The Classroom of Sports | Emma Westenberg | TEDxMarianopolisCollege
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tl9f9iztfOg Video ID: tl9f9iztfOg ============================================================ [Music] [Applause] when gyms were open i saw people flexing their muscles in the mirror they were really proud of themselves understandably but there is more to that there is more to sports than just physical games sports helps you connect with the world and teach you great great lessons the first lesson that sports teach is not to be afraid of strangers playing sports unifies the world i'm not saying that sports is the key to world peace but it is definitely bringing us closer than further apart if i start playing alone others will want to join too it has happened to me many times i could be found playing with a hotel security guard while my parents were busy organizing an excursion in turks and caicos in guatemala i quickly learned the spanish soccer lingo for time man on and pass me the ball for those interested those translate to tiempo cuidado and aqui normally the louder you see aki the more often you will get the ball you really have to scare them in quito i learned that no matter how much cardio you may have nothing prepares you for playing soccer in high altitudes with strangers even in montreal going to rutherford park involves meeting people from at least five different nationalities every time therefore my point remains that as long as the soccer ball is near your travel bag you will never be alone in your voyages going around the world is safe through sports in that it develops connections with other strangers they shatter the language barrier in addition to reducing the fear of the unknown wherever i am i feel most secure with a ball on my feet the same can translate for other sports and especially for sporting events i dare you to try stating your favorite soccer player without others reacting to your choice that does not happen very often sports create a sense of community without communication if a teammate loses the ball i will fight to get it back even if we have never spoken to each other thus sports unites people no matter what their differences are sports will make you go around the world okay where were we the second lesson is learning about the harsh reality of losing in the playoffs anything can happen my hockey team might have been the best coming out of the regular season but now from experience i have learned that too much confidence comes at a disadvantage i will always remember losing in the first round against the last place team i still banged my head against the table on that one even today i was the goalie and i did not think their slap shots were going to be hard to stop i had mentally prepared myself for a walk in the park game and my teammates had too we did not take the warm-up seriously and neither did we skate as if we deserve to be at the top when they scored first we were all visibly shocked yet even though the wingers and the center were clearly trying their best to get that point back the underdogs did not let go of their potential win the final score was 1-0 with a very disappointed emma i was so mad at myself i was so disappointed that i didn't even want the end of game snack little did i know then that that situation was continuously going to occur throughout my life for example coming into an exam without studying leaves me with bad grades it might not for you but for me it does if that is the case for you you are lucky going into an interview knowing that i will get the position makes me jobless if i think i have my references experience education i might be overconfident and not get the job it just takes one bad game at an arena to learn to not be overly confident the other way is also applicable the underdogs did not give up and they got closer to the trophy than we did they might have even been able to win the championship the experience teaches them the value of hard work and makes them love the rewards that come with winning not only do sports instill a sense of competition and are world connectors but they instill good values time management leadership and perseverance are all learned through participation in sports indeed my agenda book is a friend it is always within my coven 19 bubble look i have right here nicely within 1.5 meters and then i can check oh look i have a meeting in two hours oh wait no not really but i would know if i did anytime anybody mentions a time or date i will write it down immediately i do so because dedicating time to sports has led me to have less time for my studies i know what you're thinking i can't see any of you but i know what you're thinking isn't that cool sports takes away studying time yes i agree but that does not necessarily impact your grades actually according to the women's sports foundation athletes get higher grades and pursue college education more often than non-athletes if i know that i have a swim practice very early tomorrow morning i had better not party too hard tonight after my ted talk until 2 a.m even if i were allowed to because i would not be in good shape whoa whoa who put that picture there take it out take it out pick it up okay thank you thank you we're was i when i have tournaments on weekends during the week i must grind very hard to stay on top of the work these little tricks help with scheduling in the day to focus on school material organization hacks are created and used when playing sports being efficient amplifies productivity good habits like keeping a weekly planner around and staying on top of assignments are valuable lessons that athletes can learn through their involvement with sports having an agenda is so important that if i had not given this talk about the importance of sports i would be giving a talk about the importance of having an agenda the next value you learn is leadership what does it take to be recognized as the team captain on my jersey having that little c i must work hard how must i treat my teammates to get the privilege of choosing which team is starting with the ball i will i must cooperate with others and treat them with respect these questions are the basis of what it takes to be a good leader how should i react if one of my teammates got aggressively pushed by the opposing team fight for them but with sportsmanship what is my role on the team and how can i bring my attributes to the table i shoot well but my passes lack accuracy maybe my teammate can pass me the ball and i can kick the ball in the net it is only looking back now that i realize that these questions have been answered by my involvement with sports when looking back in the archives of my brain for examples i didn't have to look very far to be honest i realized that i always looked up to my team captain she was going to go far and i wanted to do the same the last value is perseverance oh my talk is almost over outside being pushed down on the field teaches athletes to get back up and keep fighting intense 90 minute tie games bring out the best in people every action that one takes can make the game go either way the game being life and your actions being your choices in those moments it is important not to give up okay yes maybe you did not get the medal this time but eventually with your determination it will come to you it will it will emphasis on will it will come to you it will keep that in mind you just have to wait and be patient also when the referee raises his arm and notifies everybody that there are five minutes left to a tied game every player on the field knows that effort must be given immediately no fooling around with the ball you need to look at the neck of the opposing team and imagine the ball in it set goals and score goals i hope that you are starting to see the links between sports and life at this point right now i am doing final exams it would be super easy to give up you have to give it your all though the referee right now is telling me you have two weeks left keep going okay maybe not to keep going part but the weakest part yes i'm going to listen to the ref because i do not want a yellow card come on or even worse again suspension even though the brain is drained and exhausted that should not be an excuse to give up lastly i would like to make you notice that every decision every action is going to play a role in your evolution like somebody who accidentally loses the ball in the middle of the field one can still run to get it back my final message for those of you who've never envisioned playing sports no matter where you live and who you are just try it you may surprise yourself and for those who are already doing so stay in it for as long as possible thank you