What is a Team Sport?
A team sport is any athletic activity in which the fundamental nature of the game or sport requires the participation of multiple individuals on teams, and it is inherently impossible or highly impractical to execute the sport as a single-player endeavor. The members of a team compete with each other for starting status, playing time and/or the right to be the player who makes the crucial play in a given situation while they cooperate with each other for overall performance success.
Team sports are important because they teach the players many lifelong lessons including learning new skills, working together in a supportive and trusting environment, respect, compromise, character building and selflessness. They also learn to appreciate the talents of their teammates and how each person contributes to the overall goal of winning, and they develop into a more understanding, patient and kind people.
In addition, team athletes learn to work with others and to take turns doing things, which is essential to surviving in our society of big business, churches, communities and neighborhoods that are comprised of teams of people. They also learn that when they make mistakes, it affects the whole group of players. This helps them become more accountable and mature, which is important to developing successful relationships in life.
However, team sports can have a higher injury rate than individual sports and they typically require more physical training to prevent injuries. Players can also become overly focused on their individual goals and lose sight of the bigger picture, which may lead to petty differences and rivalries that do not serve the greater good.