Life Lessons From Football: The Importance Of Education

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The belief prevails in our culture that sports success is inconsistent with educational attainment. That is the result of what we saw in our school life as the talented player in sports was often absent from his lessons because he cares more about sports.

Costa Rica surprised the whole world in the 2014 World Cup, as it climbed to the quarter-finals, and contributed to the elimination of England and Italy from the first round, and it took penalties shootouts against the Netherlands to eliminate them, meaning that it was mostly luck that prevented them from advancing forward to the World Cup semi-final.

At the time, many wondered: What is happening with this team? The answer came through former Costa Rican goalkeeper Gabelo Conejo, who - in statements to the German press - credited all the athletic success
to development in the education system.

That day, Conejo said: “A well-qualified person academically must have the maturity to assess the problem and deal with pressures and be effective and responsible in his work."

The goalkeeper, who represented his country in the 1990 World Cup, added: "Many of our players are professionals, and most importantly, 95% of them attended universities."

One of the stars of the Costa Rican national team in the World Cup in Brazil was Celso Borges, who said about this issue: “Education contributes to the player’s ability to understand the coach’s instructions and analyze different situations in the match.”

Perhaps this seems theoretical, but it is said that the most important secret of the success of the «La Masia» academy is not related to its strict sports system, but rather its advanced educational system. Where the student is forced to pass the school classes and is subject to important lessons in languages, mathematics, and problem-solving methods.

A look at the Aspire Academy in Qatar, which simulates Barcelona's La Masia, ​​as it provides the best teachers in subjects not related to sports competitions. The professor of physics and mathematics is crucial in developing the student’s mental activity, understanding problems and understanding some phenomena, and dealing cleverly with hardships.

The one who thinks that football is still just a physical or even tactical preparation is wrong, because the game is much more complex, and one aspect of this complexity is training an athlete's mind to devise a quick solution to sudden problems.

In order to reach that, it is necessary for developing young talent to face different challenges, forcing them to develop, and providing them with the ability to deal quickly with up-to-date events.

Based on this, the intent of our conversation is not limited to a university degree as a condition of knowledge, nor to the art of making a generation physically, but rather, it is in providing environments and conditions for engaging in mental challenges, regardless of their educational umbrella.

I read once, that companies with a higher percentage of employees who read regularly are the same companies that are more creative when it comes to solving problems and this is another proof of the importance of education and culture - regardless of its official capacity - and its role and ability to make a difference in difficult situations.

In Conclusion

Academic minds are always an improvement to whatever field they're in. A well-educated player could last longer than a purely talented one as they often have the mental capacity to absorb information present on the pitch quicker. This makes education important in football or any sport, making it easy to conclude that is important in all other aspects.



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15 comments
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I beg to differ a bit, I don't think academic brilliance has a huge impact on a player's performance on the pitch. Football and academics are two different things. Football playing excellence is a function of hard work, trainings, consistency, experience, discipline etc. Being academically sound could just be an added advantage.

Just my opinion though

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Being academically sound could just be an added advantage.

We do agree on it being an advantage, at least. And I am fine with that.

Just as added information, academies like Ajax, La Masia, Portugal's top three, Germany's post-2006 countrywide program, all had a big emphasis on education as part of youth development. Different subjects stimulate different parts of the brain.

Football is a problem-solving sport. If you can use your mind better, you can solve those problems better. If someone is not taught to problem solve, they simply won’t attain their potential. When you see a problem on the pitch, you need to understand how to think your way around it. And that comes from education.

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If you can use your mind better, you can solve those problems better.

💯
...and proper education can help stimulate one's mind.

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I love seeing this in a post. Illustrates the importance of balance, learning how to manage one's time and many other aspects of life. An athletic career, depending on the sport, is limited for how long you can participate. So you really need something on which to fall back when that is over with too.

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I am glad you liked it. There's a rise of players who get PhDs while playing as there seems to be a focus there. It is beneficial on both sides, the career itself and like you said, it provides something to fall back on.

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It was well done! I also notice that many athletes have an entrepreneurial side. They need to learn to take care of their whole life and be very active in managing their careers and money, etc.



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I think sports help academics as long as the player is not treated like royalty and not allowed to break rules. I say they help because someone who is active will have a much sharper mind.

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as long as the player is not treated like royalty and not allowed to break rules.

This is actually another thing academies focus on, preparing players mentally for fame and stardom.

Thank you for reading.

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Hmmmmmmmmm.. Very tricky one. I'm tempted to agree with you given that academics helps to stimulate the brain and this could also help in sports. Reason academies in England for example have scholars, combing education and football.

On the flip side, some players have actually climbed to the peak of the game without education beyond high school. Some eventually go back to school after making it through sports, which means they also realize the edge education gives.

They may be just the outliers of the lot, in my opinion, I think it's a good idea to combine both. It gives you something to leverage even after your career in active sports ends.

Nice thought stimulated, friend.

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On the flip side, some players have actually climbed to the peak of the game without education beyond high school.

That's not quite true. The academic education was adapted into football academies themselves. The most famous example is Cruyff himself and how he put it into the Ajax academy, same with La Masia, Germany's entire countrywide youth development program after 2006, and so on.

It's not about degrees themselves, but the education itself. The discipline and overall knowledge and mental knowledge it provides. All you get from managers in first teams are instructions, education helps provide a way for players to implement them.

Like I said in a comment above, Football is a problem-solving sport. That requires a sharp mind that no talent could compensate for the lack of.

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I didn't know about this story. Could be an inspiration for some of the football players who don't even speak properly except on the field.

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Yeah, there is a lot going on in the world of sport that we could draw inspiration from.

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I swear I read this yesterday.

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Maybe, it's a series with the same picture and similar writing style.

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