3 Invaluable Life Lessons That Sports Can Develop In Children

In Olympian pole vaulter EJ Obiena’s TV interview after failing to make podium in the 2024 Paris Olympics, this sentiment struck me most: "Sports is beautiful but also brutal."

When we watch games or competitions, we only see the final product. When someone wins a gold medal, a championship, an individual award, many think that it just comes naturally, or that athletes make it look easy. That’s the beauty of the game, the reward. But what many may not realize is we do not see the sacrifices, challenges, injuries, physical and mental struggles that lead to the final product. Imagine an iceberg. The tip, what we see on the surface, is the beauty. The struggle, what’s brutal, is levels of sea deep.

As you read this article, you may be a sports fan, enthusiast, or were drawn to sports because of the recently-concluded Olympics season. Filipinos have cheered for every athlete wishing for success and a medal, yet we talk about EJ Obiena and empathize with his sorrow and agony. Not one Filipino, at least on my social media feed, has expressed disappointment or blamed EJ for his failure to win a medal. It’s because we can relate to him: giving our best in the biggest stages, but not being in control of the outcome. No matter the result, that’s nothing to be ashamed of.

So, in EJ’s defeat and his road to bouncing back, what have we learned? And how do we apply this as parents?

As a sports person, I always say 'Sports is life'. There are many lessons in sports that can be applied to our daily lives. What are the values that we instill in our children to develop good character? As parents, we can form the principles and values that our children will cherish for life.

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3 life lessons sports can teach children

1. Discipline

Doing the things that are tough to do is at times forced. In an athlete’s life, waking up and preparing for an early morning training is no joke. Then having afternoon and evening practices or workouts is physically challenging. Imagine doing this cycle seven days a week. For their whole lives. Can you imagine yourself going through that grind, the toll, physically then mentally? 

'When we tell our kids to study well, be well in school, the actions that they will apply should come from us, because they see those traits in us.' —Migs Bustos, on teaching discipline

Let’s face it, things like waking up early in the morning to fulfill our responsibilities especially when we want more sleep, maintaining things a certain way in our household, are not just mere principles. These are things we ought to do consistently. When we say we are disciplined, we form habits that become natural to us. When we tell our kids to study well, be well in school, the actions that they will apply should come from us, because they see those traits in us. Discipline and consistency go hand in hand.

2. Perseverance

Let’s say that discipline and consistency are already in place. When things are monotonous, or when we feel that the cycle becomes challenging, our motivation may not be at the same level. In sports, what drives athletes is competition. There’s a winner and a loser in every game or match. In an athlete’s journey, there are many more losses than wins. As the GOAT (you can argue with me) Michael Jordan always said, "I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

Failure is an element to success. Without failure, how do we evolve? Regret should not be part of the vocabulary because all the mistakes and failures are fuel to be back better in what we do. As NBA Giannis Antetokounmpo's famous reply to a reporter after losing a playoff seriesgoes, "There is no failure in sports, only steps to success."

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3. Determination

EJ Obiena’s current situation is a lot like Hidilyn Diaz’s journey. Believe me when I say this: EJ Obiena will win an Olympic gold medal. It is common knowledge that Hidilyn was the first in all of Olympic achievements: first woman to win an Olympic silver medal in 2016 and the first Filipino Olympic gold medalist. Many people fail to remember that in her previous Olympic stints in 2008 and 2012, she failed miserably and was on the brink of quitting weightlifting. But did she?

I say that EJ will win a gold in time is because he is the 2012 Hidilyn who fell short of his goal. He was dissatisfied with his Tokyo Olympics performance, he came up short this year, that doesn’t mean that the story is over. What is in every athlete’s DNA is that no one is a quitter and will do everything he can to achieve his goal. In my countless interviews with EJ, he always talked about the struggle behind his success and that he is never content. Whether he made an Asian record of 6.0 meters or is #2 pole vaulter in the world, he knows that he is far from the top. That’s his goal, to be the best and win an elusive gold for the Philippines.

As a father, I relentlessly pursue to provide the best for our family. Fathers will work two, three jobs to make our families' lives comfortable. It’s not about money, but beyond our responsibility is the drive to give and to be the best for our families. Dads, you know what I’m talking about and we only need that eye signal to understand where we’re coming from. Why? Because we love our families beyond ourselves. Same thing with our national athletes, their love for country is beyond their physical abilities.

To be specific, any national athlete knows their WHY. Only one thing: love for country. We may not grasp it entirely because we’re not national athletes, but we can relate it to our own why’s, our families. The three values that I mentioned are just the tip, there are many more aspects, many more challenges that we go through as parents which are brutal in their own ways. We, parents, will always choose to go through the struggle to find the beauty in our journey. And these three life lessons our children can learn is worth our effort.

Migs Bustos is a girl dad expecting his second born child with his wife Mischi. He is a news anchor, sports reporter and commentator, and a Smart Parenting contributor. He writes about how Kobe Bryant influences his parenting here.