It is finally the weekend! You already know what that means! It is time for you to relax and watch your favorite sports team play. You have been waiting for this moment all week and nothing is going to get in the way (unless extreme or difficult circumstances arise). Whether your team wins or loses, you have to admit that you enjoyed that time to yourself. For all you know, you are going to do the same thing next weekend. Whether you know it or not, watching sports is good for you in many ways like these few reasons:

1. It motivates and challenges players

As players, there have been certain games that people said you would not win. There have also been challenges brought before you that people said you would not be able to overcome. This may have made you feel a bit discouraged or disrespected. It may have encouraged you to embrace the challenge among you. Your motivation to win the game and challenge increased day by day as game day became closer. Thanks to the challenges, they caused you to play at a higher level than expected. As fans, we become even more excited, and a bit anxious, as game day becomes closer. This also helps us encourage the players and coaches to play at a high level on game day.

2. Unity

Throughout life, you learn that most sports you play, it is a team sport. You may have heard the saying, “There is no I in team.” Sometimes we learn this the hard way when things don't go our way. Certain situations happen within our team or around us, which teach us that our teammates are our brothers and sisters who have one common goal: to win a championship. We also learn that for everyone to be at their best, it takes teamwork, which pushes the team to achieve the common goal.

3. Makes news interesting

Imagine a world without sports. What else would we watch or do? When it comes to watching the news, most people choose not to watch it because it isn't appealing or interesting. Sports create a different segment of news in which fans can tune in to. Sports shows such as ESPN FirstTake, Around the Horn, and many other sports shows incorporate sports in addition to other news such as local, state, and national in the same broadcast. This makes news more interesting to watch and tune in to.

4. Eliminates certain aspects of life

While you are watching the game, you forget about everything else going on. Whether it is stress from your job, school, friends or peers, your full attention on the game erases stress from your life in that moment of two plus hours. It is not until after the game that you realize how much better you feel. Your excitement and focus during the game makes you calm and happy for that small period of time.

5. Gives school and town wide-known recognition

Whether it is high school or college sports, when a school’s team wins a lot of games and potentially a championship, it brings a lot of revenue and exposure to that school and town. This creates opportunities, not only for the sports team, but also for other school functions, events, and academics.

6. Players and coaches celebrations and dances

One interesting thing about watching sports is that it brings the fun and entertainment out of people. Every coach, player, and person is unique because they bring different things to the game. Whether it is their personality, talent, or fundamentals of the game, you have to admit that it is nice for them to have fun with the games.

Whether on the field

or in the locker room.

7. Shows the potential in people

Every athlete who plays a high school or collegiate level sport has a goal to be a pro athlete or the best person/leader in their community. By being the best in the sport they play, it gives them the opportunity and privilege of playing at the pro level and becoming one of the greatest players of all time.

8. Teaches fans and the players

Sports teach us all a lesson on certain principles of life. The most important things we learn from sports are dedication, discipline, perseverance, courage, teamwork, success, etc. The point is that we all learn something that is most important to us for everyday life use.

9. Wins/Championships

Watching our favorite sports team win a championship shows how successful the season was for the team. It also makes a mark on the programs timeline of history and future. In that moment, we, as fans and players, realize how much it took to get to this moment.

10. Losses/Disappointments

Nobody likes to lose. When you lose, it feels like everything falls apart, and there is no way to fix it. It hurts mentally and emotionally. Through losing, we all learn that life is not all about winning. We learn that a loss can either make you or break you. This really means that losing can make you into a better, successful person, or it can have a negative effect on the rest of your life.

11. Sportsmanship

I believe this is the best part of sports. Without sportsmanship, nobody would respect one another or obey officials and the rules of the game. It makes everyone better and shows that they're all human. We all have to understand that no matter how good somebody is, they are not invincible.