You may think that you play sports like basketball to stay fit, but participating in these kinds of activities has benefits that stay with you long after you leave the court. Playing basketball teaches you how to be adaptable, how to work effectively with others, and how to be a good winner or how to lose gracefully.

Adaptability

Being able to embrace new situations with (relative) ease is a skill that will help you in many facets of your life. The fact is, our modern world is constantly changing and it sometimes seems like the only constant is the fact that nothing stays the same.

No two basketball games are the same and even within the same one, the rhythm of the game is constantly changing. If you can't adapt to new situations and keep track of what you need to do next to keep the game going, you will get lost.

In the middle of a game, you just don't have time to get flustered. You are either acting or reacting. There are no do-overs; you just have to deal with the situation. It's a great lesson in how to deal with unexpected circumstances.

Working as Part of a Team

We may admire the lone hero who seems to be able to handle any situation on his own and not need anyone else. That may work well in the movies and on TV, but in real life we need to learn how to work with other people to reach a common goal.

Many workplaces are now adopting a team approach and the whole maverick thing just doesn't work in that type of environment. The group can accomplish so much more if all team members can work together in harmony. When they get to the point where everyone knows (and is comfortable with their role), the whole project has an easy flow to it.

A basketball team works in the same way. Team members need to be able to anticipate where their fellow players will be in any given situation so they can work the ball up the court to get it into the net. Nobody likes to play with someone who hogs the ball and won't pass it to another player when the other player is open. Knowing when to pass something off to another team member and when you can take care of it on your own is another skill that translates well into life off the basketball court, too.

Being Gracious

Even world-class athletes don't win every time, and the same is true in our everyday lives. While it's important to learn how to lose with grace, it may be even more important to show that you have class when everything is going well.

No team is made up of only one person, and if you did well on the basketball court, it means that it was a group effort. Acknowledge that you had help when things turn out well, and you'll have support when things don't work out the way you planned, too.