How Team Sports Improve Social Flexibility and Adaptiveness.

Today I read a research paper by Ditte Winther-Lindqvist titled Game Playing: Negotiating Rules and Identities, which explored the rather intricate social dynamics of children playing a simple game of soccer at lunch time.

Despite being only 20 or so pages long, by the end of my second morning coffee, I had fallen in love with the array of personalities the writer described whilst observing the array of children playing.

There was Jamie, the star player among the boys and therefore the one who decided when the rules of the game were broken. There was Phillip, who was highly regarded for his commitment to the goalkeeper position; a position generally disliked by the other kids. There was Ollie, who always seemed to complain and blatantly lie about the score in the hope to win. As well as many other equally unique young soccer enthusiasts playing in the two teams.

Now, during the game of soccer Winther- Lindqvist (the writer) observed that the game of soccer was played according to two sets of rule systems. There were the common rules of soccer that we all know of today. For instance, if the ball goes outside the field of the play it is deemed the opposition team's ball. But there were also the not so common rules the children were following; the explicit rules.

For instance, when Jamie kicked a powerful, unstoppable goal from several metres out from the goals, the children all agreed that the goal wasn't fair and therefore didn't count. Or, when Ollie was fouled and began to complain to everyone around him, no one listened and they children continued to play without rewarding him with a free kid.

These two examples above of Jamie and Ollie indicate that whilst the game of soccer was being played among the kids, there was also a more intricate game being played as well; a game to do with behaviours and socialisation. Where Jamie's goal doesn't count because he didn't use any other team members to assist in him when scoring. Or where Ollie's foul wasn't counted because the children were likely sick of him complaining all the time and thus didn't want to acknowledge the free kick that clearly should have been his.

But what does this all have to do with improving a child's social flexibility and adaptiveness?

Well, these explicit rules are an important part of a child's ability to understand how their behaviours may be translated and acted upon by others, beyond of what they are used from their parents. For instance, Ollie, despite growing up having learnt that complaining gives him what he wants in life. Is now learning that not everyone will receive this behaviour so kindly. Thus, teaching him there are different ways to communicate and socialise with others around him to get what he wants. And for Jamie as well, despite being a star soccer player and being rewarded and admired for that. Here, in these soccer games, he is learning that if he wishes to win he will need to perhaps be more selfless and less egotistical. Being required to share the ball around the field in order to win.

Thus, a simple game of soccer offers children a fun, exciting opportunity to learn how to follow necessary rules and how to understand how to interact with a variety of people and personalities around them to get what they want. Improving social flexibility whilst communicating with a variety of different people later in life.

References

Winther-Lindqvist, D. (2009). Game playing: negotiating rules and identities. American Journal of Play, 2(1), 60-84.