The social effects of team sports A sport, according to dictionary.com, is an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, basketball, football, etc. A team sport is an activity in which a group of individuals on the same team, work together to win. Winning is done by outscoring the opposing team. Team members set goals, strategize, communicate, and solve problems while supporting and trusting each other’s judgment to meet their objectives. Not every team sport is alike, however. Some team sports are practiced between opposing teams, where the players interact directly and simultaneously between them to achieve an objective. The objective usually involves teammates facilitating the movement of a ball or a similar object with the addition of rules to score points. Other types of team sports such as swimming, rowing, sailing, etc. do not involve teammates facilitating the movement of a ball, or a similar object to score points. Team sports has many positive social, emotional, physical, and mental effects that can be used therapeutically to help shape a child’s life, improve an adult’s, and help them to create a better future for themselves. Team sports provides a venue for youths to be themselves, express their feelings, thoughts, and ideas, learn to work well with other individuals, and receive guidance and encouragement from peers and leaders. It creates opportunities for children and youths to engage in valuable and positive relationships with adults, which is especially important when they are not available at home. In team sports, the discipline of training, learning teamwork, following the leadership of coaches and captains, and learning to lose can provide lifelong skills for athletes. Zarrett and Eccles (2006) state that the literature on youth sports stresses the positive effects of participation in learning the important life skills of goal setting and time management, combined with enjoyment; the development of a strong sense of morality; and the development of an appreciation of diversity. Practice, patience, and persistence are what Filppu states are the three P’s of team sports that will translate into important life lessons. Showing up to practice when you don’t want to, waiting your turn on the sidelines, and doing the same drill over and over again, are examples of the three P’s. Those important characteristics can build positive lives, and reputations resulting in better communities. Studies by Eccles and Barber show that youth sport participation is positively related to adult involvement in community activities that can last a lifetime. Along with exercise and good health, participating in team sports provide many mental benefits, including a more positive mood and improved self-esteem. Exercise stimulates the production of mood-enhancing neurotransmitters and brain chemicals like endorphins which promote a feeling known as runner’s high, which also occurs after any form of exercise or physical activity. Team sports increases social activity and interaction, can reduce stress, increase mood, reduces social isolation, allows opportunity to make new friends and forget worries while having fun with others. It can also help boost self-esteem through promoting feelings of accomplishment. Achieving a team or individual goal, will make anyone feel a sense of achievement, which helps you feel better about yourself and leads to greater feelings of self-worth and esteem. Participating in team sports means that you are making time for yourself to do something that you enjoy, which is a form of self-care. For adults and children alike, one of the most positive effects of team sports is winding down and spending quality time with friends or family while having fun and enjoying themselves.