If you play any sport you have probably heard a coach or family member say that sports will benefit you in the future because it teaches many life lessons. I believe that sports do have a direct correlation with future success because of the many health and lifestyle benefits it brings. While some people do go on to succeed in life without playing sports, the majority of successful people have played sports and have used the lessons they have learned from it as tools to help them succeed as well as reap the health benefits from physical activity. 

Playing sports will make you more healthy and when you are in good shape you feel good about yourself which translates to higher confidence. This can help you in the future when you might have a big interview, project, or presentation because you will show that you have confidence in yourself and make you a person of interest to higher positions. 

All sports follow a set of rules which the players must obey or else they will be penalized and will often put their team in a bad situation. Playing sports will instill the idea in children that you can be penalized for your actions, this can translate to the child’s future and can prevent them from getting into trouble and being convicted of a crime. When charged with a crime it can set you back financially or if sentenced to serve time then it will hold you back from being successful.

Its proven that sports can also improve cerebral and intellectual abilities which can improve student’s grades and test scores. With increased test scores and grades students will have the ability to attend prestigious colleges or universities and pursue a career that will favor them. With an ideal career, a person will be more motivated to excel at their job and also enjoy their profession. This will lead to a successful life because they are in a likeable job that they chose and therefore, are more inspired to work and thrive in their career.

In almost every sport you will have to interact with another person, whether it be a coach, teammate, etc. and with sports you will have to learn how to collaborate with others. This proves to be an essential skill going into the future when you have an interview, talking to coworkers, or building/maintaining relationships. 

Studies have shown that physical activity can treat mild to moderate depression and can also treat other things like anxiety and stress. So sports are essential to a successful life because things like depression, stress, and anxiety can get in the way of accomplishing things and feeling confident, which I discussed earlier.

In sports, athletes will go through many highs and lows and when that athlete loses, gets injured, or has a poor performance they have to learn how to bounce back. This proves to be a useful tool in the future when things aren’t going right at work or in a relationship, you have to learn to adapt and bounce back to be successful. With learning to bounce back athletes will build resiliency and be less likely to resort to alcohol, drugs, or other negative behaviors. 

When looking at some of the most successful and well known people in the world, the reality is that the majority of them play or have played sports. When we look at some of the most attractive qualities of a successful person, some that come to mind are: determination, passion, communication, optimism, and self confidence. All of those qualities listed are built and improved within sports because of the reasons I mentioned above.

If you are looking to live a successful life, then a variety of sports can teach you lessons that you wouldn’t have learned by just getting a regular education. Sports can also improve you chemically and in general give you the tools to go out and live a successful life.