What Sports Really Teach Us About Character and Attitude

Sports are essential for training both the body and the mind. They help build healthy habits, create social networks, and contribute to national competitiveness. In general, sports are good for people and carry important values related to personal growth and development. While I’m fairly good at many sports, I wouldn’t say I’m exceptional at any single one—though from time to time, I surprise myself. There is a particular mentality involved in playing sports well, and that is worth discussing.

Go get your nut!

"He calls himself the squirrel,
and you know why that is
... because he gets that nut."
 — Rob Gronkowski

I won’t list the many specific traits and technical skills that can make someone a strong athlete. You can find a nice article below on that. Instead, the qualities that seem to matter most are humility—the willingness to learn—and dedication to the craft. The ability to work well within a team fosters strong outcomes. Teamwork is learned over time, and when it develops, it leads to higher group performance.

Over the years, I’ve learned the difference between the right perspective and the wrong one. I’ve met several exceptional professional athletes across different fields. I’ve also played multiple sports myself, ranging from fencing and martial arts to horseback riding and dance. I consider myself fairly multi-skilled, though I suspect this is less about innate talent and more about exposure, practice, and time. I have given up with dreams of stardom and now focus on just doing things to do them for fun and health.

Having the right attitude when playing sports with others is critical. Arrogant, rude, aggressive, or manipulative players should never be on a team. It doesn’t matter how exceptional they believe themselves to be—those behaviors erode group cohesion and create toxicity through “better-than-thou” attitudes. In my experience, the rudest players are rarely the most confident or the most skilled. More often, they are only slightly above average.

What I’ve observed instead is that the best athletes are often among the most polite. They are eager to help, willing to share their knowledge, and genuinely love their sport. They listen—to coaches and teammates alike—and they know how to build teams. They understand that while talent may play a role in success, dedication matters far more. I’m sure rude professional athletes exist, but I’ve personally never encountered one.

What I have encountered in abundance are rude, mediocre players. In some sports, they seem especially common. They can often be outperformed on the field because they focus more on appearances than execution. Real focus requires commitment, not abrasion. People who are dedicated to something don't wan't to waste precious time in unproductive behaviors.

What we might learn from this is that if you want to do something you should dedicate yourself to it and avoid those who are not going to contribute positively to your goals. Surround yourself by team players and good people watch your success growth. 

Btw I have a trainer, yoga, and other license so if you need a little help and want to engage in virtual training let me know by sending a message to the right. 

20 Personality Traits of High Performance Sports Players

The Benefits of Multi Sport Playing