So, how does basketball help you in life? You might be mulling over this question if you are thinking about getting into the sport or trying to figure out if you should remain in it. It’s a big important decision, and we want to make it easier for you, so we will be looking at why you should play basketball and the immense benefits it will bring to your life.

Why Playing Basketball is Good for You?

Basketball is one of few sports that are good for you in more ways than one. If you are a parent looking for the best sport to enroll your child in, we strongly suggest that you consider basketball. Basketball has beneficial effects on players in such ways as physical gains, mental fortitude, emotional awareness, leadership development, educational opportunities, career opportunities further down the line, and more. People who start playing basketball at an early age, and commit to their training, usually turn out to have great physiques because of the many muscle groups needed to play basketball.

Speaking of commitment, basketball players often learn the importance of commitment at an early stage. Whether it’s committing to practice, committing to workout schedules, committing to playing defense, committing to having their teammates back, whatever it is, their commitment nature is usually translated into their lives outside the lines.

To be successful at basketball, one must be strategic and willing to embrace change. These two characteristics of successful basketball players are also great for us all to embrace outside of basketball. There are so many other reasons why basketball is good for you, and we are also going to go through some of them in more detail after this.

How Can Basketball Benefit Your Overall Wellbeing

Imagine getting the tools to relieve your stress, control your emotions, and be strong enough to mentally overcome the greatest challenges. These are the mental gains you get from investing in basketball. On the physical side, if you commit to working out and training, your body will develop into a well-oiled machine that can take on the world, or a good bit of it at least.

What are the Benefits of Playing Basketball?

Basketball players benefit significantly from the sport in more ways than one, and as a result, usually become well-rounded individuals. Let’s look at some of these benefits.

Emotional Benefits

Emotions are coded into our DNA. Whether we want to admit it or not, we are all emotional beings. So how does basketball impact our lives positively on the emotional front?

Basketball is a sport that teaches us that emotions are important, but it is also equally important to control them and direct them towards achieving positive objectives. Similar to life on a whole, basketball has highs and lows. These highs and lows, along with the people around you, and their emotions, trigger immense emotional strain and require extensive emotional fortitude to continue operating effectively as part of your basketball unit. This type of behavior has to be learned, and basketball is a great teacher.

When you start playing basketball, you begin to develop emotional strength. It’s not easy at first. Suffering your first significant loss, feeling disappointed in your teammates, feeling disappointed in yourself, feeling the disappointment of your coach and team are all strong emotional triggers that you will be affected by in the beginning, but later learn to control, learn from and grow.

Social Benefits

Social media has taken over the world. If it wasn’t posted, it didn’t happen, right? In this era, the world’s population is growing, but people find it harder than ever to develop genuine connections with others. How is this possible? Can basketball help with this? Are there any social benefits of playing basketball? Well, basketball is not just a sport. It is a global community, and playing basketball drops you into a special family. It starts with your boys/girls if you are just hooping at your local park, then it goes up to your team and coaches when you start playing organized basketball, then the circle keeps growing.

The social impact of basketball on player’s life are endless. Let’s look at the circle of friends of the average teenage basketball player. He has the guys he plays with on all his teams, whether school or club. He also has the guys he met at a few basketball camps and clinics. It doesn’t stop there; he also made friends with some of the guys he plays against attending other schools or playing for other clubs.

The beauty about all of this is that these people aren’t just a social media angle that he tags in a post. These are all people who he has formed relationships with, people he has actually had face to face conversations with, people who he may share other interest with outside of basketball as well. An overall community that will have his back now and later in life.

Health Benefits

At our local park, we have many old guys that come out to play 2-3 times a week. They have regular jobs, so they are quite busy with that and their families, but they always come out to play ball. Why do they do this? Why take four to six hours out of your busy week to come and play basketball? It’s quite simple, really. They need to exercise and stay in shape to a certain extent, so they come and play ball. They have a good time, and they get some exercise in, win-win. This is just a small way that the sport of basketball impacts people’s health around the world. When you think about it, that’s also just a small snippet of basketball. Playing pickup basketball for a couple of hours a week is minor compared to what competitive players go through to maintain their health and strength. Think about the hours they have to spend in the gym and the hours of cardio exercise like running and skipping.

Basketball uses a ton of muscles when you play, so you almost get a full-body workout in an hour of a pickup game. Imagine how beneficial it must be for those of us who go the full mile and adequately train. Basketball players set themselves up for a long healthy life, even after basketball. Well, let’s just leave it a long and healthy life, because ball is life after all.

