I love sports. I’ve been playing basketball all my life, and play some others once in a while too. I know that what I’m about to say isn’t literally true, but I think that some weaker version is.
I feel like sports are definitively fun… if a) you push yourself the right amount and b) are in the right atmosphere.
Physical activity (at the appropriate level of exertion) does make you feel good (from what I understand this involves endorphins).
Humans enjoy challenges (again, when pushed the right amount). Picking up a new skill is fun, and the right amount of competition is also fun.
Exerting yourself with a group of people towards a common goal produces feelings of unity/togetherness and happiness (along with some other feelings that I’m not articulate enough to describe but that you probably know what I mean). This makes sense evolutionarily.
The problem is that it could be really hard to get these conditions right.
It’s often hard to find an opportunity to play with people at the same fitness and skill level as you. This is a problem, because if you have to push yourself too hard or too little, it probably won’t be fun.
The social atmosphere is often poor. You might be laughed at if you’re bad. People like to cheat and push you around. You might be disrespected. You may be frustrated by a lack of teamwork and cooperation. And if you’re smart and know the game, you’ll surely be frustrated by teammates who lack strategic understanding.
Of the second, basically it is convincing argument for individual sports practiced collectively, like martial arts or some grouped squash or tennis course, as opposed to team sports. The goal is common yet individual: get better than you were. So there is this togetherness although not as strong as for teams. There is no need for all to be on the same level, it is enough for each 2 people pairs to be on the same level to be able to practice. Also, there are way less negative comments as you are not making the team’s chances to win worse with your lower skillset.
Thanks, this is an important consideration. People who are beginner at moving and being active in general, clusmy, fat, slow, should not start with a team sport. Can I put a link into the article?
Yes, good point—I wasn’t thinking about individual sports and I should have addressed them. I agree with you that my second two bullet points don’t really apply to individual sports. Feel free to link/quote me.
I love sports. I’ve been playing basketball all my life, and play some others once in a while too. I know that what I’m about to say isn’t literally true, but I think that some weaker version is.
I feel like sports are definitively fun… if a) you push yourself the right amount and b) are in the right atmosphere.
Physical activity (at the appropriate level of exertion) does make you feel good (from what I understand this involves endorphins).
Humans enjoy challenges (again, when pushed the right amount). Picking up a new skill is fun, and the right amount of competition is also fun.
Exerting yourself with a group of people towards a common goal produces feelings of unity/togetherness and happiness (along with some other feelings that I’m not articulate enough to describe but that you probably know what I mean). This makes sense evolutionarily.
The problem is that it could be really hard to get these conditions right.
It’s often hard to find an opportunity to play with people at the same fitness and skill level as you. This is a problem, because if you have to push yourself too hard or too little, it probably won’t be fun.
The social atmosphere is often poor. You might be laughed at if you’re bad. People like to cheat and push you around. You might be disrespected. You may be frustrated by a lack of teamwork and cooperation. And if you’re smart and know the game, you’ll surely be frustrated by teammates who lack strategic understanding.
I think your first three points are right.
Of the second, basically it is convincing argument for individual sports practiced collectively, like martial arts or some grouped squash or tennis course, as opposed to team sports. The goal is common yet individual: get better than you were. So there is this togetherness although not as strong as for teams. There is no need for all to be on the same level, it is enough for each 2 people pairs to be on the same level to be able to practice. Also, there are way less negative comments as you are not making the team’s chances to win worse with your lower skillset.
Thanks, this is an important consideration. People who are beginner at moving and being active in general, clusmy, fat, slow, should not start with a team sport. Can I put a link into the article?
Yes, good point—I wasn’t thinking about individual sports and I should have addressed them. I agree with you that my second two bullet points don’t really apply to individual sports. Feel free to link/quote me.