Sports and recreation play an active role in the lives of many across the world. Physical benefits may come to mind first, however, there are countless other advantages that come with playing a sport. Every year, parents enrol children in sports hoping that they benefit from learning lessons of discipline, friendship, leadership, and teamwork. The valuable lessons learned while playing games can be applied to a variety of domains: one being business.
I spoke with HBA student Aidan McFarlane to get his perspective on the connection between sports and business.
Aidan McFarlane
Hey folks, my name is Aidan McFarlane. I am a 20-year-old HBA1 student from Markham, Ontario. My primary sport throughout most of my life has been playing hockey at a competitive level. Since coming to Western, I have ramped down to ‘beer league’ hockey and joined a few intramural sports teams with my section mates.
Drawing the Connection Between Sports and Business
I think any business student can attest that right from the get-go, the importance of networking is drilled in by career services, faculty, and mentors. Often, the accompanying networking events, like info sessions and skill development sessions, are focused on obtaining a summer internship or an initial full-time offer. Consequently, I have found that students might put less effort into finding and maintaining connections they can use in the long-term. This is where I argue that sports have a place in business. For most people who have played team sports, when you get back together with old teammates, it feels like barely any time has passed. Say five years after graduation you are considering an industry change for your professional career – by now, your former teammates will be spread out over a myriad of different careers and industries. I contend that it is worthwhile and a more feasible approach to maintain and subsequently reach out to former teammates within your network, rather than a connection made at a professional networking event you attended as a student. In short, your teammates will always have your back, in sports and in life.
My Own Experience
Looking back on my own experience with sports, I could not agree more with Aidan’s perspective. Over the past five years, I have grown and operated a golf blog on Instagram with 115,000 followers. I am fortunate to have made connections with many other golfers along the way, and I believe that a common passion for sport can be a strong bonding point when networking. When I meet other golfers across the world, we are immediately connected by the love of the game.
Whether it is teammates on an intramural team, or an entire nation cheering for the success of their team – sports have the ability to bring people together. This bond can lead to lasting connections that have the power to open doors for a career in business.