Why exactly do people play sport?

With the much-anticipated Varsity finale rapidly approaching, sports players at Warwick are excitedly preparing and showing support for the many athletes facing our Coventry rivals. Despite Warwick’s reputation as a highly academic university, sport is hugely popular and is an intrinsic part of many of our lives. Hundreds of students commit countless hours every week to a sport, dragging themselves out of bed at unearthly hours for gruelling early-morning fitness sessions, running around outside on cold winter nights at training, and even missing compulsory lectures on Wednesdays for away matches.

To many of us, this seems like madness… why invest so much time and effort in an unpaid ‘hobby’ that will not lead to a career? Yes, we all know that exercise is ‘good’ for us, but the recommended amount is far less than the average sports player puts in at Warwick. Science, in the form of sports psychology, has attempted to answer this baffling question by identifying several physical, emotional and cognitive factors that motivate people to partake in sports, as well as the personality traits that are associated with achievement in sports.

Let’s first focus on the physical and emotional benefits of sport. Once you’ve grumpily dragged yourself out of bed in the morning and begun some physical activity, you will in fact be extremely likely to experience positive emotions such as excitement, exhilaration and enjoyment. Exercise creates physical arousal, as adrenaline is released causing the heart to beat faster to pump oxygen to our cells. This causes players to feel excited, alert and ready to take on competition. Neurotransmitters in the brain known as serotonin and endorphins are also released, causing feelings of pleasure and well-being. These neurotransmitters are also secreted when humans engage in sexual activity, or eat appetising food. No wonder David Beckham always looks so content.

As well as inducing pleasurable physical feelings, engaging in sports also boosts self- esteem. So much so that doctors and psychologists even recommend sport as a self-help treatment for mental health problems such as depression and anxiety. Improving a skill, winning a game and even making new friends all increase our feelings of confidence and satisfaction. Moreover, successfully overcoming challenges increases our motivation to improve further, so we push ourselves to achieve greater things.

Alexandria Dempster, a member of the women’s rowing novice squad, felt this sense of achievement after she faced a great sporting challenge last December: the Warwick rowing winter training camp. The week consisted of 6am starts and hours of intense rowing every day in freezing cold temperatures, through rain, wind, hail and snow, whilst being assessed the whole time for squad selection.
Alex told the Boar: “Rowing became my life that week, and I was mentally and physically drained by the end of it. However, it was completely worth it when I found out I had made it to the top 8. It was a huge personal achievement and I couldn’t wait to tell my family.” This unbeatable sense of triumph is undoubtedly what makes sport so addictive.

Everyone on a sports team also knows that sport at Warwick would just not be the same without the social side. The unity and strong social bonds created when belonging to a team create excellent social support. Affiliating with and being accepted by a group is undeniably important in all aspects of life, especially for freshers at university who may not have made close friends in their halls. As well as feeling part of the team on the playing field, drinking circles and regular socials organised by sports clubs further enhance social relations between members. Alex Polding, second team captain of the men’s football team (UWMFC) told the Boar: “Men’s football wouldn’t be the same without Circle. Drinking with everyone definitely brings the team closer and makes us stronger on the pitch. It’s also a great opportunity to meet like-minded people from different year groups, and it’s fun going out with such a large group of mates.”

So it’s clear why sport is enjoyed by so many people, but in that case, why doesn’t everyone play? Psychologists have proposed that certain personality types are more likely to participate and succeed in sports than others. These traits include possessing a greater aspiration for success rather than a fear of failure. Successful athletes will be drawn towards competition and realisable challenges, as their motivation to achieve will be greater than their motivation to avoid failure. A high self-efficacy (the belief in one’s own competence) is also associated with sporting accomplishment. As Lance Armstrong once said, “If you are worried about falling off the bike, you’d never get on.”

Furthermore, individuals that are high in conscientiousness have also been identified as likely to succeed in sport. These hard-working people are more likely to be motivated to attend training sessions and stick to schedules, to keep practicing a tricky skill to perfect it and to not give up at the first hurdle. Unsurprisingly, world record-holding marathon runner Paula Radcliffe scores highly in this trait. However, it is important to bear in mind that some of the most outstanding sports players are not necessarily those achieving Firsts in academic work, suggesting that one’s personal enjoyment of a sport most strongly predicts commitment.

When asked about what sport had brought to his university experience, Alex Polding told the Boar: “My time at Warwick wouldn’t have been half as good if I hadn’t played for UWMFC: it’s given me loads of friends, sporting achievements and a much welcomed break from uni work.”