There Is No I In Team
As a kid, you likely got thrown into one sport or another to teach you the importance of working in a team and understanding your role within that particular space. However, many of us lose the opportunity for team sports as adults unless we search them out. Recreational or not, team sports are an excellent way to socialize, move your body, and become a part of a community.
1. Football
Not soccer, but the other guy. If you’re a sucker for young adult films, you likely know all about the non-sport aspects of football, but the sport is so much more. Football requires strong discipline and effective teamwork skills to achieve a common goal. It also probably helps if you can push a few guys over.
2. Soccer
Soccer works your mind and body, as the hours spent running across the field are also spent understanding how your team operates as one. Due to the sheer size of a soccer field, being able to work with team members through non-verbal communication is an essential part of the sport.
3. Basketball
We have to get our heads in the game. Basketball is fast-paced, and doesn’t provide players with a lot of opportunity to take time and think about what they’re doing. You have to have trust in your teammates and trust in yourself, that everyone is going to be exactly where they need to be.
4. Baseball
Similar to basketball, baseball requires quick thinking because someone is going to be there to block you from your goal. If your team is catching, you have to have a practiced eye and an even better arm, or you’re just giving runs to the other team.
5. Ice Hockey
A winter lover's sport, hockey fans are some of the most passionate you’ll see if you watch a game in person. The puck is small and the helmets are large, and you can’t be afraid to get a little rough to get what you want. Keeping an eye on the puck and mentally noting where your teammates are, and where they’re going to be, while balancing on something the width of plywood, makes this a physically demanding, but rewarding, sport.
6. Volleyball
Enjoyed recreationally on the sand or in the grass, volleyball provides a more intimate team setting. You have to anticipate the moves of your opponents, but also anticipate the moves of your team. Making sure that someone is going to keep that ball off the ground, without the four or six of you cracking your heads together, is harder than it sounds.
7. Cricket
If you’re looking for a team sport but can’t take the heat of fast-paced balls whizzing around the space, cricket might be the sport for you. Typically played in two teams of eleven, cricket is traditionally a slow game, prioritizing strategy as much as physical prowess.
8. Field Hockey
Sure, you’re not on the ice, but that doesn’t mean this style of hockey is any easier. Field hockey requires less physical protection, and the style of stick is different, but the premise is the same. Get that ball into the other team's net or go down trying.
9. Handball
Handball is also a two-team game, with seven players each. You could think of it as a real-life Quidditch, where players must pass a ball using their hands and throw it into the net of the opposing team. We’re pretty sure handball doesn’t have two secondary balls actively trying to knock you down… and that’s probably for the best.
10. Water Polo
Water Polo is also a two-team, seven-player game. Of course, the added difficulty of water polo is trying not to drown while passing a ball to your teammates, but it does effectively take the pressure off your hip and knee joints. You win some, you lose some.
11. Lacrosse
Considered one of the oldest sports in North America, Lacrosse was used in Indigenous groups as a means of recreation, ceremonial or religious purposes, and preparation for conflict. Today, Lacrosse is typically played with 10 or 12 players on the field, very little physical protection, and an emphasis on effective communication, strategy, and team chemistry.
12. Rugby
Rugby provides its players with ample physical fitness, but also emphasises cooperation. Having self-control, effective decision-making skills, and resilience will make you a star player of any rugby team, even if you’re not the fastest or the strongest.
13. Ultimate Frisbee
Your first time playing ultimate frisbee was likely during gym class or summer camp, but don’t be fooled by its tender introduction. Ultimate Frisbee can be just as intense as the other sports on this list. Considered a non-contact, self-refereed sport, each player must have critical amounts of self-control to make it far in this game.
14. Curling
Probably the part of the Olympics where you look at your phone, curling requires excellent communication, strategic adaptability, and ultimately, trust in your team members. Just because it's not fast-paced does not mean it isn’t an excellent example of team communication.
15. Rowing
Also called Crew in the United States, rowing is a highly demanding sport. Physically strong and technically sound, rowing teams must have endurance, mental resilience, and ultimate collaboration skills. If one person is out of sync, the whole race could be at risk.
16. Tennis
Combining a fast-paced sport and a more intimate setting, tennis likes to keep things interesting. Requiring good emotional control, footwork, agility, and flexibility, it's impressive how players can get around so quickly on the court.
17. Ringette
The younger sibling of hockey, ringette, is played with a hollow ring instead of a puck. It’s much quicker paced than hockey, and doesn’t permit any body contact. However, it is an excellent way to promote team dynamics.
18. Bossaball
Bossaball is a sport that combines elements of volleyball, football, and gymnastics. Originating in Brazil, players must use a trampoline to bounce the ball over the net. Meant to combine music and sport, Bossaball is all about having a good time.
19. Sepak Takraw
Also known as foot volleyball, teams must attempt to get their ball over the net using only their feet, knees, shoulders, chest, and head. The sport was standardized in Malaysia during the 1960s and has become a popular sport within Asia.
dbgg1979 from Cebu City, Philippines on Wikimedia
20. Badminton
While you can play alone, badminton can be a team game if you prefer. Like tennis, folks can play singles or doubles. Badminton is typically more of a casual sport, but it can become quite intense in the professional sport sector.
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