Final Essay

Sports dominate the active world, with close to 36 million kids ages five to eighteen engaged in organized sports in 2015 the adolescence are more active than ever before. Sports can be broadened into numerous categories that relate to one another, but the two major sections are individual and team sports. Playing team sports from a young age aid our overall development in a positive way that many other facets of life cannot do. Organized team sports are more beneficial to social and mental health, as well as physical health than individual sports.

Project Play a very informative website digs into this discussion about the benefits of team sports on the health of the human body. Project Play states, “Organized sports activity helps children

Being surrounded by others that have similar interests, they are able to form social connections much easier than those in individual sports. Building these relationship with people that share the same hobby is vital to grow in a social aspect. Kid Sports Magazine wrote, “In team sports, "self" and "me" mean less. Team success, or at least the development of a team-oriented mindset, often trumps any focus on individual standouts.” (Sampsell). By providing the notion that these team sports are more about the team and less about me, really stands out to those who play. Being a part of a team allows these kids to be involved in something and feel as if they are a part of something bigger, which enables them to grow socially “fertile ground for adolescent self-esteem development because teams provide opportunities for youth to engage with adults and peers to achieve collective goals”. Being able to participate with teammates is a major component to team sports, and by doing so, they learn the valuable social quality of team

This need for physical health does more for the body than most people think. By being physically active, there is a reduced risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, and many types of cancer. By improving fitness, it is also encouraging healthy decisions and habits to be formed that benefit people later on in life. Having a team that is counting on you to show up and put in the same work effort is enough motivation for a team to have a strong physical health. Kristen Chessman, author of the article “Organized sports are a home run”, displays the importance of physical health and team sports by writing, “Organized sports not only keep kids healthier physically, but mentally as well. Research shows that children who play organized sports are frequently healthier and physically stronger than their less athletic peers — and they are smarter as