How Sports Influenced Me Research Paper

I have been playing sports ever since the 5th grade, and they have become a part of my everyday life. I have played soccer, basketball, slowpitch softball, and fastpitch softball at my school. Sports have molded me into who I am, and they help me express myself in many different ways. The variety of sports and the different skills they require have taught me how to adapt to life’s challenges that are in front of me. Being an athlete has made a huge impact on my life, and athletics will always have a huge influence on me throughout my future. The first time I started playing sports was in Middle School. Middle school was the time in my life when I was trying to decide who I was. I wanted people to like me and I wanted to feel like I belonged. I always thought I needed other people in my life to make me happy, therefore, I would do whatever I needed to make them like me. No matter how hard I tried, I was never happy. But then I fell in love with sports. I fell in love with the thought of knowing I could put my all into something and personally enjoy it

I have learned throughout the years that people really watch how I present myself while I am playing. They watch my body language, how much I care while I play, and the things I say. I noticed that people watch how I react to things and since they are watching me, I want them to see the real me. So, I express myself through smiling and maintaining a good attitude, no matter what circumstances are in front of me. This year, my team and I have faced some hardships and adversity through sickness, wrecks, death of a coach, and multiple sidelining injuries. Through it all, we have relied on one another like a family would, and we have become stronger together. These experiences, while tragic, have helped me gain a maturity about the difficulties that I will face later in