How sports can build relationships with others 

By: Vincent Tran

Published on: October 17 2022

Photo: PNW Production (Pexels)

A major part of Canadian culture and something that brings many Canadians together are sports. Sports have been a great way for people to get to know one another, as well as have a fun time being entertained by the athletes.  

Sports are also a great activity to partake with your friends and family and they are a great way to stay fit.  

There have been many moments in Canadian sports history that have brought the nation together to support our athletes. For example, during the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, the Canadian men’s soccer team finished on top of their qualifying group, making history by qualifying for the second World Cup in Canadian men’s soccer history, after 36 years since the men’s team’s only World Cup appearance in 1986.  

Canadians are also united and feel a sense of patriotism whenever our Canadian athletes go out to participate in the Summer and Winter Olympic games. 

Sports are a great thing and can be used in many different ways to build relationships and connections with others. Here are some ways that newcomers can use sports to create new relationships with others and strengthen those bonds.  

Get active 

A good way to build connections with others is by being active in sports.  

If there’s a sport or activity you’re interested in, try getting involved. If you enjoy playing soccer, sign up for some recreational leagues or local clubs in your area. Canada Soccer has a list of recreational and house league soccer teams that you can check out. You could use your time at the recreation league to speak with your teammates and build friendships while playing soccer. 

Soccer is a great sport to build connections with others because it’s a very team-oriented sport and a lot of communication is required in order to be successful, so naturally you’re going to have to speak to your teammates and eventually you’ll be able to build a better understanding of one another.   

You can look online for local sports clubs or places where you can register for team sports, such as JAM, which offers many different options for team sports in Ontario and Winnipeg, such as basketball, hockey, volleyball, and many others. You can sign up individually or you can invite some friends along and form a team. 

Playing sports with others is a great way to build camaraderie and team skills and through that, great friendships can develop. Sports can also make you feel like you belong to a collective and that can make you feel better about yourself. If you play on a team that is successful, then it could make you feel proud of yourself because you played a part in your team’s success.  

Being involved and active in sports is a great way to not only create friendships with those around you, but it’s also a good way to keep up your fitness and stay healthy. It can make you feel better about yourself and also has many benefits for both mental and physical health. Some of these benefits include better sleep, happiness, and it can help reduce your body fat and control your body weight. 

Playing sports is also a great way to learn more about yourself and your own capabilities, so you understand yourself better and what you can and can’t do. This can make you feel more confident and can help your social skills and how you interact with others. 

Photo: Pixabay (Pexels) 

Watch sporting events 

Live sporting events are great ways to entertain yourself and your friends. 

Sport events can be very fun, especially if you and your friends support the same team and your team ends up winning.  

If you’re interested in basketball and live in and around Toronto, then you can invite some of your friends to go watch Canada’s only NBA team, the Toronto Raptors, at Scotiabank Arena and have a good time.  

You could even go to a Toronto Blue Jays game, as it may not be as expensive as going to other sports events. Ticket prices are typically less than $100 for seats that are closer to the baseball field. Baseball is a bit slower paced than other sports, so it allows for you to have conversations with your friends, while still being in the middle of the action.  

Hockey is also a fun sport to watch and could make you feel even more Canadian. Hockey is one of the most popular sports in Canada and there are seven Canadian NHL teams that you can support. If you’re a fan of a different NHL team than your friends, it could create a good rivalry between you and your friends, and maybe even some banter and fun whenever you are watching your teams play against each other. 

Ticket prices can be expensive, so you could go to local restaurants or bars that have sports games on or invite your friends to your house to watch sports on TV. It’s a good way for you to spend time with your friends, while also being entertained by a sport in the background.  

You could even watch reruns of certain games or highlights of your favourite players on YouTube. Just invite a few friends over and enjoy watching your favourite team or player’s best moments.  

Photo: Pixabay (Pexels) 

Have fun with sports 

A good way to be more engaged with sports is by starting up a fantasy sports league or by incorporating some form of competition with your friends.  

Each year, sports fans create their own fantasy leagues in the different sports that they follow. Websites like Yahoo Sports, ESPN, DraftKings, and many more are great places for you to start a fantasy league of your own.  

If you’re into basketball, start a fantasy league before the NBA season begins and start drafting your teams with your friends. You could even put a cash prize for the winner of your fantasy league, so that you have more on the line and more incentive to play. It can be a fun way to follow along with the NBA season because you will be more engaged with how the players on your fantasy team are performing.  

You could even play some sports video games with your friends to just have some fun together.  

There are so many different sports games that you can play with others. If you and your friends enjoy soccer, you can play together on the latest FIFA game on a platform that you all play on. If you enjoy basketball, then you could also play the NBA 2K games together. Playing video games can also help you learn much more about a certain sport and it’s very enjoyable as well.  

You can get creative with the ways in which you can use sports to further your friendships and relationships, because the possibilities are endless.  

Photo: Andrea Piacquadio (Pexels) 

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