport instills a different sense of how teams work and play together. For example, football players are routinely taught that a good teammate submits to the goals of the team. The pace of the game requires flexibility and a willingness to dig deep and grind out a win. ⁴ Basketball moves much more quickly, and players have to develop a sixth sense regarding where their teammates are on the court and the trust to know they'll get to where they're most needed at a moment's notice. ⁵ Baseball has a slow pace and teammates' actions can be fairly isolated from one another, but focusing on shared objectives is still the first step toward success. ⁶

The Benefits of Teamwork in Real Life

The sport-based concept of teamwork translates into the professional world as collaborative problem-solving. "Behind every genius is a team," says John J. Murphy, author of Pulling Together: 10 Rules for High-Performance Teamwork. "When people play off each other's skills and knowledge, they can create solutions that are practical and useful." ⁷

Murphy was quoted in an article for Atlassian. In it, author Tracy Middleton listed these among many professional benefits of teamwork: ⁷

Increased Potential for Innovation

A report from the consulting firm McKinsey & Company found that teams made up of members from diverse backgrounds (gender, age, ethnicity, etc.) are more creative and perform up to 35% better than homogeneous teams do.

According to Frans Johansson, author of The Medici Effect, "True success and breakthrough innovation involves discomfort. Discomfort pushes you to grow. This is where difference of experience, opinion, and perspective come in. Diversity is a well-documented pathway to unlocking new opportunities, overcoming new challenges, and gaining new insights."

Happier Team Members

By surveying more than 1,000 team members in diverse industries, Atlassian found that, in environments that encourage honest feedback, mutual respect, and personal openness, team members were 80% more likely to report higher emotional well-being.

Enhanced Personal Growth

"By sharing information and, essentially, cross-training each other, each individual member of the team can flourish," said Murphy. Working with other people provides opportunities to learn from their varied experiences and perspectives, as well as from their mistakes.

Less Burnout

Ben Wigert, lead researcher for Gallup's workplace management practice, has noted that team members can provide emotional support for each other because they can empathize: They often understand the demands and stress of completing work even better than managers do.

Smarter Risk-Taking

People working alone might be hesitant to get creative and take chances. When working as part of a team, individuals know they have the support of the entire group to fall back on. That security typically allows teams to take the kind of risks that lead to exciting, innovative results.

Fewer Mistakes

Murphy noted that, if everyone on your team encourages and inspires each other and you have fun together, you'll feel less stressed. That's both a personal and a professional benefit, as, "Studies show that stress makes us stupid and leads us to make more mistakes."

Competitive Sports Teach Self-Discipline

Picture a basketball player standing in a driveway, persisting in sinking free throw after free throw until it's too dark to see anymore. Self-discipline is a requirement for success in any field, and sports instill the value of discipline in players from early in their careers. Practice might make perfect, but it can still be difficult for athletes at all levels to get out of bed and get to the gym or the field, day after day, to achieve peak performance. Sport is a rare pursuit in which we receive immediate feedback for our actions: If you take a shot a certain way and it doesn't succeed, you can immediately adjust your approach to improve. Because of this instant feedback loop, athletics are a perfect training ground to develop attention to detail and the discipline to improve. ⁸

Valuable Life Skills Gained

Sport's lessons in self-discipline teach a great deal about how to handle life's challenges.

Sacrifice

Self-discipline often means forgoing instant gratification in favor of long-term success. It requires and develops strong focus on the goal of succeeding at the endeavor at hand. It's essential in sport-and when studying for exams, preparing cases for trial, creating presentations for a board of directors, and in any other important challenge in life.

Loss

Loss is inevitable. As an athlete, when your opponent takes the day, you have to deal with the disappointment of loss and move on.

In life as in sport, sore losers complain and lay blame. The more disciplined, more productive choice is to congratulate the winner and continue working to get better. When someone else's success does not seal your self-image as that of a loser, you're empowered with a growth mindset: the knowledge that you can always improve-in sport, academics, business, the arts, interpersonal skill, and in any undertaking.

Hard Work

Theodore Roosevelt said, "Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, and difficulty. I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life."

By learning to appreciate the value of hard work-the accomplishment it makes possible, the satisfaction it brings, the strength it develops within us-we become equipped to progress and empowered to take on challenges in every facet of our lives.

Competitive Sports Teach Leadership

In sports and in life, sometimes you have to lead and sometimes you have to follow. Sports help to develop the discernment to know whether you're acting as a leader or a follower at any given moment. In most sports, a coach acts as an ultimate leader who sets the goals and tempo for the entire group. But even within a team, leaders emerge no matter their title or role. In volleyball, each player might be selected by their coach to fulfill a unique role on the team. But experience teaches players that just because you have a role to play doesn't mean you won't be called to fill in for somebody else at a moment's notice. Leadership in sports isn't theoretical. It happens moment by moment, just as it does in non-athletic settings. Because of this, the type of leadership learned in sport will serve athletes throughout their lives and careers. ⁹

Important Life Lessons

Leadership Can Be Learned

Many people, especially kids, don't see themselves as leaders. Sports can instill in us the skills that define good leaders: empathy, communication, the ability to listen, awareness of others' strengths, positive reinforcement, methodical planning in the pursuit of goals. Whether younger players grow up to use their leadership skills on the field, at school, at work or in volunteer pursuits, those lessons will prove their value again and again.

Advocacy

When it comes to navigating challenging moments between a student athlete and a coach, Dr. Deborah Gilboa urges parents to step out of the role of moderator. Instead, she favors helping athletes to take responsibility for having hard conversations. "If they're not in danger, they're just uncomfortable," she says. "This is a chance for them to learn new communication skills and improve their emotional intelligence." ¹⁰

Anyone who has ever asked for help, worked through a disagreement with a friend or loved one, negotiated for a raise, or spoken up when treated unfairly can vouch for the importance of confidence in those conversations. By requiring advocacy backed by communication skill and emotional intelligence, sports can teach us to stand up for ourselves compassionately and successfully.

Resilience

Leaders in sport have to strike a delicate balance. They're called upon to maintain clear vision while remaining open to new ideas; follow a strict work ethic while being able to adapt; demonstrate grace in victory and in defeat (while teaching the value of both); hold high expectations without being cruel; and persevere through difficulty without losing perspective.

This kind of resilience-this strength combined with flexibility-is a hallmark not just of leaders in any field, but of mature adults and top-quality professionals.

KU's Life Lessons Strengthen Your Entire Career

Gain the skills that define success in sport and life. In the online Master's in Sport Management* program from the University of Kansas, you'll develop the confidence and expertise to lead in any number of industry roles, including athletics director, sports manager, agent, facilities coordinator and more.

Explore the curriculum, including our internship opportunity, and schedule a call with an admissions advisor today.
*This program is a Master of Science in Education (M.S.E.) degree in health, sport management, and exercise science with an emphasis in sport management.

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What Life Skills Can We Learn From Sports?

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For many people, the value of a traditional education is clear: Knowledge improves decision-making, which is valuable for personal and professional life. However, a balanced approach to living can often include athletics and, as any athlete knows, physical education isn't just about dominance in games and channeling aggression.