In The Words of Pros: 8 Ways Team Sports Help Build Confidence

Team sports involve a group of individuals working towards a common goal rigorously, representing one of the greatest examples of humans accomplishing the most significant feats through collaboration. It demonstrates how having belief in each other’s abilities makes even the most challenging tasks attainable. Participating in team sports offers various advantages, with confidence boosting being one of them. Playing a team sport contributes in numerous ways to building an individual’s confidence.

In this post, we will explore eight different ways team sports aid in confidence building, as expressed by professional athletes. At times, athletes playing at the professional level have to deal with failure, which can adversely affect their confidence. The nature of team sports is such that the brilliance of one individual may win games, but to secure victory in a major tournament, the entire team must perform collectively. This post will delve into these aspects and more, exploring how team sports impact one’s confidence.

1. Team sports bring like-minded people together, serving as a great confidence booster at a very early stage.

Meeting someone or a group of people with a shared passion brings a sense of joy, providing an opportunity to make new friends and form bonds. Moreover, it offers a certain level of satisfaction, affirming that the passion or interest pursued is worthwhile and shared by others. These experiences naturally build confidence from an early stage in your sports career. Interacting with like-minded individuals contributes to developing the confidence necessary to reach the next level in your endeavors.

“Football helped me build confidence on and off the field, and taught me to grow through moments of success and disappointment.” – Ali Krieger, American soccer player. The quote by female soccer player Krieger encapsulates the point we discussed above. She further says, “I know, firsthand, that soccer brings people together — all it takes is a ball and a few people, and the seeds of friendship are planted.”

Whether it’s soccer or any other team sport, it not only connects people from different social backgrounds but also motivates them to work towards a common goal, inevitably making them believe in one another’s abilities.

2. Accountability in team sports fosters belief among team players.

“Your teammates give you the confidence. They give me the confidence all year, all postseason. So I have to go out there and make them count.” – said LeBron James after a game loss in the NBA finals.

LeBron James, as we all know, is considered a modern-day great in the NBA. He has many records to his name, but even someone like him knows and acknowledges the role teammates play when going through a lean form and how they help you to come out of it.

In the above quote, James is actually talking about accountability. When you play for a team, you are given a certain role to fulfill. In other words, you will be accountable to fulfill that role to the best of your ability. This aspect of team sports and the environment within it give you, as an individual, confidence that there is a group that has entrusted you with a certain responsibility, and it’s your job to give it your best shot. The confidence your teammates show in your abilities, in a way, rubs off on you and helps in the long run.

3. Even the strong ones need confidence at times, and your team is the place to gather it.

“I believe in myself and my ability and my teammates help me a lot and they give me the confidence to play at such a high level. I scored twice in the second half so I’m very happy.” – Cristiano Ronaldo

The above quote from Ronaldo is from his Real Madrid days, a team which he represented for over a decade starting from 2009. Ronaldo has had his share of ups and downs in his career, but in his lows, his teammates have always stood behind him, and the quote, to a large extent, reflects that aspect.

Ronaldo has faced numerous obstacles in his sporting career, which has not only strengthened him physically but also mentally, shaping him into a strong character. One can perceive the self-belief he exudes through his mere presence on the field. However, there comes a situation when even the strong ones need support from their close ones when they lack confidence.

Playing team sports, as mentioned above, is the best source where your teammates boost your confidence and even help you to perform better. Having someone always at your side, especially in adverse times, gives you the much-needed support and belief at the same time.

4. You feel confident when you learn new skills that you lacked before from your team members.

The most beautiful aspect of being part of a sports team is that you get to share a lot of things such as ideas, skills, strategies, and so on with others. You also learn the same from them, and through this process, you build your confidence gradually, almost unnoticed. In a team environment, you get mentorship, and you can be a mentor for someone else—all at the same time, and that’s fascinating! In the quote below, Jimmy Butler gives credit to quite a lot of people for the things he achieved and the confidence he has gained in himself and his abilities.

