Personal Benefits of Playing Baseball

By Frankie Wallace
Updated: February 21, 2020

Baseball is known as America’s pastime for a reason. It’s an exciting game to watch, but it’s even more fun to play. Whether you’re an adult on a community team, a college student on a traveling team or you’re the parent of a high school or child athlete, it’s important to recognize that baseball is more than just “fun and games.”

It actually has many benefits that often get overshadowed by the excitement of MLB stars and the politics of their leagues. When it comes down to it, playing baseball can benefit you, personally.

So the next time you pick up a ball or watch a friend, family member, or your own child on the diamond, consider the physical, mental, and emotional health benefits that this long-standing game could actually be providing.

It’s a Great Way to Stay Active

One of the most obvious perks of this popular pastime is that it can be a very physical sport. Baseball requires a lot of running, agility, and stamina to play a whole nine innings. If you’re trying to reach specific health goals or ones that are broader in nature, like simply moving more or going so far as to improve your hand-eye coordination, baseball is a great way to accomplish them.

Not only is baseball good for your overall cardiovascular health, but have you ever taken a look at the arms and legs of baseball players? Upper body strength is quickly built from throwing and catching the ball and swinging a bat. Ballplayers often spend a lot of time focusing on their upper body strength to improve their swing.

Throwing, squatting, and running also build muscle in the legs. While baseball players might not have traditionally “lean” bodies like other athletes, they’re often known for having strong, solid bodies in order to play the sport properly. So there’s a little something for everyone when it comes to fitness in baseball.

It Builds a Sense of Community

Baseball is a team sport through and through. If you’ve struggled with fear or insecurities your whole life, playing on a team that supports you can boost your self-esteem and actually enhance your socialization. This kind of engagement is especially helpful for students. You know—the ones who tend to isolate themselves in their dorms studying until all hours of the night. Leadership can provide academic opportunities for these students to engage outside of study, but they can also provide recreational activities like intramural baseball to really bring students out of their academic shells and improve their social skills.

There should never be a standalone star on any baseball team. There are times when even the best players need to downplay their skills for the overall benefit of the team. A pitcher is only as good as their fielders. A catcher trusts the pitcher to not make a misstep with their throws. The outfielders rely on communication with one another to catch fly balls. Every team member has a job to do and every player is just as important.

When you know you’re a part of something bigger than yourself, it can cause you to become more motivated, and even boost your confidence since you know you’re helping the team and the team is helping you. At the same time, baseball holds everyone accountable for their actions. If you strike out, you can’t blame anyone else. It doesn’t mean your team blames you, but it forces everyone to be responsible for their own actions while building each other up at the same time.

It Can Improve Your Mental Health

While the physical benefits of baseball might be obvious, it’s likely not as many people recognize the emotional and mental benefits that come from the game, too. As stated above, playing the sport can help to improve your self-confidence and overcome insecurities. Even if you’re scared of playing a sport like baseball, taking the plunge is a great first step to improving your mental health.

Baseball requires just as much logic and mental strength as it does physicality. It’s a game of stop-and-go that needs a lot of concentration. As a batter, you have to try to determine which pitch you’re going to receive. A batter only has 50 milliseconds to decide whether to swing or not. Every player on the field needs to concentrate on the game, too, from knowing who is on base and keeping an eye on them to make sure they don’t steal, to remembering how many outs there are in the inning. Players also need to be able to react quickly when a ball is hit. Everyone has a designated “spot,” and if a player isn’t concentrating, it could cost them an out or even the game.

Finally, baseball can be a mood booster. Not only is it a fun sport to play, but it’s played outside. Studies have shown that being active outdoors can improve your overall mood and even reduce stress and depression. Plus, you’re getting a daily dose of Vitamin D, which is essential for your health and growth.

Truthfully, we could go on and on about all of the reasons to play baseball. It’s one of the only multi-generational sports that people of almost any age can benefit from. So, whether you want to join a league in your hometown or encourage your kids to start playing, we hope this article has given you even more insight into all the positives that go along with this pastime.