There are so many options when it comes to choosing a sport, and people choose which sports to play based on a variety of reasons. Football is one of those options, and a great option it truly is.
Football in America has become truly a passionate sport, from youth levels up to the NFL, young men of all ages, sizes, and races come together to play one of the best sports that has ever been invented.
Football has become a sport under much scrutiny, mainly because of some of the injury issues that it faces. Football is a contact sport, where players use strength and physicality to perform at a high-level.
Football is an ultimate team sport, an activity that people of all ages enjoy, it is competitive in nature, but a true team sport. Football requires 11 players on each play, and if all 11 perform at a top level, the play is a success. Football requires an unselfish mindset, allowing for players to commit to the common goals of the team.
Why Football the Best Sport
Football has become such a popular event, mostly on Sundays to enjoy the competitive game, the adrenaline, and the emotions that come with it.
Below we provide the top 11 Reasons Why Football is the Best Sport:
#1 Football is the Ultimate Team Sport
Football requires 11 players on each snap and during each play, requiring the success of each player in order to have success on each play, and ultimately success during a football, game. Football has many different parts to it, different teams, and factors that contribute to the game as a whole.
If all 11 players on a play can do their job effectively, the success of the team is inevitable. Football is physical and intense, and requires adrenaline and a competitive drive. If all 11 players do their job effectively, the team has success. Sometimes if one player doesn’t do their job, the team lacks success.
#2 Great Exercise
We encourage any sport for exercise, but football is a great choice for performing top notch exercise. Training for football can really test your body and mental capacity. Training is demanding and can challenge the body and take you to the xtreme.
Football is a sport that you train for almost on a daily basis during the season, but also in the off-season. Young players receive great exercise and learn to use balance and understand their bodies very well. Physically and cardiovascularly, football is demanding and top notch.
#3 The Ups and Downs
You may ask yourself why this is an advantage, but I truly believe that the ups and downs can mold young people into who they are. The ups are great because of the team aspect, the goal setting, and the successes that are a result of hard work and dedication. The downs provide an opportunity to learn about adversity and how to overcome it.
The ups and downs in football happen just about every play, as this is different than other sports. You do get a break after each play, to think about what happens next. This is one of the beautiful things about football. As a player, the downs in the game can be used as motivation for the next play, the next day, or the next game.
The best football teams have the ability to bounce back from the adversity that occurs during every game. They are bound to happen each game, as football sometimes feels like a rollercoaster. The team that handles the ups and down mentally typically is the team that comes out on top.
#4 The Mental Part of Football
Football is mentally draining for most, it is mentally demanding, but with the correct coaching, kids can thrive mentally because of football. Many youth and beyond will be pushed to their limits, but this is such a great way to find out where an individual’s limits are.
Training for football is difficult both physically and mentally, but prepares people for life outside of the sport. Football can be not only demanding, but in the long run, the most rewarding of all sports. When a season is completed, success is gained, whether there were wins or losses. This in itself is mentally rewarding and very gratifying.
Kids at a young age learn how to deal with the mental aspects of football, which in many cases translates to life off the field. Dealing with issues that come up in life, in jobs, or with family, seem to be manageable because there is something to relate to them.
Here is a video that talks about mental toughness for football:
#5 The Training Necessary Does Translate
Training for football is demanding, but rewarding. The training required for football can be specific to the position that each player plays. Training for football requires a great deal of strength and speed, but we are certain that the training necessary, if one is committed to it completely, is a direct correlation to the on-field success.
Some sports seem less correlated when it comes to training, but football allows kids to see the benefits almost immediately. Strength is a crucial component of football, and once kids decide to dive in and commit fully to strength training, the benefits and success is usually seen quickly.
Speed is also a vital factor to football and success on the field. Speed training, especially for younger football players, can help dramatically, and increase athleticism, speed, and ultimately success on the field.
#6 Kids with Different Body Types Can Participate in Football
Sometimes in sports, the body type of a young man has an impact on their success. For example, basketball; in basketball, especially at the younger levels, kids that have excessive fat on them will be slower and sometimes not find their way on the court. Shorter players also get turned away because of their inability to compete with taller, stronger basketball players.
In football, bigger kids can play the offensive or defensive line, and smaller kids can play multiple positions as well. Football is a sport where you can have a specific skill that you bring to the team, and that skill is valuable to team’s success. Big kids, short kids, tall kids, fast kids, muscular kids, can all play football somewhere.
Football allows for a variety of skill sets. A great example of this is that a lineman will never have to throw a football. When people think of football, they sometimes think of throwing and catching. These skills are left for quarterbacks, receivers, and running backs. Offensive linemen will never be asked to throw or catch, which is an advantage for many.
