Sports can be a great improvement for a person’s life and can be beneficial to their physical health. Participating in sports can improve mental health, can help make friends, and can help improve life beyond high school. 

Sports are a great way to improve your mental health. According to Mr. Marcia, who is a PE teacher and one of Saugus’ Athletic Directors, said, “Any type of physical activity can significantly improve a person’s mental health, but playing a sport has the added benefits of social and competitive aspects that help take our minds off the many stresses in our daily lives and find joy in sportsmanship and competition.” 

Stress management is very important. According to webmd.com, “About 75% to 90% of doctor visits are for stress-related illnesses. Sports help you manage stress. Exercise causes your body to release endorphins, the chemicals in your brain that relieve pain and stress. It also reduces the levels of stress hormones, cortisol and adrenaline.

Studies have shown that 20 to 30 minutes of exercise each day can make people feel calmer. This calmness continues several hours after exercise. In addition to decreasing your stress levels, good mental health can help your performance in sports. Mr. Lopata, the other Athletic Director, talked about how sports improve mental health saying, “Sports are important to mental health because it makes you feel part of something.  If you are fortunate to become part of a team here at Saugus, all of our coaches create a family-type environment and the players support each other in many different ways.” Good mental health is something that is necessary for a great life and joining sports can improve your mental health. Specifically, sports help with self-confidence according to adventhealth.com, “Scoring that goal in your soccer match can give you more than just a boost on the field. As you build your strength, skills and stamina through physical activity, this can also lead to improved self-image in all areas of your life.

Making friends is extremely important to happiness in life  and participating in sports is a great way to do so. As stated by novakdjokovicfoundation.org, “Playing sports teaches them about teamwork and cooperating with others. They learn to interact with people from different ages. Also, joining a sports team helps give children a sense of belonging and gives them an opportunity to make friends. You can make new friends with teammates, coaches and even opponents that you can face.” Marcia commented, “athletes are constantly engaged in social interactions that help to build healthy friendships between competitors and teammates. Playing a sport requires persistence, courage, and confidence, which also happen to be the same qualities that people need to branch out and make new friends. It is no wonder why many of the student-athletes at Saugus High School are also some of the most socially connected individuals. The characteristics of sportsmanship and friendship go hand in hand.” 

Sports can be helpful in life after high school as well. Marcia said, “Practice, competition, success, and failure are all parts of life. Athletes face obstacles every day that help prepare them for the ups and downs of life outside their sport. The best athletes are able to realize that failure is not the opposite of success, but an essential part of it.  It is my belief that the kids who treat adversity as an obstacle to overcome rather than a reason to quit are much better prepared to face the challenges of adulthood and the hurdles of life that we all must overcome.” Ms. Soltani, a P.E. teacher here at Saugus, commented on how sports can help life after school: “Development from sport goes beyond learning new physical skills. Sport helps children develop better ways to cope with the highs and lows of life. It also helps children and students to develop patience and understand that it can take a lot of practice to improve both their physical skills and what they do in school. If it wasn’t for sports and the role models I had ( my coaches) I would not be an educator today. It helped me find out what my passions are in life.” 

Friendships can also improve your skills in the sport you’re playing because they can help push you to try harder during practice and can give you tips. Soltani talked about how sports helped friendships saying, “One of the greatest feelings in sports is getting to hang out with friends, and make new ones. Sharing  the experience of working hard and competing together against others is unlike any other feeling or bond. Till this day I am still friends with my high school and college teammates. Over 20 years of amazing friendships.” 

Sports can create lifelong friendships and can help happiness as well. Lopata said, “Friends are made because when you make a sports team, you usually spend more time with your teammates than you do with your own family”.  

Sports can be very helpful for future life, Lopata said, “Sports are very important to one’s future.  Many times in sports, like in life, you will fail.  Sports teach you to overcome your failures and continue to strive to be successful.”

Joining a sports team, no matter what sport or how popular it is, being on a team can overall be very beneficial for you. Sports improve mental health. It also helps your social life by helping you make friends. Your future life can be affected by joining a sports team for the better. Overall, sports are a great way to help every and anyone in their life in more ways than one.