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What’s Your Favorite Team Sports?
With the World Series a month away (October 19-27), baseball aficionados are eagerly following the performance of their favorite team. Meanwhile, football fans are engaged in their Sunday night ESPN ritual, basketball buffs are hoping that the labor dispute ends soon, soccer zealots are practicing dribbling techniques in the local park, and hockey players are lacing up their skates for the October advent of the new season. Our nation’s fascination with team sports is a good thing just as long as that infatuation leads to genuine action, and not merely sofa-sitting.
What’s the Point of Team Sports?
I’m all about watching a good game on TV or in person. But, more important than watching other people play, is playing yourself. You think basketball is fun to watch? Wait until you get involved in a pickup game at the community rec center. Like to watch a powerful slugger knock baseballs out of the park? Try handling a baseball bat yourself. Do you get energized by seeing the intense feel of a fourth-quarter football huddle? Then what about experiencing that same buzz yourself in a flag football competition?
Team sports are about so much more than devoted TV channels, fat salaries, massive stadiums, and labor lockouts.
What Are the Benefits of Team Sports?
- Team sports help you make friends and meet new people. There’s nothing quite like forging relationships on the playing field.
- Team sports foster community interaction and support. Neighborhoods, counties, and communities with sports teams develop a deep sense of togetherness and social fabric.
- Team sports cultivate character confidence, social skills, motor skills, etc. These benefits aren’t only for kids! Adults will profit, too.
- Team sports are great exercise. Although a baseball inning may not put you in your target heart rate for a solid 20 minutes, you will at least be active, in motion, and burning calories.
- Team sports gives you a great new pastime. There is a better alternative than watching other people play sports. In the time that it takes you to watch a whole football game, you can play an entire game yourself. And if you really want to you can watch the highlights of what you missed on SportsCenter later on.
- Team sports gives the whole family a healthy activity. The nice thing about team sports is that there is usually something for just about everyone. County sports leagues are open to kids as young as four, and there are no upper age limits. Many counties host senior sports leagues. There are even sports for the wheelchair-bound.
How to Get Involved
Getting involved in community team sports requires a few simple things carving out some time, and paying a small fee. Apart from that, it’s solid benefit. Here are some ways you can get started today:
- Find the phone number of your county’s recreation department.
- Ask a school coach.
- Google it. Maybe the easiest way to find a team sports opportunity for yourself is to just do a bit of Internet searching. You may even be able to sign up and pay online.
Don’t forget, there are more team sports than just the big ones. Larger communities may have team sports or private leagues for sports such as lacrosse, netball, rugby, cricket, or ultimate.
Whatever team sport you choose, I guarantee that you’re going to get fit, build friends, and have fun. What do you have to lose?
Tom Williams, KeyVive Expert, Fitness Guru
