Health and Social Benefits of Team Sport

Team sport offers a variety of health and social benefits, boosting physical and mental wellbeing.

Whether it’s a team of friends, family members or schoolmates, participating in a sport is an excellent way to build friendships, develop communication skills and make lasting memories. It also teaches children discipline, hard work and a positive approach to setbacks.

A close team puts more pressure on individuals to perform well for the sake of their teammates, creating a sense of pressure that pushes them to do better than they would otherwise do. This is beneficial because it makes each member feel like they are a valuable part of the team and that their actions matter.

Another key feature that distinguishes sport teams from traditional groups is the presence of group norms that establish clear standards of effort and productivity (Carron & Eys, 2012). For example, members of a basketball team recognize that they need to report to practice sessions on time, follow their coaches’ directions and put forth their best efforts during competitions.

In addition to providing a sense of belonging, group norms foster cooperation among sports team members and contribute to their sense of “groupness” (Carron, 1988). They also establish a set of rules of interaction that are shared across members of the sport team.

As a result, participating in a sports team is an effective means of developing leadership skills that are likely to benefit adolescents throughout their lives. For example, leaders need to be able to respect authority and motivate subordinates, and they must work together in a team-oriented manner rather than as independent players with no common goals or purpose.