Team sport is a group activity in which participants compete against each other by engaging in coordinated activities. For example, a basketball team needs to shoot baskets, defend the ball and communicate with one another in order to score points. It is different from individual sports, such as running or jumping, which are considered to be solo activities.
Team athletes experience two sources of motivation: the desire to be the best on their own squad, and the desire to beat external opponents. These dynamics work in tandem to bring out the athlete’s true athletic potential. Being part of a close-knit team also teaches boys that respect is important to be successful. This can come in handy later in life when they have to work with a difficult co-worker or find themselves in a challenging situation at home.
Research on team sport has focused on the cultural contexts, knowledge resources and training processes that help players become proficient participants in the coordination processes that a particular sporting domain demands. Praxeological concepts, such as action guidance in terms of affordances, have been important in understanding these processes.
While it’s been widely believed that men are better at cooperating than women, scientific research has found that boys cooperate equally with other boys and even with girls. This is why team sports are so important for young boys. They provide a platform for boys to activate their natural proclivity to cooperate and to hone that skill in every practice and game.