Do you have athletic friends? Or are you an athlete yourself? We all know that one athlete that would pour their blood and sweat into the sport they’re dedicated to or committed to. You might think, “Wow they take this very seriously” but have you ever wondered why? Sports are very important to student athletes. The benefits that come with playing a sport and why this game is so important to us.
The sports we play have saved us in more ways than one. As athletes, we can only participate if we meet certain requirements. For example, we have to be passing our classes. This gives students a lot more motivation to be on top of their game with school benefiting us with having good grades and as a bonus, we get to practice and play. Being an athlete gives us a chance to work together. You learn over time that your teammates are people you have to rely on and trust. They become like a family. We always have each other’s backs. We know we’re not alone and everyone else is going through the same emotions and hard work on the team.
When we play, it is a lot more than a game. We get to strategize when we step into the court or the field. We are in control of ourselves. If we fail we push harder, we practice and practice and practice and once we get what we are learning or ace the thing we were struggling with, we feel accomplished. It is such a good feeling to have these setbacks and put in the work to see the final result because we didn’t give up and we feel proud of ourselves. We get determined and set goals for ourselves. A lot of people use their sport as a therapy to get away from their own head to put our energy (which can sometimes be negative energy) into something useful, something positive that makes us feel good and the people who come see us. We like seeing them proud of us for accomplishing what we could. It is more than just a game. At the end of it all, we need to see that all our hard work paid off. The fun part is that even if we have reached our fullest potential we still find a way we can improve.
A lot of people often rely on sports to take them to college. This can be for several reasons, such as money. Not everyone is able to afford or get the help they need so they rely on scholarships and to get the best they need to be the best. A lot of athletes want to earn a scholarship to simply go to college while doing what they love. Getting a scholarship will guarantee that. At the end of the day, athletes just want to not only make the people around them proud but themselves as well.
At the end we put our blood and sweat into these games because it’s deeper than that. We learn lessons, have setbacks, gain motivation and the best part is we’re doing something we love.