Sports have an incredible power to unite people from all walks of life, transcending boundaries and bringing together a diverse tapestry of individuals who share a common love for the game. Playing or being part of a sport is like a whirlwind of emotions; they inspire, bring joy, build friends, lives, while also presenting obstacles and potential drawbacks along the way.
Most people start playing a sport at an early age, some forced by their parents and others because they love the sport that they choose. Some end up dropping that sport and finding a hobby or finding another sport to do, while others grow into the sport and go beyond their goals. It all depends on how the sport has impacted them and that can affect a person a lot.
Sports gives the opportunity for others to be healthy, be unlazy, energetic and active. It gives us the chance to create new friends and learn significant things. Sports give us the opportunity to get scholarships for college for those who need it.
Morgan Patrick, a freshman, said that playing a sport is a “great way to make friends and be around people that also enjoy the same things as you, and show interest.”
Sports bring family together; it teaches us how important it is in life to help each other and be there for each other through our goods and bads. How meaningful a cheer form a parent is to their kids while playing a game, how important it is for an athlete to glance at the crowd and see their parents smiling at them. How important it is for a sibling to be there when feeling down. How important it is to have a family to support you, and be there to witness your improvements and your accomplishments as you grow up.
Students were asked about how they felt about their family members to be in their games, replying positively.
“I feel really good, it helps, like, me know that they are there for me, encouraging me, and are interested in what I’m doing,” said Jade Keen, a junior at charter.
Jaia White, another junior at charter, said how she “appreciated it” and that her favorite memory with her parents was how “they are usually always there” at her games to cheer and celebrate for her.
Sports lectures a person on how to become a leader, a team player, a listener, and a follower. It teaches techniques that can be used in the real world, such as being social with others, since in sports you have to communicate and come out of your comfort zone. As well as reducing shyness for others by being brave in games, It also teaches respect towards yourself and others.
But just like any accomplishments, there are always consequences and obstacles; same with sports.
Sports have had a negative shock to some by increasing their shyness, worsening their mental health and physical health through injuries. This could be very dangerous because it could lead to an athlete being in a wheelchair for the rest of their life or not be able to play their sport again.
It has also drained an athlete’s confidence due to having rude coaches and teammates who just yell at them or make fun of their mistakes instead of helping them fix it. It has gotten to the point that that athlete will stop liking the sport or even go home sobbing and being affected by depression.
“It can definitely get stressful, like at practice and with the load that it puts on school work, sometimes it can be a lot to handle,” said Morgan Patrick.
There have also been occasions where there are conflicts in the household, where parents get divorced because of the activities, due to a parent being too obsessed with the sport or it’s the only thing that they do and talk about. Or because they do too much for their kid by forcing them to play a sport that they don’t like, just because they played it when they were young.
Furthermore, there can be conflicts between a parent and their child such as a parent getting mad at their kid for not doing good on a practice or a game, or them getting mad because their kid was giving a bad attitude in their game and taking it as fun and games. Additionally, a kid can get mad after their parents tried to give them advice on how to get better or fix their mistakes, or because their parents compared them to another athlete.
“It’s time consuming… so it can be stressful on them sometimes,” said Jade Keen.
This can cause a family to fall apart and lose trust within each other. Like not telling their feelings or what’s going inside their head to their family member, feeling the fear to not open up to not cause another fight and ruin everyone’s day.
Sports have the power to do many things to a person’s life. If it is negative or positive, we always end up learning from them to be better. In the end, it’s up to the individual playing the sport to make the most of the game and their life, if it means by themselves, or with the help of their family, friends, coaches, teammates, and even the rude ones, because one thing’s for sure: we learn from both the good and the bad.