Most people believe that participating in team sports helps one develop good character, however, another group of people differs with the statement. Participating in sports is basically taking part or engaging in a sport. Ideally, the word TEAM means ‘Together Everyone Achieves More’; therefore, it engages team players in various activities that involve honesty, courage, fidelity, compassion, generosity, prudence, and self-control. Character is defined as a person’s internal state. It is a state that manifests itself in their behavior. Research shows that people who engage in sports gain social experiences that relieve stress. As people try to reach for the same goal, team sports play a key role in encouraging individuals to interact and work with others.
Engaging in team sports helps in instilling discipline, how to have good sportsmanship, and how to work in a group. While playing sports, participants learn various ways of controlling and training in diverse capacities. As a very versatile character trait, teamwork can be used not only to take directions but also to lead from someone else. It is a paramount trait that enables people to exercise their talents and careers. Using the five steps of persuasion; establishing credibility, acknowledging the audience position, constructing a rationale, transplanting root elements, and asking for a response when participating in team sports, one can develop good character (Miller, 2007, p. 114).
- Establishing Credibility
Team members are required to be up to date on the regulations and rules governing the sport. By taking responsibility, team members are in a position to pay less attention to the welfare and safety of the competition. Secondly, they are able to take advantage over an opponent based on the following key tenants of gamesmanship; the end always justifies the means, winning is everything, and it’s only cheating if you get caught. Subsequently, al the three examples place greater prominence on the game’s outcome than various ways in which it is played. Therefore, establishing credibility is an important way of creating stronger leadership and membership in team sports. In general, establishing credibility improves teams. It is also a coherent way of creating a positive connection with both existing and new team members (Fuller, 2007, p. 89).
- Acknowledging the Audience’s Position
A team player can have a better chance of persuading his or her audiences when he or she has some information pertaining to the sport, or even what they think about them. When participating in sports, a participant should consider what attitudes, biases, interests, or concerns the audience might have towards him/her. Such attitude and interests could affect the way in which the audience receives the participant’s message. One paramount question team members ought to ask themselves is if the audiences have strong feelings or opinions about them. Secondly, it is coherent to determine the extent their values and egos are likely to be considerate factors. Lastly, team members should know whether their audience is hostile or friendly towards their point of view. If the audience holds positive views, the team member should develop a new strategy. For instance, the player will have to prepare his/her responses and anticipate objections from the audience.
Most importantly, the participant may have to limit what he/she asks the audience. Consequently, before moving to intricate and controversial points, the participant could begin by points that could concur with the audience. A sport is an engaging activity that triggers strong emotions in the audience, whether negative or positive. It is therefore difficult to satisfy every concern from the audience. Subsequently, taking concerns from the audience into account by showing sensitivity and awareness is one paramount step to triggering strong emotions in the audience. Therefore, acknowledging the audience’s position is a paramount way of developing good character among team members.
- Constructing a rationale
A rationale basically outlines the reasons for a decision or an activity. Ideally, rationales are created to disclose the logical relationships underlying one’s reasoning. One reason that is connected by a principle to a conclusion is arguably the simplest possible rationale. The two main rationales are ‘explanation and argument’. Construction of a rationale mainly depends on a team member’s ability to differentiate one from another. By creating a rationale, team members are able to develop better relationships among themselves. As a coherent articulation of various reasons for using certain sports methods, rationales give a chronological account of activities to be undertaken. When team members use rationales when undertaking activities, they are in a better position of following the right direction. Such an undertaking is paramount in developing personality and improving skills for team building. Subsequently, developing rationale measures the performance of team members, diagnoses their difficulties, evaluates instructions of the sports, and checks every member’s progress.
- Transplanting root elements
Transplanting root elements would involve integrating new actions and attitudes into value systems and beliefs. Such an intervention could make it easy for team members to modify an existing belief or idea in order to create room for sophisticated ideas or values. In addition to that, it could also develop character helping members of the team to overcome risks, respond and anticipate objections. In essence, new ideas are consistent with existing attitudes, cherished values, or existing beliefs (Thompson, 2007, p. 71).
Asking for a response
There is more to asking for response than the usual formality of assuming questions. When participating in sports, participants are expected to interact, understand, and engage with each other for the good of the team. Asking for a response is after initiating a discussion or asking questions is important as it gives instant feedback. When a member of a team asks for a response, other members are given an opportunity to give their reaction concerning the subject. For instance, during a tournament, participants are expected to be cooperative. In this instance, asking for response could involve initiating a discussion pertaining to a particular activity. Therefore, the character of the participants during sports could be enhanced if they respond to questions asked. Developing character is paramount in team building (Wheelwright, 2010, p. 24). Engaging in team sports helps in instilling discipline, how to have good sportsmanship, and how to work in a group. While playing sports, participants learn various ways of controlling and training in diverse capacities. Therefore, participating in team sports would be better if the five presented steps of persuasion are implemented.
References
Miller, R. B., Williams, G. A., & Hayashi, A. M. (2007). The 5 paths to persuasion: The art of selling your message. London: Kogan Page.
Baldwin, T. T., Bommer, W. H., & Rubin, R. S. (2012). Managing organizational behavior: What great managers know and do.
Fuller, M. A., Hardin, A. M., & Davison, R. M. (2007). Efficacy in technology-mediated distributed teams. Journal of Management Information Systems, 23(3), 209-235.
Thompson, D., Baranowski, J., Cullen, K., & Baranowski, T. (2007). Development of a theory- based internet program promoting maintenance of diet and physical activity change to 8- year-old African American girls. Computers & Education, 48(3), 446-459.
Wheelwright, S. C. (2010). Managing New Product and Process Development: Text Cases. Simon and Schuster.
