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Austin Nguyen
Ms. Gongora 1
English 12
February 4, 2016
Life Benefits from Team Sports
When a player surrenders his self-interest for the greater good, his fullest gifts as an
athlete are manifested. (Robertson). Phil Jackson was a coach with many accomplished teams.
With his guidance, teamwork was instilled in the minds of his players. This new sense of
teamwork transformed megastars into team players. These lessons that were applied from Zen
Buddhism and teachings of Lakota Sioux to basketball can also be redirected and be applied to
real life. One can learn much about the world, society, and culture through membership of a
team. Connections, discipline, etiquette; these attributes are the fruits of being on a team. Team
sports are keys that help individuals survive in the real world. Team sports offer important ideals
such as support systems, socialization, and collaboration in the real world. A team as an entity is
equivalent to a support system. When an event occurs that imposes a negative effect on a person,
that person in return is reinforced by the positive efforts of ones peers. This is one effect of
socialization. As a member of a team, one would naturally be subjected to a wondrous burden
called teamwork. This enterprise becomes an opportunity to bond and form connections.
Socialization in turn develops ones skill in collaboration. In a society where practically every
job, career, or even chore requires the ability to cooperate with others, collaboration is necessary
to complete tasks efficiently. Playing on a team is an effective activity to achieve these things.
Team sports are relevant forms of support systems that can help reduce stress and
depression. Studies conducted on 850 Canadian students exhibited a strong relationship

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between school sports during adolescent years and lower symptoms of depression, stress and
mental health in young adulthood (Team Sports Help LowerTeens.). Others may argue that
the mere fact that sports are simple entertainment is the reason for the reverse swing, however
that is highly unlikely. If entertainment is the ultimate cure for negative effects such as stress and
depression, then even trivial things like video games and eating would be quick remedies. There
are not many factors that are able to justify the correlation of sports and decreased measure of
stress and depression, so it can safely be concluded that this subtractive anomaly of is most likely
due to the interior support of an individuals team.
The support system is not just limited to helping an individual with stress and depression.
People can bypass unfortunate events such as ailments, drama, and grief with the support from
others. Tragedy struck as a bat boy from the Liberal Bee Jays took a blow to the head with a
baseball bat (Suellentrop). Unfortunately, the 9-year-old bat boy died soon after the incident.
This kind of event can haunt and traumatize a person. Being the cause of death, in many cases,
stops the progression of the person as a player, student, and human being. In this sort of situation,
the normal response would be to quit playing the sport for the rest of ones life and be tormented
by the fact that the individual caused someones death. However, through the support system of
his team, the player continued to compete in the National Baseball Congress World Series with
his team, playing in the memory of the bat boy who died (Suellentrop).
Socialization is an aspect of life that is necessary to build character, connections, and
ability to cooperate with others. Working together on a sports team encourages socialization, as
players become part of a group (McGroarty). In most sports, knowing the thought processes and
habits of teammates is a vital concept for players to integrate for victory. For those who are not
used to being around others or are shy, joining a team is a good way to for a person to grasp the

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concept of socialization. Isolation and anti-social attitudes are impossible to have if one decides
to play any sport. There is no better way to socialize than being forced to communicate with
others to achieve a common goal.
Sports socialization is a term used in psychology. used to teach skills necessary to
function well in a society by playing sport to better understand respect for authority and
commitment (Brian). In sports, there are rules and conditions that are absolute, much like law
and society. Players learn to respect and adhere to said rules, and the people enforcing them, to
continue playing. Commitment, of course, is another key lesson that is taught through sports.
Players make a commitment to themselves, to their families, and most importantly to their team.
Without commitment, people would not bring out the best in their work. Finding passion and
loyalty to ones members enables the ability to work at 100%. Tournaments and games draw the
potential out of an individuals commitment to a sport. Events such as tournaments are also an
opportunity to socialize. Sports are organized in vastly different ways across programs, teams,
and situations offering many different socialization experiences, both positive and negative, to
participants (Sports and Socialization.). During these types of events, players get to meet
many other people and bond with their teammates on a professional level.
Collaboration is the main skill an individual can learn in a team sport. Teams need more
than one player (Larson). When working in a group, everyone needs to pull their weight. There
is not one person that is unnecessary when undertaking a project (in this case, competitive
games). For example, in baseball everyone has a position on the field. Each person is placed in a
position in case the ball flies their way. Even if only one person has the opportunity to receive
the ball, everyone else has a purpose. All the other fielders put pressure on the batter, making
him decide where to hit the ball. Much like in machinery, every part is vital to make the object

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work. When positions are split in a team for each member, the members are expected to go
through with their job whole-heartedly. Should this not be the case, the whole team may fall
apart.
Good teamwork stems from a good foundation of collaboration. However, Collaboration
is a Process, Not an Event (Richardson). Achieving a good base of collaboration is not difficult,
but requires nurturing. It is a trivial skill that not only the individual must work on, but the team
as a whole as well. This skill, unfortunately, cannot be learned over the timespan of a couple of
days, weeks, or even months. Each member of the team must learn and adapt to the play styles
and behaviors of their teammates. This process usually would take at least half a year to have a
good understanding on the teams overall approach and play style. After acquiring solid
collaborative skills, there becomes space for innovation. Innovation comes from putting ideas
and perspectives that have never been combined before. Good collaboration makes this happen
more efficiently (Richardson). When people in the same group know how about each others
behavior and skill, trust and confidence begins to form between members. In team sports, players
can begin to practice and perform plays that were never accessible to the team when it was new.
The way a team operates begins to evolve and transform into a completely different kind of unit.
Experience in collaboration makes it easier for a group to become better at what they play.
Sports that require only one player, of course, also teach values that can be used outside
of the sport itself. For example, tennis teaches someone many lessons in life (What Playing
TennisLife.). Discipline is a lesson that can be refined through the time spent playing a one
man sport. The player has to understand the bounds and behavior that is expected out of him/her.
It helps one focus on the objective at hand and severs the distractions coming into ones mind.
Endurance requires someone to be able to handle all kinds of situations and stick through with it

