ACTIVATING THE INDIVIDUAL

Conventional sports have primarily been focusing on athletic performance and competition, overlooking the social and cultural outcomes sports can achieve. This “win at all costs" mentality is existent not only in professional sports but among youth sports, community sports services and educational settings. By emphasizing competition over personal development, participants can experience pressure to win, tying their self-worth to their latest performance and excluding many from engaging in sports throughout their lives. While competitive performance is one of the key aspects which makes sports attractive to many, more holistic alternative models are needed.

Sport changemakers believe that sport is a unique means to learn, build identity and enhance the lives of individuals. They help people develop an identity as someone who wants to do the right thing, shifting the mindset from becoming “better athletes” to “better people" and fostering the values of a good citizen, empathy, leadership, teamwork, and agency, particularly for children and youth. By prioritizing the educational, health and social development outcomes of sport, the developed identities activate the agency of the individuals. It brings different perspectives to their lives and prepares them to play responsible and constructive societal roles.