Sports Teach That You Get Out What You Put In

Sports teach kids important values that they can carry through any challenge in life, such as discipline, time management, work ethic, aggression, competitive edge, attitude and strength. Many parents wonder how to instill these values into their children — my parents aimed to do so by signing me up for soccer. I played football from the age of five until my senior year of high school. I learned all of these values through endless sprints, practices, game days, injuries and friendships.

Work ethic

Coaches will push you until you feel like quitting and crying. Coaches will tell you “you suck” in front of everyone. They will knock you down when you need to be knocked down. They will not sugar-coat your abilities; however, coaches will also build you up, cheer you on and be the first to congratulate you on a well-deserved win.

Being criticized as a kid is vital. I had tough coaches and I had coaches who did not care whether or not I tried my best. The tough coaches taught me how to take criticism as well as praise. Tough coaches teach you to become stronger, both mentally and physically.

Many kids today are told that they are special, without doing anything worthy of praise. When playing a competitive sport, you are beaten down and come back stronger. You learn that the criticism is for your own good. This is an important value for the adult world, because in the adult world you are not special — you are just another person. Realizing this at a young age makes you work harder to better your simply average self. The criticism instills a work ethic within a child without them knowing.

Discipline and time management

Two practices a week, one game every Sunday, school work and clubs — all of the time required to play sports teaches discipline. I cannot tell you how many times I was mentally and physically exhausted. I did not want to go to practice after school; I wanted to nap and push away my responsibilities. However, I knew what was expected of me. I had to go to practice and push myself even more. My already-tired body had to run more sprints. I had to show up and I was expected to have clean technique when playing.

When children learn that they have responsibilities as team players, they carry that discipline with them throughout their lives. These kids grow up and work harder at a job not for themselves but because they are a part of something bigger than themselves. They do not take a day off simply for being tired. These children push themselves harder because, for them, to do anything less is weak.

If there’s one skill I attribute entirely to sports, it is my time management skills. What time is my game this weekend? Is it home or away? Will I have time to do homework that day or will I be traveling all day? These are questions I asked myself every time homework was assigned. Sports taught me how valuable my time is, and to this day I cannot stand wasting time. Playing sports makes a child learn these values due to time demands. 

Competitive Edge

In today’s tough economy, it is crucial for a child to grow up with a will to win. While winning is not everything in a sport, it is definitely the goal. Sports teach children that you get out what you put in. If you put in minimal work, you will not win or be a starter. Having to fight against an opponent — whether it is a teammate for playing time, or another team — is a great lesson for kids. In the real world, one has to beat out the competition for a job, so it is best to learn how to handle competition at an early age. By having this competitive edge and assertive attitude ingrained in them at a young age, athletes be more likely to exert their abilities to employers in a way that others may not.

Attitude

You win like you lose — this was something many of my coaches taught me. When a team wins a game, they should not brag or act obnoxious. In fact, when a team wins they should act as if they had lost — remaining reserved and humble. Sports teach kids how to have a more humble attitude in life. When a person is proud of his or her accomplishment, that’s great, but he or she should not brag about it to someone who may have fallen short of his or her goal.

Children gain a burning passion for an active lifestyle through exposure to sports. While they may hate running, like I did, they gain a healthy addiction to tough workouts. I used to hate when my coaches demanded we run sprints; however, now I miss the feeling of being pushed to my breaking point. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of finishing a difficult running drill during practice. The high one gets following a successful workout is a feeling of self-satisfaction. To this day I cannot go more than a couple days without going to the gym. Children who grow up playing sports realize that taking care of their bodies is more gratifying than simply sitting on the couch.

Friendship

Not only did sports bring me values, they brought me some of my very best friends. By going through some miserable practices with teammates, a player develops a sense of humor. I learned to laugh at myself, even when I felt like I was dying at practice. My teammates and I would make jokes about how horrible we were doing simply to lighten each other’s spirits.

A good sense of humor and friendships with teammates are acquirements a player carries with them for the rest of their life. While athletes have a special place in their heart for the game, they also have one for all of the friends they gain along the way.

The experiences and values that sports teach children are ones that they cherish for the rest of their lives. In today’s climate, children need sports more than ever. Kids need someone to tell them they aren’t doing their best. They need someone to push them beyond their limits. They need to be taught hard work. In a society that is built on competition, competitive sports teach kids how to be successful with a positive attitude.