The majority of people believe that in sport the most important thing is to be talented ad to focus on ourselves in order to achieve our goals. However, it mainly depends on the sport being played and on our behaviour.
If we think about a sport such as volleyball or basketball, a good cohesion between the players is what makes a team great. Obviously, each of them has to be concentrated on the game and has to do his best, but the skill of the individual player is overshadowed by the teamwork of all the group. It’s common for a team to have a very talented player who wants to be the best without caring about the support of the team. We often see players who, having embarked on a career, instead of trying to improve themselves, focus on sponsorships and money. For sure this type of player might find it better to play an individual sport.
Whereas there are these types of sports where above all teamwork is required, there are other activities such as swimming or tennis where the individual skills are more taken into consideration. In this case, all the competition depends on the player and if he fails it’s only his fault. He surely must compete with many other athletes, but at the same time he competes with himself, trying to improve day by day, exceeding his limits. In swimming for example, your first thought is to get to the finish line as soon as possible, there’s no time to care about other swimmers.
In conclusion, we can say that it is right to rely on ourselves, whether we are playing in a team or not, but at the same time it is great to know to have someone we can count on.
Ester Antinolfi, III C
