WHY I LOVE SPORTS

            If I could choose one field to spend the rest of my life in, it would be sports.  Since I can remember, sports have positively impacted me as much as any other influence.  I feel there are numerous values that can carry over to every aspect of life.  There are messages learned through sports that make each athlete a better person, and I think it is rare to find any activity that actually develops people as human beings.  I believe that team sports have nothing but positive benefits on any individual.
            Starting at a young age, kids are encouraged to play youth sports.  This is for reasons of exercise and extracurricular activity, but is also beneficial for keeping kids involved in positive activities, and away from trouble.
            Team sports begin at the elementary age, and further instill the basic values being instilled in these young minds.  I think I learned as much about getting along with others, sharing, and being respectful during my early basketball days as I did elsewhere. 
            As I developed into high school team sports, new aspects of life were brought to my attention.  I developed long-lasting friendships, which were built through trust.  My teammates and I were always honest with each other.  Loyalty was also important for our team, and I learned what it meant to not only know that my teammates had my back, but also that I had theirs.  With team sports came hard work, and a sense of dedication was developed, where I found that hard work pays off.  Teamwork and communication skills were necessary for our team to function as a unit, and we were always better off working together as opposed to on our own.  It is these basic aspects of life that I learned solely through a sport that united kids from different types into one unit. 
            To take this further, sports have the power to unite countries at war, and bring together all types to the Olympic Games.  It is sports, and no other, that has the power to bring opposing groups for friendly competition.  Each one of these team sports has a worldwide effect, one that transcends language and cultural barriers. 
            Coming full circle, we come back to the original reason why I love sports: FUN!  Sports are first and foremost a fun thing to do, and have brought me nothing but joy over the years. 
            I think that everyone should play sports at some time in their lives for each of these aforementioned reasons.  The development of character, friendship, loyalty, teamwork, unity and the pure joy of sport should be enough to drive everyone to lace up their shoes and join a team!