A team sport is a game played by two or more teams of players in which each player interacts with one another to reach a common goal. Some examples of team sports include basketball, football, and soccer. These types of games encourage physical activity and help young people stay healthy. They also teach children the importance of working together as a team. Team sports can be a great way to build friendships with other kids.
The nature of team sport makes it a prime setting in which youth develop a range of competencies including social skills (Smith et al., 2013). Socialization through team sport occurs in a variety of settings, from locker room discussions to non-verbal cues among teammates during practice and strategy sessions. It is important that athletes feel supported by their teammates and coaches. In team sports, the opportunity for dialogue about concerns, hopes, and disappointments and to celebrate victories is abundant.
Because of the highly social nature of sport, it is not surprising that research on teamwork in this context has received considerable attention. A growing body of evidence suggests that team athletes are often situated in co-opetition, requiring them to compete and cooperate simultaneously. In contrast, individual athletes may view competition and cooperation as mutually exclusive constructs. A recent study examined this issue by comparing the cognitive representations of competition and cooperating of team athletes and individual athletes. It was found that team athletes perceive a higher demand to cooperate with training and playing partners and less of a demand to compete with them than individuals.