Why I play sports
December 20, 2019
Ever since I took my first steps as a little boy, my parents signed me up for every sport imaginable. This was probably either because they wanted to have free time for themselves as I was pretty annoying or because they wanted me to “stay out of trouble,” whatever that means.
I have tried probably every sport, ranging from running cross country, which seems so simple, to playing a high-contact sport, hockey.
You’re probably thinking to yourself right now, “Why would you ever do that yourself?” Well, my answer is “I don’t know.” It isn’t always fun getting up so early in the morning for a practice or a game or running ten miles to prepare for a 5k meet. At some points, I felt miserable because there were times that made me feel like I was not a normal kid because I couldn’t hang out with my friends on the weekend because I had a practice or a game. However, I am glad that my parents made the decision to sign me up for sports when I was younger, because playing brings a big old smile on my face, and all anyone can ask for is to be happy.
I completely agree with the school’s ideology of making students participate in Physical Education if they aren’t on a sports team because by being physically active and playing sports, one can benefit tremendously. My teammates have become my friends because we have shared quality time together.
Whether it was from sitting in the airport for hours after a flight being continuously delayed to go to a hockey tournament and playing football at our gate, or going to a lot of team dinners and getting to know everyone better, my teammates and I always knew how to have fun. Going to team functions allowed me to get to socialize with my teammates who I didn’t talk to as frequently which made my hockey team feel like a brotherhood. I can go to them and count on them for anything. When I was first diagnosed with a type of sarcoma cancer, it was my hockey team and coach that visited me at the hospital the next day and assured me that everything would be okay, and that I just needed to keep a positive attitude. They continue to be with me every step of the way as I continue the fight against this ugly disease. I don’t know where I would be right now if it weren’t for the tremendous support I continue to receive from them. I will never forget when my hockey teammates surprised me at a cancer awareness game our organization hosted, by having special cancer awareness jerseys that included a muscle emoji. Inside the muscle emoji, it said “Mo=76 strong.” I wear the number 76 because my favorite NHL player P.K. Subban wears that number. The muscle on the jersey re-assured me that I can always count on them when I need to.
The two most important takeaways I have from playing a sport are that playing sports is a natural stress reliever and I have developed lifelong healthy lifestyles. Exercise is a great way to loosen up and forget about everything that’s going on in reality. Playing sports can be used as an escape from the real world and its problems. The lifelong healthy lifestyles consist of developing teamwork and leadership skills. Working towards a common goal with my teammates, such as winning a game, has helped me develop communication and problem-solving skills that I can use both on and off the field. For instance, playing a sport has helped me conceptualize the meaning of body language. Body language is a communication skill that I certainly recommend everyone must be aware of. Your body language speaks volumes before you even open your mouth. If you appear to be timid, scared, or worrisome, your opponent will not respect you, and you will most likely lose the sporting event you are participating in. The contest is over before it even started because the opponent knows you are afraid of them. To gain the opponent’s respect, you must not show your opponent your weakness or that you are scared, and play to the best of your ability. Playing sports has helped me become more aware of my body language, and I immediately started to make some changes to it. Your posture, facial expressions, and eyes help someone create a first impression of you. When I am communicating with others, I make consistent eye contact, I smile frequently, and I stand up straight with my shoulders back so that the first impression people will have of me is most likely positive: a confident young man who actively pays attention to what other people are saying.
Why do I think you should play a sport or at least be physically active? According to Cornell University, “Participation in competitive youth sports ‘spillover’ to occupationally advantageous traits that persist across a person’s life.” In sports, people learn to rely on someone, maybe a teammate or coach, to accomplish a common goal. Playing a sport, especially participating in a team sport, teaches you a life lesson: the success of a team isn’t determined by just the “main” or “star” players, but rather it is determined by everyone on the team contributing by playing their role. The success depends on how well everyone can work together. People also learn to put forth their best effort and exhibit ethical behavior no matter the outcome of the game. If you want to learn to focus, better manage your time, and have an advantage in a prestigious workplace setting, such as Horace Mann, I recommend you try playing a sport.
Excellent work Mo!
Although playing on HM’s undefeated football team in 1957 was one of the defining experiences of my life, in later years I developed a dislike for competitive athletics. See this article I wrote for The Rye Record (Rye NY): https://ryerecord.com/is-competition-necessary-to-sport/
IS COMPETITION NECESSARY TO SPORT?
By Bob Marrow
When you strike a golf ball purely, whether a drive, a pitch, a chip or a putt, the thrill surges through your body like the ultimate moment of intimate contact with your lover.
When you strike a tennis ball purely, whether a serve, a ground stroke or a volley; the same feeling of ecstasy makes you want to do it again and again.
This is also true for running/swimming with seamless strides/strokes that propel you forward with unfathomable ease.
Why does the pleasure of attaining near perfection in any sport require winning — dominating a competitor — in order to give meaning to some athletes?
A tennis blog I receive in emails, Essential Tennis, ran a series on the mental aspect of the game, catering to players who “choke” in competition and need a form of therapy to deal with the pressure of fear — not wanting to lose, anticipating the loss of self-respect when a player you think is inferior defeats you on the court. I felt that fear when I played in tennis club championship tournaments, and when I was a competitive squash racquets player entered in team matches or in Masters Tournaments catering to age-group players.
However, I’ve conquered that no-win attitude — “no-win” because the feeling of losing is worse than the satisfaction of winning. Now, here’s how I play tennis: we start each point with a serve and play it competitively but we don’t keep score. Each point is a match in itself and the next serve starts a new match. I serve as long as I want and then my partner does the same. He’s my partner, not my adversary. Without the pressure of losing, the strokes flow smoothly, gracefully, with effortless power.
What a pleasure to engage in sport without winning or losing, just enjoying the activity as though I am a dancer — jumping, flying and landing with perfect balance, with no audience to judge me.
This can be done with golf, playing each hole for a par or a birdie, keeping count of the successes and not bothering to worry about the double bogeys or “others”. Or, even if you want to keep score and measure your progress against a yardstick like breaking 100, 90, or 80, doing so by yourself without a competitor present to feel muted pleasure when you miss a three foot putt.
Engaging in sport without competition unleashes your grace and your power. Why ruin it just for meaningless winning or losing?
Addendum: A variation on the theme was suggested by the Head Professional at the Rye Golf Club in Rye, NY: “…competition is always against yourself no matter who you play.” Competition can be a means of challenging yourself to reach higher levels of performance. Rejecting competition can be an excuse to avoid that challenge.