Sports Provide a ‘One Size Fits All’ Solution for Some of Society’s Biggest Problems

Last year, just under 8 million people (7.85m) participated in high school sports across the country. Statistically speaking, it’s safe to say a child picked up a basketball for the very first time and immediately fell in love with the game. A high school athlete hit a home run and was flooded by emotions as he waved to the crowd and effortlessly rounded the bases. A distinguished upperclassman got off the phone with his coach and told his teary-eyed mother he’d be the first person in his family to go to college since he was just offered an athletic scholarship at a Division I university.

While which sport you should choose to play and/or watch is up for debate, the many benefits of participating in and/or watching sports is not. From youth to adolescence, college and beyond — sports are an integral, necessary part of today’s society.

To begin with, sports have an extraordinary effect on one’s personal development. Since the dawn of time, parents have been concerned with properly acclimating their children to various educational learning environments (which has become increasingly more difficult since the start of the pandemic).

From a sociological standpoint, children have experienced “bullying (both in person and online), difficulty finding new friends and slipping self-confidence,” which complicates the most essential function of a basic school environment – the ability to learn.

According to At Your Own Risk, participating in organized sports “may have positive social benefits, leading to both improved social identity and social adjustment.”

In other words, sports help.

By being on a team, you are immediately surrounded by a group of like-minded individuals who more often than not end up becoming some of your closest friends (see LeBron James and the “Fab 5”). Through the art of competition, you learn to interact with people from all different backgrounds: Black, white, purple, brown or blue — it doesn’t matter. In the context of team sports, there’s only one question: can you help the team win? If the answer is yes, congratulations: you’ve got yourself a spot on the roster.

Not only that, but “children who participate in organized sports (compared to their peers who don’t) show greater personal confidence and self-esteem, stronger peer relationships, greater family attachment and more frequent interactions with parents.”

In an era dominated by highly edited Instagram posts (resulting in unrealistic body standards), unnecessary comparisons (between athletes/celebrities and the regular person) and weakened relationships with family and friends (due to increased isolation and the inability to detach from technology), sports are more necessary than ever to repair the proverbial gap and mend the bridge between fiction and reality.

According to CSBA, “extensive research has found that social identities (such as being an athlete) play an important role in shaping self-image, providing a sense of belonging within a social group and fostering prosocial actions such as caring for others.” A concept thoroughly exemplified by high school students [at lunch tables] across the nation.

As a student-athlete, you have an identity to uphold (and that often carries over to the classroom). You no longer think of yourself as a random number in a school’s graduating class. In your mind, you are one of the hardest workers in the room; you are one of the best linemen in the state; you are the left wing in a successful soccer program, etc. For that reason, you’re willing to do anything for the team, and you’ll let the world know it.

While encouraging healthy relationships, teaching valuable life-lessons and building confidence in our youth is important, another series of societal issues to consider is childhood obesity, anxiety and depression. According to the CDC, “the prevalence of obesity for children and adolescents aged 2-19 years was 19.7% and affected about 14.7 million children (2017-2020).” Additionally, “9.4% of children aged 3-17 years (approximately 5.8 million) had diagnosed anxiety in 2016-2019, and 4.4% of children aged 3-17 years (approximately 2.7 million) had diagnosed depression.”

While childhood obesity, anxiety and depression are deep-rooted, complex issues that need to be attacked from a variety of different angles, various studies suggest participating in sports can at least do something to help the problem. According to the PCSFN Science Board, active participation in youth sports is known to (among other things) “lower rates of anxiety and depression, lower amounts of stress, improve weight status, decrease body fat percentage and increase overall quality of life.”

In retrospect, I say that to say this: For reasons listed above, sports matter — their benefits far exceed what can adequately be described in an 800-word column. They provide friends, instill confidence and allow us to fit in. They hold us accountable, encourage academic success and for some people, they provide “a way out.” They encourage discussion, provide entertainment and bring us together.

In all honesty, that’s what it’s all about.