You Are More Than Your Sport

It is a widely held belief that participation in team sports is beneficial to adolescents. As a leader of a middle and high school, I certainly see the physical, social, emotional, and academic benefits in our student athletes year after year. However, I also sometimes see student athletes who tie their identity to their sport in a way that downplays other valuable character traits. When this happens, they are at risk of a weakened self-image, especially when the game doesn’t go their way or when their playing days are over. 

In our current sports-infused culture, the allure and idolization of athletes is all around us. Therefore, it is not surprising when we see adolescents defining themselves by the sport they play. While healthy participation in athletics is great on many levels, all athletes will one day experience the pain of no longer being able to play their sport, whether through cuts, injury, or other circumstances. Then what? 

 

If a young man defines himself by his sport (something he does) rather than his character (who he is), then any bad play, blunder, or loss can feel like a judgment of worth instead of what they are...a very common occurrence from which he can learn and grow. It can cause a season-ending injury to become devastating to a student athlete’s sense of self. And the truth is that for the majority of high school athletes, a college or pro-sports career likely isn’t in the cards. So when a student athlete’s playing days come to an end, it’s important that he appreciates that he is much more than his batting average. Who is he? He is all of the things that his family and friends love, whether that’s someone who is compassionate, creative, funny, someone who puts the needs of others before himself, a leader, or a peacemaker. These character traits endure long after his playing days have concluded. 

The opportunity to participate in athletics is a healthy and rewarding facet of education. Through team sports, student athletes learn humility, leadership, teamwork, perseverance, and grit. Additionally, they learn to be organized and to prioritize effectively in order to balance rigorous academic demands with a busy athletic schedule. These characteristics, skills, and lessons will serve them throughout their lives, and those are valuable takeaways for any student athlete. Helping your son to understand that he is so much more than the sport he plays will contribute to his healthy sense of self. It will help him keep sports in perspective, through all of the big wins, the tough losses, and everything in between.