Team sport is a form of play that involves a group of people participating in the same activity to reach a common goal. Its most distinctive feature is that members of a sports team recognize that they must show up for practice, follow the coaches’ instructions and work hard during each session, and compete in a spirit of mutual effort and excellence.
The vast majority of organized sports are team sports. For example, baseball is considered a team sport because it requires players to coordinate and execute in accordance with a set of rules to achieve the common goal of winning the game. Other popular examples of team sports are basketball, soccer, and volleyball.
In addition to requiring coordination, team sports require a high level of communication. Whether it’s listening to locker room pep talk, watching for non-verbal cues from teammates, or expressing thoughts during a post-game debrief, the communication skills involved in team sport help athletes build strong relationships with teammates and learn how to communicate effectively with others.
Working with a team also teaches athletes how to take and give constructive feedback, and how to support one another even when their own performance is not up to par. This is a vital life skill, especially in the workplace, where communicating effectively and learning to handle disagreements are important components of effective teams. Finally, participation in team sports teaches athletes to be resilient and deal with setbacks. In a world where professional athletes frequently experience injuries, being able to bounce back from a lost competition is an important aspect of success in any sport.