Whether you’re playing in a local baseball league or in a major league stadium, there’s just something special about the sport of baseball. The crack of the bat, the smell of the fresh-cut grass, the sound of the crowd cheering – it’s all part of the magic of America’s favorite pastime. But before some people take the leap into the world of baseball, they want to know – how does baseball help you?
The top benefits of playing baseball are that it exercises your whole body, sharpens your mind, introduces you to friends, and helps you quickly adapt to changes. Additionally, baseball is a fun sport that has the potential to generate income.
Beyond simply being a great spectator sport, baseball is also the perfect game to play. It’s a sport that can be enjoyed by people of all ages and skill levels and it’s a great way to get some exercise while having fun. If you’ve been thinking about giving the sport a try, there’s no time like the present. Trust me – you won’t regret it!
There are many more benefits to playing baseball, which is why this post is as long as it is. It covers the top benefits of playing baseball, with context and explanation for each one. By the end of this post, you’ll be able to defend the sport against the worst critics of the game.
1) Baseball is Fun
When it comes down to it, baseball is just plain fun. Everyone is always looking for things to do that will bring joy to their life and baseball can be one of those things that fits right in with their lifestyle.
There’s nothing better than having a game where everything seems to go your way. The ball just seems easy to hit, fielding is a breeze, and your confidence skyrockets.
On the other hand, having bad days can have the exact opposite effect. But, baseball players are always striving to have those great games because of how fun it is.
2) Baseball Players Get a Regular Cardio Workout
Cardiovascular activity is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. Unfortunately, most modes of cardio are too boring or time-consuming to commit to. If you’re a working adult or even a teenager, you might not want to continuously finish round after round on a stationary bike in your basement.
Baseball is fun so it distracts you from your workout while giving you a full-body workout! It is, in a way, perfect for people who prioritize fun over exercise. Given that cardio is linked to a reduction in heart diseases, figure improvement, and workplace burnout, one could say that cardio is like a medicine.
We’re all kids at heart so finding a fun way to exercise is crucial to keeping ourselves happy and fit.
3) Low Costs for New Players
A lot of people may believe that baseball is an expensive sport, but baseball bats and balls don’t cost as much as some other expensive hobbies. Of course, high-end bats can put some people in debt, but if you choose to be financially savvy, you can play on a budget.
For those players who are just starting out, there are plenty of second-hand stores available where players can pick up some quality equipment without breaking the bank. Baseball is one of the few games that makes room for small pockets while also catering to bigger ones.
And because there are a lot of second-hand buyers of equipment, baseball can be a relatively low-cost way to try a hobby and lose interest. That’s because you can sell your equipment to those second-hand buyers whenever you are done with baseball. Trust me, your baseball bat will fly off the wall in no time.
Baseball bats sell out quickly on second-hand product marketplaces like Facebook Marketplace and eBay because of the game’s popularity.
4) Baseball Players Have Excellent Hand-Eye Coordination
Hand-eye coordination is an important skill for anyone to have. Without hand-eye coordination, it’s difficult to track objects or even pick up a pencil to write.
Baseball players practice hand-eye coordination at a much higher level than the general public. Whether it’s fine-tuning their swing to make contact with a fastball or using their eyes and hands to track down a fly ball, baseball players need to have great hand-eye coordination and they need to practice it routinely.
5) Aerobic Activity Slows Down Aging
There is plenty of evidence that consistent aerobic activity can slow down the effects of aging and baseball is a great way to get in some aerobic activity. This is great news and an incredible motivator for people who are starting their baseball journey at a later stage.
For the most part, people believe that baseball is a young man’s sport. But that’s only because most professional baseball players are young and look youthful much longer.
There is plenty of evidence you can stay young longer with consistent aerobic activity. Researchers from almost every Ivy League university have looked into this and published papers that support the claim.
Baseball is definitely worth taking up if you have any anxiety about aging. The effort-to-return ratio in this game is relatively high.
6) Baseball Players Develop Conflict-Management Skills
Old or young, most people find it difficult to deal with conflicts. It is hard to stay calm when someone is unfair and refuses to acknowledge it. And seeing things from the other person’s perspective can be hard in the heat of the moment.
Without enough conflict-management skills, you might say or do things you regret later.
