On a sunny Sunday afternoon at a baseball field, 10-year-old, Aaron, hits his first single. He smiles and pumps his fists in the air as he reaches first base. His friends and teammates cheer from the dugout as his parents take pictures from the bleachers.
This is why kids play sports–for the love and joy of the game. Sports allows everyone, not just kids, a way to share their passion for a sport with people they know.
Typically, a parent and child bond over sports, and it can be a way for them to get closer. But playing sports can bring friends closer together, and also be a way to connect with new people.
I have met so many different people through sports — coaches, close friends, or other people who have made an impact on my life.
Aaron just got his first hit and he stomps on first base to see his teammates cheering from the dugout. He could not help but feel like his role model Mike Trout. Trout has established himself as arguably the best baseball player of this generation, earning himself a 12 year- $430 million contract prior to the 2019 season. He was drafted by the Angels in 2009 and has won the American League MVP twice in 2014 and 2016, and has come in second place four times. The way Trout plays and hustles, how he always gives back to the community, and his desire for the game is a positive lifestyle for kids to look up to.
Children all around the world hope to play and be just like Trout. A kid who has a positive role model is said to, “have greater self-esteem and perform better in school than teenagers without role models in their lives,” according to livestrong.com
A lot of young children look up to Trout but also other athletes in a various amount of sports. For example, Serena Williams has become a symbol of and for strong women. She has shown women that a woman can be strong and as successful, if not more successful, than a man. She revolutionized tennis and holds the record for most Grand Slam titles since 1968.
Another example is Jackie Robinson. He was the first African American to play Major League Baseball in 1947. Robinson broke the color line as he. He is still remembered every April 15 when every player and coach in MLB wears his retired number, 42, on the field.
An athlete can be more than just a role model, but a representation of a movement or a symbol for a group. These athletes can teach everyone a lot, especially children, but the sports themselves teach life lessons. Sports can teach people how to lose and how to learn to deal with it. We all lose, and for children to lose in sports at a young age teaches them how to control their emotions. This can help them deal with obstacles in their lives, not just in sports.
However we aren’t children forever. The older an athlete gets, the more talent there is and the more serious sports are taken. At this point, athletes learn discipline and respect for authority. Coaches begin to give criticism and make their players work out and condition as well.
Athletes now learn to take constructive criticism and understand sports are not just about playing. Sports are also about preparing. Players begin to condition to get stronger and play better, which is beneficial for the body and heart. The repetitiveness of practice, working out and conditioning leads to success in sports. Athletes cannot just show up and expect success, just like in life.
The amount of dedication athletes need for sports is truly something special. And with hard work and dedication, Aaron may one day be standing at first base at Angel Stadium, where Trout once stepped.
He is waving at his parents in the crowd, because Aaron just got his first major league hit. And then as he ages, he can share his moments and joy for the game with his children and grandchildren. The life lessons, passion and fun brought to the lives of children and adults make the love for sports timeless.