#7 There are Many Positions on the Football Field
One of the great things about football is the ability to play kids at multiple positions. More so than any other sport, football allows for a multitude of opportunities to play. There are essentially 88 positions during a football game that give a young player an opportunity to play football.
Here are the positions on a football field, remember that there are 11 positions on each of these teams:
- Offense
- Defense
- Punt
- Field Goal
- Punt Return
- Kickoff
- Kick Return
- Punt Return
All of these teams require 11 players, bringing the total to 88 positions. Essentially at the lower levels of football, players can get in on these teams in order to gain football experience. High school coaches, especially those at smaller schools, tend to use the younger players to fill these spots.
Allowing younger, more inexperienced players to play on these teams allows for the varsity players to have some rest. This gives the older players an opportunity to rest, get hydrated, and communicate with their coaches on the sideline.
#8 Fairly Inexpensive
Football, unlike some other sports options during the youth ages, is fairly inexpensive to play. Typically, football has city teams, and these city teams provide most of the equipment necessary to play the game of football.
Typically, football does not have separate travel and tournament teams, like let’s say baseball. The sport of football is under a bit of attack, so most communities around the country are now making it easier to play the sport, encouraging kids to be involved in this great game of football.
Typical costs might range from $25-$200, which is actually very reasonable, especially compared to some other sports, where travel and private lessons have taken over and have cost families quite a bit of money out of the packet.
#9 Camaraderie
Of all the sports available, football provides a camaraderie that is unmatched. Football requires at times blood, sweat, and tears, requiring ultimate sacrifices for teammates and or communities. Football has a closeness that some sports do not require. It is different than individual sports, mainly because football requires a dependency on your teammates.
The best teams get along, they are close-knit, and they do whatever they can for each other. The goal is to win, to battle together for a period of team, sacrificing for the betterment of the team. Football, naturally, is physical, and so that brings out the best in many. It provides an outlet for many kids, a place where they can find friendship and be dedicated to something bigger than themselves.
Many great football teams, mostly at the high school level, find a true connection with their coaches, a connection that is unmatched with other sports. Football coaches care about kids outside of the football field, as many other coaches do as well, but football requires trust and commitment, mostly because of its physical nature.
#10 One Game a Week, Typically
This might not seem like a positive to many, but it truly is one of the reasons that make football a great sport. The excitement that leads up to a football game is one of the reasons for its popularity. One game a week makes football relevant each week, and makes each game extremely important.
Being a high school football coach, the part I love the most is the preparation that is required each week. Game planning is a huge part of having success in football, and the best coaches spend a lot of time preparing each week.
Football teams seem to have a camaraderie that some other sports have. Football is the ultimate team sport, requiring a physical, and strong mind set. Football is 11 players on each snap working together. This seems to develop the camaraderie amongst football teams and coaches.
#11 Great Life Lessons
To me, this is the most important aspect of football. As a high school coach, it is sometimes easy to coach in the moment. Football teaches people about life, and is why it is a great sport. Adversity, teamwork, hard work, dedication, commitment, toughness, and confidence to name a few.
The life lessons and life long friendships are a great reason to play football. Life isn’t easy, but some of the values learned through football can help people get through rough times. Confident, dedicated people do the best in the workplace.
How Can I Get Better at Football?
Develop Strength
The weight room is a great way to start, as developing strength is important and necessary. Make sure that you are performing appropriate lifts that are safe and useful.
Here is a video talking about developing strength for football:
Develop Speed
Footwork is so crucial for success in football. Speed and athleticism can be developed through great training and committed training to developing footwork. Although demanding, speed and quickness can be developed and maintained.
Here is a video that shows some speed and agility routines from JuJu Smith-Schuster:
Related Questions
What Age Should Kids Start Playing Football?
This is a debatable question for many people, as parents all over America try to determine when to allow their kids to play organized football. Our opinion is that kids can start playing football at age 7. Many kids start playing flag football, but it is important for them to progress to tackle soon after starting flag.
We at Sports Warrior believe that with proper coaching, kids can begin tackle football at 8 years old. The important part of this is that they are coached properly on how to tackle and also how to get tackled.
What Position Should My Kid Play?
Our opinion at Sports Warrior is that kids should be challenged to play a variety of positions. One flaw in sports is when kids are funneled too quickly into a position and only get the opportunity to play that position. Remember, kids’ bodies change as they grow, they mature, get taller, gain weight, etc.
It is important to provide young football players a chance to try multiple positions, mainly because they learn so much about the game in general.
Should My Kid Specialize in Football?
The answer is no, and here at Sports Warrior, we always recommend playing multiple sports. There is so much value in competing. College coaches want their recruits to play multiple sports, because it teaches them about competing, as well as develops camaraderie that we talked about above.
We are very adamant about this opinion because the science behind it proves out theory. Playing multiple sports helps kids avoid burnout, but also allows them to find their niche, compete, and have fun.