“Today, I have all the confidence in the world in my ability. Because Wes [Wes Matthews] and L had that belief in me. Because D-Wade [Dwyane Wade] set the standard. Because Coach Buzz [Buzz Williams] taught me that confidence comes from the work you do when nobody’s watching. – NBA player Jimmy Butler acknowledging the role of his teammates in his career.

From Butler’s words, we can once again see that confidence is not something that is given to you; you have to put in effort and hours of work to gain it. In a team environment, you not only gain confidence from your own work but when you see your teammates putting in the same amount of effort, it kind of rubs off on you as well.

5. The fans and supporters of the team play a crucial role in boosting the confidence of individuals.

Martin Odegaard is a soccer player who has played for the Premier League club Arsenal, and the Emirates Stadium is the home ground for Arsenal F.C. The Arsenal fans are as passionate as any team at the professional level. When playing at the Emirates, Odegaard, in his interview with The Players’ Tribune, highlighted and talked about the same. He said, “At the Emirates, every time you make a tackle to knock the ball out for a throw-in, the whole stadium cheers like you’ve scored a goal. They give you this confidence that you can do anything.”

From the above views of Odegaard, one can see the support of fans for their favorite team plays a crucial role in a player’s overall development. The encouragement that comes from fans works as an approval or acknowledgment of the efforts each member of the team puts in. It makes each player believe even more in their abilities. Fan support not only boosts confidence but actually encourages the player to push their limits further; such is the impact fans have on the sport and teams.

6. The journey from being unknown to discovering your own identity makes you believe in yourself.

Pascal Siakam is an NBA player who originally hails from the Central African country of Cameroon. Before becoming an NBA star, Siakam was not known to many in the NBA circuit. He entered the NBA at the age of 18 and, before that, had little to no experience playing in basketball leagues of any sorts. And that’s the story of many players from distinct places around the world who become part of a team. They learn and grow in that team environment, which eventually allows them to identify their own personalities and become aware of their strengths. In an interview with bleacherreport.com Siakam said, “They give me the confidence to go out there and play my game. Masai, the coaching staff and my teammates allow me to be myself and play the way I play. When you have that ultimate confidence from your teammates and coaches, it can only help you.”

Siakam’s comments highlight what we have discussed so far. He credits several people and his team as they were the source of confidence for him during his early days. He also touched upon one of the key elements in sports: the freedom to back your own game. Team sports are more dynamic in nature; due to that, one gets to play their own game, and other people in the team take responsibility for that as well. Coaches and seniors in the team often identify players with distinct ability and back them to play their natural game. All these aspects result in a boost in self-confidence.

7. Confidence-building through team sports goes beyond the playing field and helps in other aspects of life as well.

The effect and benefits of playing a team sport are transformative. The confidence one gains from playing team sports helps in other fields as well, such as academics. Travis Kelce is a well-known NFL player, and from his school days, he excelled on the field but couldn’t manage to replicate the same success in his studies.

“Honestly, sports gave me a lot of confidence. I wasn’t the best student in terms of reading and doing math and everything.” Said Travis Kelce in an interview with people.com

Kelce further said that playing football during his school days made him more confident, which he lacked due to low grades in academics. During school days, if a student does not perform well in their academics, it can sometimes lower their self-confidence. Participating in the school’s sports teams can certainly help to balance out things.

8.Playing a team sport not only prepares you but also provides confidence for the challenges you face in life.

Kobe Bryant famously said in many of his media interactions, “Sports is the great metaphor we have for life,” and to a large extent, it’s true. An athlete has to go through a lot of challenges not only during the game but also when they are preparing for it. The aspects of teamwork and coordination among team members also apply in life. Especially in team sports, you not only have to focus on your performance but also have to make sure you keep your team’s interest ahead of your own. So in a way, sports trains for different scenarios in life so when you face them, you are prepared because you are confident.

Team sports help you identify your strengths while also fostering an acknowledgment of the contributions of others. The constant feedback you receive in a team environment aids in the improvement of your skills. Collectively, all these aspects contribute to boosting your self-esteem.