The Hidden Benefits of Team Sports for Older Adults

In late 2020, researchers from The Journal of Sport and Health Science, a peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary journal dedicated to the advancement of sport, exercise, physical activity, and health sciences, wanted to know why older adults play sport.

The study, alongside scores of other research on this topic, confirmed what many of us already know: There are a number of key benefits to continuing to participate in organized sports as we age, aside from the clear physical benefit of improving your heart health, blood circulation, and overall physical wellbeing.

The social benefits of organized team sports for older adults cannot be undervalued. In the same way that team sports benefit adults of all ages in helping to foster feelings of team spirit and cooperation, older adults receive the added benefit of these meets, practices, and events serving as social situations in which you can meet (and catch up with) friends at a clearly defined time every week.

Similarly, the mental health benefits of organized team sports for older adults are just as strong. As we exercise, we burn off cortisol (the stress hormone) in our body, which can lead to reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression. There’s a reason why you always feel better after playing sports—even if your team didn’t win!

You can read the full report (titled “Reasons why older adults play sport: A systematic review”) here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7749227/