Team sport is a type of physical activity in which teams of players compete against each other for the possession of a ball or other object, and to score points or win games. Some of the more popular team sports include football (soccer), rugby, field and ice hockey, basketball, and tennis.
In some team sports, a player’s success depends on cooperation with other members of the team. For example, in American football, soccer, rugby, and field and ice hockey, each member of the team has an assigned responsibility for a particular play or goal. This coordination involves quick decisions, a high level of hand-eye coordination and consistent communication among teammates.
There are many different kinds of team sports, including track and field, tennis, volleyball, lacrosse, golf, racquetball, and bowling. These are sports that require a wide range of abilities and skills from the individuals who participate in them, and a willingness to put in the time and effort necessary for successful performance.
Some team sports involve significant amounts of training and competition, requiring players to use their physical energy stores and to cope with muscle soreness after training sessions. In addition, some team sports, especially those involving full-contact tackling and collisions between athletes, require players to maintain their strength and stamina over the course of multiple sessions.
Most team sports also involve a “stop-go” pattern of play that typically consists of repeated bouts of brief, intense exercise interspersed with periods of lower-intensity activities. These alternating intervals of high-intensity activity and recovery periods are thought to help protect the players’ skeletal muscle glycogen reserves from excessive fatigue.
Another distinctive feature of team sports is the presence of clearly established norms of effort and performance that are recognized by all participants on both task and social spheres. These standards are firmly embedded in the culture of the sport, and they provide an important sense of “groupness” for participants.
These norms are based on the assumption that all members of the team share an obligation to work hard and to cooperate with one another in a spirit of mutual support. The members of a team must practice together regularly, follow coaches’ instructions and strive to perform at the highest possible level in all competitions. In the event of a violation of these norms, team members can be punished by verbal criticism, ostracism or even expulsion from the team.
In addition to these norms, teams can be regulated by leagues that set rules for competition and by other external constraints (e.g., the maximum number of scholarship students that can be accepted into an intercollegiate athletic program). These controls over internal processes contribute to the distinguishing characteristics of team sports from other forms of conventional groups.
Unlike market-based firms, which decide on their output and limit their activities to maximize profit, professional team sport clubs are organized by a league that determines the number of members and the level of competition for each club. The league can also dictate the frequency and size of competitions.