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until the end. The ability to cope with defeat is important as well. The experience one receives
from defeat allows people to progress and learn from a mistake. These life lessons can all be
integrated through one man sports, but team sports still reign supreme because of its
effectiveness. Team sports take even more discipline to contain ones self around more people.
Endurance does not always apply to ones self, but the whole team. People have to understand
that in the real world, one has to work in consideration of others and to pace themselves. Finally,
the ability to cope with defeat is much more effective when in a team sport because when one
person loses, the whole team loses. When losing, defeat is easier to accept when people have
others to share their frustrations with.
One man sports share the ideals that are taught in team sports. Most if not all players
in a one man sport have coaches. These coaches, in their own way, are the players support
system. A coach guides the players onto becoming better and more refined (What do Coaches
do?). These people help you both physically and mentally, coaching on how to solve problems
on the court and in life. Support systems are not the only aspect that team sports and singular
sports have in common. Socialization is also a skill that players learn through one man sports. A
player socializes with coaches all the time. Players ask what their mistakes are and coaches talk
about how they can improve. However, coaches are not the only people players can socialize
with. Communicating with the opponent and the judge is also considered socializing. One does
not even need to talk to communicate with the opponent or judge. Players learn about each other
through how they play the game, and judges are the mediation that binds the opposing players.
Collaboration is also seen in one man sports, but only slightly. The players must work together
with the judge to have the game progress. But again, team sports still reign supreme. Support
systems in team sports are better because instead of having a single coach to help a player, the

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player has the whole team. Socialization becomes easier because most of the time spent on a
sport is practice, which means that the majority of the time is spent socializing with the team.
Collaboration, of course, is implemented in a players mind easier because you actually have to
work harmoniously with others.
Team sports are overall the best method of learning life lessons. Support systems are
groups that help individuals get through tough times in their lives. Having a team as a support
system is very relevant because those who are the persons equals understand them better and is
able to offer emotional support. Those with support systems can easily overcome various
catastrophes occurring in ones life. Through support systems, which usually consists of peoples
teammates, one can learn the concept of socialization. Learning how to socialize in team sports
are easy in team sports. In a team, a person is with other people who share common interests (the
sport) and can relate with each other. Being on the same team is a gateway for relationships and
connections. Collaboration is also easy to understand when on a team. Playing a sport together
requires players to communicate on a high level of understanding, which in turn develops trust
among them. When people have a good sense of collaboration, projects and problems become
easy to work around with others. As someone who was highly unsociable and ignorant of
relations, being on a team personally bettered me as a person. I earned these benefits by joining
my schools tennis team. Tennis is usually a one man sport, but everyday I would practice with
my team and learn new skills that I can apply to life. My team is my support system, they helped
me with many personal problems before through advice. I learned how to talk to others easily,
simply because of the accessibility of conversation with my peers. I also learned how to
collaborate with people by playing doubles games. Every lesson taught through team sports are
easily applied in the real world, whether it be working well with others or making connections by

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conversing with another person. Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common
vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is
the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results. (Robertson).

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Works Cited
Brian, Pamela. What is Sport Socialization? Psychology Dictionary. N.p, N.d, Web.
24 Jan. 2016.
Larson, Troy. What soccer can teach us about Collaboration. Mindjet. 13 June 2012. Web.
24 Jan. 2016.
Mainwaring, Simon. Teamwork Quotes. BrainyQuote. N.p, N.d, Web. 24 Jan. 2016
McGroarty, Kent Page. Benefits of Teamwork in Sports. Healthy Living. Demand Media.
N.d, Web. 24 Jan. 2016.
Richardson, Adam. Collaboration Is a Team Sport, and You Need to Warm Up. Harvard
Business Review. N.p, 31 May 2011. Web. 24 Jan. 2016.
Robertson, Ross. The Soul of Teamwork. Daily Good. EnlightmentNext. 13 May 2013.
Web. 24 Jan. 2016.
Sports and Socialization. Sociology. iResearchNet. N.d, Web. 24 Jan. 2016.
Suellentrop, Paul. Liberal Bee Jays player benefits from sport's support system. The Michita
Eagle. N.p, 11 Aug. 2015. Web. 24 Jan. 2016.
Team Sports Help Lower Stress and Depression among Teens. University Herald. Journal of
Adolescent Health. 8 July 2014. Web. 24 Jan. 2016.
What do Coaches do? Positive Changes Coaching. N.p, N.d, Web. 24 Jan. 2016
What Playing Tennis Can Teach You in Life. Improve Your Tennis. N.p, N.d, Web. 24 Jan.
2016.