Mental Benefits

We already looked at the emotional gains achieved from playing basketball, and there are more mental gains to be achieved from the sport. Only a few things in life truly build character, and basketball is one of them. Character building is so vital in the development of kids and can also be good for adults. Basketball also teaches mental toughness from both personal and external experiences. A player that goes through hardships or even small adversities on the basketball floor and overcomes them with the help of coaches and teammates will eventually build up a type of fortitude that isn’t easily broken. He will understand the importance of never giving up and the value of hard work.

From an external perspective, basketball stars such as those in the NCAA and the NBA will often exhibit a certain kind of toughness that’s inspirational, and younger athletes will find that trait desirable and try to emulate it.

For example, Chris Paul has been through so many pitfalls in his career because of injuries, but he always try to bounce back and try again. He recently led the Phoenix Suns to the NBA finals. Dirk Nowitzki played in the NBA for so many years without winning a championship, but his never-give-up attitude helped him to get one against what might be considered as his most formidable finals opponent, the LeBron James’s led Miami Heat super team. Tracy McGrady once scored 13 points in 33 seconds in a game that everyone thought was over and was preparing for the next one. Tracy decided it wasn’t over until he said so and demanded the ball. We all know what happened after that.

Look at what Kevin Durant did a few years ago. He got a season-ending, potential career-altering injury and was sidelined for an entire season because of it. Everyone wondered how he would come back from such a devastating blow, but he did what he needed to heal, and here he is today, still one of the most dominant players the world has ever gotten the chance to see play. His mind was strong enough for him to return to the game without missing a beat.

Scholarship Opportunities

If you are, or your child is still in school, basketball can be your chance to alleviate some of the stress caused by the financial strain of attending school. Many schools offer basketball scholarships from high school onwards. Work on being a disciplined athlete, and the possibility of earning a scholarship could be yours. With all honesty, a basketball scholarship is hard to come by because of the limited numbers available compared to the number of potential candidates, however, they are not impossible to attain. A basketball scholarship could see you getting up to a full ride in college, and this would take the immense financial stress off your or your parent’s plate. With that stress out of the way, you can focus on playing and getting a proper education. You can read our article on how to get a basketball scholarship to put yourself in a position to succeed.

Career Opportunities

Most people don’t think that playing basketball can lead to a worthwhile career in the long run, and as a result, they don’t take it seriously. It’s actually quite the contrary; countless career opportunities can be pursued after playing basketball. Let’s look at a few.

Coaching: Most of the best basketball coaches were once basketball players. Some of them still are. This is because the lessons you learn as a player helps you to mesh with and understand your team more than if you did not have an intricate understanding of the game.

Assistant: You can be an assistant coach or an administrative assistant to a team’s staff. These jobs can be well paying, depending on the league that your team is in. There are also multiple international opportunities that you can walk into. Being a player will help you to understand and execute your role more effectively than if you weren’t.

Medical Staff: One of the worst things you can experience as a player is getting injured and not having a medical team that truly understands your injury. So many times, we see players get misdiagnosed and think about what could have gone differently. We believe that if you are a player, you have a better understanding of how other player’s bodies work, and you will provide better care. Yes, playing basketball does not, on its own, qualify you to enter the medical field, but it certainly helps a lot.

Agent: If your agent always has your best interest at heart and is able to balance, financial, mental, physical, emotional, and overall career state, that’s a very good/great agent. Well, a good basketball player’s mind is trained to multitask, and problem solve at an elite level. We think that makes for good agent material. It’s a bonus that they also have an understanding of the sport and what players need from a personal point of view.

There are so many other careers that can be pursued by basketball players, such as consultants, trainers, professional players, and more.

What Does Basketball Teach About Life?

From our personal experiences, there are many basketball life lessons. Some of these lessons include the importance of hard work and persistence. Basketball teaches that luck is preparation meeting opportunity, and these are things that you tend to live by once you learn. Basketball isn’t always roses and ponies. There are so many hurdles that you just have to constantly adjust and prepare for. Life is the same, and basketball helps to prepare you mentally for it.

Wrapping Things Up: How Does Basketball Help You in Life?

We hope we helped you to understand how does basketball benefit you. Basketball will help you through a lot of things that you wouldn’t think it can. Basketball is not just a sport; it’s a community that will always be there. You can build everlasting relationships with players and coaches. On the personal side, basketball will strengthen you mentally and physically.

If you enjoyed this post, you’ll like our other basketball FAQ articles here.

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