Sports have played an active role throughout many generations and provide a healthy escape among many children and adults. Being involved with sports as an athlete or sports fan, have positive physical and mental benefits that translate into a healthier life. Therefore, we should all either participate or watch sports. While the physical benefits are much more obvious then the mental benefits, it takes doctors, neurologists, and athletes themselves, to provide a clear understanding on just how important sports are in improving our mental benefits. Over time, many athletes lose interest in their sport, or do not possess the necessary abilities to play at the next level, but still stay engaged through watching television games, or watch friends and family play sports. Daniel Wann of Murray State University has researched the effects of watching sports and states that, “Claiming a team as your own allows for a sense of pride, which promotes mental health benefits.
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Watching sports is linked to higher levels of well-being and general happiness with one 's social life, as well as lower levels of loneliness and alienation.” Wann believes that humans seek a sense of community among others, and we are always looking for ways to feel a sense of belonging-ness, and watching sports engages people in events going on throughout the world and allows for a common language among community members. When watching sports with other people with the same interests it allows for better and stronger relationships, which has less arguing, depression, and stress on people, and allows for healthier mental activity. Also, lower levels of loneliness and alienation are experienced among people whom watch sports with others. This shows that sports is one of few ways in which people can feel a sense of pride, and community and provide both physical and mental health benefits. It is easily portrayed through many commercials and advertisements, in which the characters share a common love and interests for a team, which translates into smiles, laughter and pride. “Watching families, and loved ones play sports allows for common language and understanding among generations” says Professor Alan Pringle, Ph.D. Pringle specializes in mental health nursing at the University of Nottingham and noted that soccer, the U.K. 's most popular sport, gives families a "common currency" that connects family members unlike other subjects. Sports allow for easy communication among many family members whether it is aunts and uncles, cousins, or grandchildren and grandparents. It is something many people can relate to, and having those positive relationships are an important role in our life and actually improve our mental health. When an individual or team does well, Sports provide fans a sense of accomplishment and success when their team wins. "Identifying with your sports teams is one of the ways you can vicariously experience success, and in real life, success is hard," said psychology professor Ronald F. Levant of the University of Akron. Experiencing success is something that is extremely hard to feel in today’s age with such high unemployment rates, financial instability, and divorce rates at an all time high. Sports can provide that success and feeling of accomplishment that people long for in their everyday lives. Having something that can provide us with positive mental health benefits such as, higher levels of happiness, lower levels of loneliness, a sense of community, and a common language that connect families together is extremely important, and sports is that bridge that can help one accomplish all of these. But it is not only mental health benefits that back the reasoning we should all participate in sports, the physical benefits are the same, if not more, important then the mental benefits. Being an athlete is a tremendous feeling, which is almost indescribable to someone who does not play a sport. Athletes are exposed to, and forced to improve human traits that other hobbies cannot provide. While playing in a competition, or on a sport’s team, athletes must realize how to rely on others and improve trusting others. Many coaches and managers debate that without trust and
Watching sports is linked to higher levels of well-being and general happiness with one 's social life, as well as lower levels of loneliness and alienation.” Wann believes that humans seek a sense of community among others, and we are always looking for ways to feel a sense of belonging-ness, and watching sports engages people in events going on throughout the world and allows for a common language among community members. When watching sports with other people with the same interests it allows for better and stronger relationships, which has less arguing, depression, and stress on people, and allows for healthier mental activity. Also, lower levels of loneliness and alienation are experienced among people whom watch sports with others. This shows that sports is one of few ways in which people can feel a sense of pride, and community and provide both physical and mental health benefits. It is easily portrayed through many commercials and advertisements, in which the characters share a common love and interests for a team, which translates into smiles, laughter and pride. “Watching families, and loved ones play sports allows for common language and understanding among generations” says Professor Alan Pringle, Ph.D. Pringle specializes in mental health nursing at the University of Nottingham and noted that soccer, the U.K. 's most popular sport, gives families a "common currency" that connects family members unlike other subjects. Sports allow for easy communication among many family members whether it is aunts and uncles, cousins, or grandchildren and grandparents. It is something many people can relate to, and having those positive relationships are an important role in our life and actually improve our mental health. When an individual or team does well, Sports provide fans a sense of accomplishment and success when their team wins. "Identifying with your sports teams is one of the ways you can vicariously experience success, and in real life, success is hard," said psychology professor Ronald F. Levant of the University of Akron. Experiencing success is something that is extremely hard to feel in today’s age with such high unemployment rates, financial instability, and divorce rates at an all time high. Sports can provide that success and feeling of accomplishment that people long for in their everyday lives. Having something that can provide us with positive mental health benefits such as, higher levels of happiness, lower levels of loneliness, a sense of community, and a common language that connect families together is extremely important, and sports is that bridge that can help one accomplish all of these. But it is not only mental health benefits that back the reasoning we should all participate in sports, the physical benefits are the same, if not more, important then the mental benefits. Being an athlete is a tremendous feeling, which is almost indescribable to someone who does not play a sport. Athletes are exposed to, and forced to improve human traits that other hobbies cannot provide. While playing in a competition, or on a sport’s team, athletes must realize how to rely on others and improve trusting others. Many coaches and managers debate that without trust and