Athletics and Teens

Athletics are large part of the lives of many adolescents, and they can be a very beneficial and important part of instilling leadership qualities in many adolescents. Along with the leadership comes increase in self-esteem, and a positive activity to partake in on a regular basis. In the article written by Dobosz and Beaty, leadership is defined as “the capacity to guide others in achievement of a common goal. Decisiveness, determination, interpersonal and organizational aptitude, loyalty, self-efficiency, and self-discipline are considered some of the attributes of effective leaders.” It has been proven that leadership qualities need to be instilled starting at a relatively young age to help mold someone into a leader. Athletics is something that can clearly help this cause. Leadership is spread easily within athletics as players take main roles on a team. The players who make themselves known as top players on a team become known leaders because they are the people the team can rely on most. Being relied on increases leadership qualities because it teaches an individual that they can succeed, and it also gives them the ability and opportunity to bring a group back if they had failed in previous situations. NBA Coach Pat Riley is a known leader and has brought his team back in several instances and led them to championships. Coaches that lead the team also teach an individual to be a leader by displaying good qualities and abilities to make good decisions and handle many different types of pressures, ups, and downs. Players also use the skill of determination, and that is displayed when everybody is working hard to obtain the same goal, and much like in needed life skills, and individual needs to understand the value of hard work and determination. Sports also teach loyalty because you are always a group of 1 team no matter what occurs during your season. Loyalty is imperative because loyalty is one of the best characteristics an individual can gain in a lifetime. You have to be loyal to your family, your job, and the people you care about on a daily basis, and can be looked upon as a defining characteristic in a positive individual. Being self-efficient and having self-discipline is also a main factor in learning leadership qualities because it teaches an individual to take care of themselves and to be able to deal with many stressors and occurrences of life. If athletics teach leadership, and all of these characteristics come