The Healing Power of Sports
Growing up, I wanted to experience everything the world had to offer. Whether it was getting A’s in school or traveling the world, I tried to achieve as many things as I could as quickly as possible. One of the things I tried early in life was sports. By the age of 10, I had played football, basketball, baseball, and soccer. However, during this period, I was still a young child and was just going through the motions. I had no idea that one day sports would be the reason I felt called to the field of journalism.
By the time I had turned 13, I began searching for meaning in the world. I remember feeling overwhelmed by all the hate and arguing that was constantly featured on the news. All the negativity was prepared to send me into a spiral. I ended up finding solace in sports. Almost as if a switch had flipped, I began taking sports more seriously. Every day I would head to whatever practice I had and would give my full effort. This gave me a sense of purpose and contributed to not only my well-being, but also my mental health. Practice was almost like a therapy session. In addition, spending every day with my team also gave me a sense of community. However, I was still struggling with confidence in a world that seemed so divisive. While my work ethic had changed, I knew confidence would be key to succeed in life.
Although I enjoyed playing sports, I was never big on watching other people playing them. I remember asking my parents to leave after halftime at almost every USC football game growing up. Nevertheless, one day I decided to sit down and watch an Auburn football game from start to finish. Immediately, I noticed something exceptional. Although the Auburn team was playing an away game, they came out of the gate extremely strong. Even though the crowd was booing and yelling obscenities at them, they seemed determined to do whatever they needed to win. After they eventually won the game, the team accredited their win and spirit to their quarterback Cam Newton. In a post-game interview, Newton stated that regardless of hatred toward him he was always going to be him self and no other. This was a really powerful for me. At this point in my life, I realized watching and playing sports can teach people a variety of lessons from team work to communication.
Almost 10 years later, I am still learning immeasurable knowledge from watching sports. Formula 1 Champion Lewis Hamilton has taught me how to be humble and rise back up when I fall. Lebron James has taught me that standing up against injustice is more important than winning a game. The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) taught me that the human spirit is unbreakable. So why do I write? I write to show others that are struggling in the world that they can find comfort in sports. That life altering lessons can be learned and applied into one’s own life. I want to show the world the healing power of sports.