Time to discover how sport can build character

Sport and character building at the same time: How to score a brace?

It is believed that sport helps people become more rounded individuals:

Healthy body – healthy mind, sportsmanship, teamwork, respect, humility, determination, discipline and resilience…

These are just a few of the ways in which sport can contribute towards lifelong character building (Why Character Education Matters?). Sport teaches people how to be better individuals: the academic, social, and physiological benefits of sports are some of the reasons everyone should consider participating in some form of sport during their lives.

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Sport and humanity

The history of sport is almost as old as that of humanity. However, over the centuries, the role of sport has changed in people’s lives, and an activity that was originally linked with ritual, warfare, and leisure (entertainment) has undergone a significant transformation. As a result, the primary educational, health, social, cultural, and recreational functions of sport also seem now to have been either transformed or expanded (Crowther, 2007; Ács, 2015).

Western lifestyles underwent real change in the 1990s and 2000s. Not only did a lot of people have less (physically) strenuous work than in the past, but they also had more leisure time, as well as very often money to spend. As a result, people began to look for new hobbies and challenges, and many found what they were looking for in the world of sports. The potential business opportunities offered by the growing interest in sport did not escape the attention of the media and companies, who started investing heavily into the sports industry. Their involvement contributed to the growing popularity of sport, especially the sports that attracted the most spectators and generated the most profit. However, this money also bought sponsors influence, and the sports industry had to respond to their agenda. This new relationship between sports and those who were financing it brought into being a new driving force within the world of entertainment (Markovits & Rensmann, 2010).

More than just business

Today a sports event is usually surrounded with the fame and the money it may bring to several stakeholders but in the shadow of this whole “media circus” we may not stop to consider factors such as what makes people start to play a sport for the first time, and how many other things we owe to sport. Whether one is a hobby player at one end of the spectrum or a professional, world-famous athlete at the other end, engaging in a sporting activity has always taught life lessons that go far beyond the most publicly recognised benefits such as fun, fitness, fame, or money.

Arguably, the beauty of sport is that there are so many choices with such a variety of levels: there ought to be a sport out there for almost everyone. Even from a young age, participation in physical activity is highly recommended.

The benefits of participating include:

A healthy lifestyle:

Undoubtedly one of the biggest advantages of any form of regular exercise is that it shapes the body and the mind at the same time, helping you to keep fit, both physically and mentally.

A unique social setting & teamwork:

Sport teaches how to accept and behave as a part of something bigger, a team and/or a league. We must accept sooner or later that in life we won’t get anywhere on our own, in every field if we want to be truly successful it is essential to work in a team, to work with a team where everyone plays their part under the team flag no matter what their position, ethnicity or gender. Team sports can also provide a sense of identity, a feeling of belonging which is vital for the mental, emotional, and physical development of an individual. Leading a team, facing together the challenges week in, week out with others can also foster strong emotional bonds. Many lifelong friendships started among teammates or sometimes even with the opponents at street basketball courts or football pitches. It offers you an excellent chance to challenge yourself, as well as to socialise. It gives you the chance to improve your social skills in a unique, highly competitive environment.

Sportsmanship:

Sports represent the perfect opportunity to discover our strengths and weaknesses. They also teach respect and humility: how to be a graceful winner, and an elegant loser. Since in life you cannot win every battle, you must be ready to deal with the losses and learn from them so the next time you can return there and be crowned as the champion (“Fall down seven times, stand up eight”).

Determination & Discipline:

Sports demand a high level of determination and discipline. Take football (soccer), for example: the goalkeeper must concentrate even after the 90^th minute not to concede a goal that might cause his team’s defeat. Meanwhile, on the opposite side the forward must be there and ready to score anytime anywhere even if only the slightest chance to win the game presents itself. Sports develop resilience and can teach you how to overcome even the most difficult situations by fighting shoulder to shoulder as a team and never losing sight of the (common) goal. As the example above illustrates, athletes usually must react without any hesitation to quickly changing circumstances. In other words, those who take it seriously can develop heightened instincts and problem-solving skills. These are hugely useful attributes well beyond the world of sport…

Bringing to everyone the well-deserved joy of the game:

Our brains are built to benefit from play, no matter what age we are. The beauty of sport really is that there are so many choices with such a variety of levels that everyone can find an activity they can really enjoy without having to worry about social constraints. Playing sport takes us into a whole new world where (especially in the case of recreational sport) there are few boundaries and countless opportunities.

Conclusion

As can be seen, sports and character building are strongly connected. Both the body and the mind will benefit from regular physical activities. If a sport is taken seriously, one’s character – whether it be in terms of the humility one shows, or instead resilience under such unique, competitive circumstances – will be tested constantly. Moreover, rising to this challenge can inspire people to be a better, more complete person in their day-to-day lives. To take a more concrete example, the empathy and the team member – leadership experiences gained this way can be useful in every other fields of our lives, as we live in a world where every single task involves some kind of teamwork.

Sources:

Ács, P. (ed.). (2015). Sport and Economy. Pécsi Tudományegyetem, Egészségtudományi Kar.

Crowther, N. (2007). Sport in ancient times. Norman (Okla.), US: University of Oklahoma Press.

Markovits, A. S., & Rensmann, L. (2010). Gaming the world: How sports are reshaping global politics and culture. Princeton (New Jersey), US: Princeton University Press.

Author:

Griszbacher Norbert

Article Writer & Content Contributor

August 9, 2021

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The opinions expressed in this article/publication are those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of GiLE or its members.

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Time to discover how sport can build character

Sport and character building at the same time: How to score a brace?

Healthy body – healthy mind, sportsmanship, teamwork, respect, humility, determination, discipline and resilience…

Sport and humanity

More than just business