When you think of therapy, you think of talking out your feelings to a certified doctor or professional in the field. However, there are many different kinds of therapy and therapy may have a different definition based on who you ask. For many, therapy is found in doing what they love, playing sports. An article written by Ohio University showed that sports could actually be considered therapeutic.
One of the most common sports that are played for therapy is basketball. Basketball is a sport that can be played with friends or by yourself simply shooting around. I believe that the reasoning behind it being so therapeutic is the simplicity of the game. For example, anybody can go and shoot around whenever they want, leaving everything else behind.
Basketball Therapy at Cal Poly
Many college students may find themselves stressing about their school work or have difficulty making the transition to living on their own. College can be a very busy and stressful time and it is important for students to find time to escape from reality and do something that they truly enjoy. For some students, sports provide that escape from the real world.
“I really like coming to the gym and playing basketball,” Cal Poly first year student Jason Milne said. “It makes me forget about all the schoolwork I have to do and I get to have fun with my friends.”
Students like Jason can find a sort of calmness to playing a pickup basketball game or shooting the ball around. Sports provides so much to students and sometimes the importance of sports can be overlooked.
Sports have the power to make someone forget entirely about the world around them. From watching your favorite team play on the TV to practicing your jump shot in the gym, sports gives people of all ages an escape from the pressures of everyday life. For many, sports actually have a very large impact on their overall mental health and well-being. Without the presence of sports and its ability to provide a distraction from the stressfulness of one’s life, society would be very different.
World of Sports 