Sports and Success in Life

Tuesday, 24 August 2010 11:51

So what is it about sports that spell career magic? It appears that the skills kids practice in sports programs offer solid training for both business and private life. They learn to cooperate and compete, win and lose gracefully, and communicate effectively.

As Stevenson comments, sports are excellent training for women in business. She says, "Athletics is a highly regulated system in which social conflict is displayed in a positive light. From this, players learn how to compete and how to operate successfully under a formal code of rules and procedures... The development of these skills could be especially important for girls who must try to maneuver their way through traditionally male occupations later in life."

Stevenson is not alone in her thinking. During a recent interview published in the Boston Globe, Nancy Hogshead-Makar of the Women's Sports Foundation notes that skills learned in sports cannot be learned any other way. Like Stevenson, she points to teamwork and the ability to work toward long-term rewards.

Do sports benefit young people because it transforms them into confident team players? Or do outgoing, achievement-oriented kids find their way into sports programs and end up benefitting from them? Stevenson's paper doesn't draw firm conclusions. One thing is certain, though, participation in athletics is an important part of the path to success.