Have you ever wondered why people are so enthusiastic about doing ASIAC and MESAC? People join these teams, and competitive sports in general, for a significant number of reasons: some of them join a team to try something new, a fresh experience, some are there just because their friends are, and some are peer pressured into joining sports, which isn't always healthy. Still, others are only there because their parents decided they needed to do something and just signed them up. And some have a competitive spirit and love sports.
"I just like to play tennis," said Jaiden, who participated in the MESAC Tennis season. Some students, like Jaiden, are enthusiastic about sports and play for fun.
For all those students who join one of these sports, good news: studies have shown that playing competitive sports can give people feelings of accomplishment and general well-being. According to the University of Southern California School of Medicine, "Athletes who participate in club sports exhibit improved self-esteem." One peer-reviewed study "found that physical activity (specifically playing sports) had a significant influence on participants' life satisfaction."
On the opposite side of the spectrum, not everyone does want to play sports. Sometimes people can be just disinterested in sports. This is something that I can attest to. My entire sporting career thus far can be summed up with little league soccer and a couple of seasons of baseball. Sports were bumping up against other things, and I had to decide which activities were important to me.
Others would prefer to do something more creative, like painting or playing music. They may not like physical activity in general and would rather play video games, read books, or maybe want to socialize with their friends.
Others aren't interested in the idea of competitive activities. "It just takes more time than I have, as I live in Gurgaon, and I don't have the time for it." Said Nikolas Kubik, a 7th grader.
I'm more on the side of the latter than the former because of my experiences, so that this article might be biased, but hey, that's why it's an opinion piece! If you have an opinion on this, there is a comments section below this article. Let me know what you think!