Benefit of Intramural Sport

     “In today’s America, obesity is the largest concern to our overall health that our nation faces.”2 Intramural sport gives college students a viable source of exercise to improve their physical and mental health.

        Students are not forced to simply go to the gym, lift weights or run in a confined space indoors. Sport allows the student to exercise in an open setting, surrounded by other students, while competing for a common goal. The institution of competition encourages the students to push themselves beyond a comfortable threshold to achieve the goal of victory. A great example would be  competitive weightlifters pushing themselves to achieve a new personal best.

        Mentally, intramural sport gives the student a means to further their social relationships with their peers, as well as making new relationships through friendly competition. Whether you’re a freshman looking to meet people and establish new friendships, or a junior/senior looking to branch out from your group of friends, intramural sports forces you to meet new people. Whether they’re on your team or not, you’re forced to have some sort of interaction with a new group of people at each event.

        Another health benefit of intramural sport is that of reducing stress and giving the student a sense of belonging. Sport allows the competitor to escape from the stress of being a student temporarily, while either practice or a game is being played. College students are still building their identities, which is why the benefit of sport can go beyond general health and physical fitness. Sport can give the student a sense of belonging due to the fact that when on a team, the student is a part of something. Drabkin points out, “the release of the hormone oxytocin during team sport, proves that bonding through sport is beneficial to the competitor.”1

        Not all students are going to be collegiate athletes, but intramural sport is an available venue for all students to compete. I encourage all students, athletic or not, to give intramurals a try. At the very least, you will have one night of fun competing against your fellow collegians.

References:

1. HowStuffWorks,. (2011). What are the pros of playing intramural sports?. Retrieved 1 February 2016, from http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/what-are-the-pros-of-playing-intramural-sports1.htm

2. Obesitycampaign.org,. (2016). The Campaign to End Obesity. Retrieved 1 February 2016, from http://www.obesitycampaign.org/obesity_facts.asp