“Soccer is my life.” That is a statement I saw once printed on a tee-shirt. Why are sports so important to people? Many say they need to play sports for exercise, teamwork and learning responsibility. But you can get the benefits of sports in other ways.
Exercising is important for a healthy lifestyle. I am able to exercise without participating in sports. I enjoy Irish dancing; it is as good of an exercise as any sport. Irish dancing is something I will continue doing, even when I am an adult. As people grow older it becomes too hard on their bodies to play sports like football. There are many other ways of exercising without playing sports, such as recreational swimming, walking, aerobics, jump roping or bike riding.
Learning you to work together as a team will help you to learn how to cooperate with other people and interact with them. In team sports players must work together to win a game and improve their skill. Another way to learn teamwork is to take part in a service project with other people. I have done may service projects where I can make new friends and help the community. Working together to perform a play also teaches teamwork. Everyone has to work together to interact with the other actors. If one person is too quiet, the audience will miss a part of the play. In a choir the singers need to end their sentences at the same time, sing the same pitch and stay on cue with the director to sing a beautiful song.
Another valuable benefit from playing sports is learning responsibility. If you play an instrument, the teacher will require you to practice. You have that responsibility to learn your piece. I have entered several things in the county fair through 4-H. It helps me to do my best at the tasks I am working on. I enter art and writing contests too. I have a deadline to finish my projects. In school, you have to be responsible if you want to get good grades.
So many people are obsessed with playing sports, but it’s not for everyone. A sport doesn’t have to be your life if you want to get exercise and learn teamwork and responsibility. There are many other ways to gain these benefits.