In baseball, the consequences of giving in to your anger will lead to an instant ejection. When the consequences are so immediate, baseball players learn quickly.
Even if you do something as harmless as throwing your cap on the ground in visible anger, you can be removed from the game. This can cost your team the win. And the only way to avoid this is to get better at dealing with conflicts.
Ultimately, baseball makes you the ideal stoic who is strong enough to take on a challenge but calm enough to not overreact.
Fun fact: when baseball players get ejected, they typically hang out in the team clubhouse. Learn more about the 8 things that happen when baseball players get ejected.
7) Baseball Can Become a Source of Income
Depending on your age and skill set, baseball can be a source of income. While middle-aged amateurs can get baseball’s health and age-related benefits, they don’t have as much earning potential as younger baseball players.
For example, the adult baseball leagues I play in are a pay-to-play league, where players pay yearly team fees and are responsible for paying umpires at every game. In professional baseball, all those fees are covered and players are paid to play.
Teenagers who have the skill set and are committed to playing baseball have a lot of earning potential. They can get into good schools, colleges, and universities based on their performance, which can lead to a future where their job is getting paid to play baseball.
Earning an income as a professional or semi-professional athlete is the dream for a lot of baseball players. This kind of monetizing potential is not available to everyone, but it’s a dream come true for those that make it.
In addition to getting paid to play baseball, baseball is also a career people can continue past their prime by coaching, commentating, and training other athletes.
8) Baseball Players Learn To Manage Stress
Stress is a reality of modern life, and not because there are more things to stress about. Stress is something that has been around for ages and it is something that will continue to be around.
Baseball is a great way to deal with stress. Whether it’s relieving stress through exercising or learning to manage stress by being in those high-pressure situations, baseball helps players deal with stress that happens off the field.
There’s nothing more stressful than being in a game-winning situation in the bottom of the final inning. If you can get that base hit, your team wins. If not, you lose.
The good news about this type of stress is that it is not life-or-death. Whether you win or lose, you gain the experience of being in that stressful situation and that experience will carry over into your everyday life.
9) Baseball Players Gain Leg Strength
It’s difficult to play baseball without gaining leg strength. In baseball, you’re always utilizing your legs, which builds up leg strength. Strong legs are what you need to hit and throw for power.
Baseball also gives your legs a type of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workout. At any point in a game, you’ll be sprinting, stopping, and sprinting again. With enough consistency, you can develop well-defined calves and have strong legs capable of carrying you further (both physically and metaphorically).
10) Teamwork is Highly Encouraged
There’s an old saying in baseball that “you’re only as good as your worst player”. Players quickly realize how true this statement is when the game is on the line, but you have no control over who is batting or who will be fielding the ball.
The batting order dictates which players will be batting and in which order. This means your worst player can easily be up to bat during a critical moment of the game. In these scenarios, all you can do is root for the best and cheer on your teammate.
Teamwork is essential in baseball because there is so much of the field to cover on defense and it’s rare to be successful on offense by yourself. Baseball forces you to communicate during plays, root for your teammates to make good plays, and encourage your teammates to “shake it off” when they make an error.
No baseball player can be perfect all the time. The same is true for everyday life.
11) Baseball Encourages Production and Healthy Competition
Losing your competitive edge can be bad for your love life and your career. You have to want to go further to remain attractive (because no one likes someone with zero ambition). And in the workplace, the slacker gets replaced with a competitive hire.
Baseball makes you laser-focused on the milestone ahead of you. Each pitch is an opportunity to either beat the pitcher or lose to the pitcher. The game has clear metrics for winning and even clearer conditions for losing.
The better you produce, the better your chances are of making the starting lineup.
While you are competing against the other team, it’s also common to joke around with the opposing team and have fun. Sure, fights in baseball happen, but they are actually pretty rare. A vast majority of baseball games are cordial and competitive at the same time.
And win or lose, teams will shake hands at the end of every game.
12) Playing Outside Provides Better Vitamin D Levels
Because you get more sunlight when you’re on the diamond, you are more likely to have better vitamin D levels as a baseball player. If you get plenty of sunlight, you don’t necessarily need baseball for this specific advantage, but better vitamin D levels are a plus of playing baseball.
Still, it is a good supplementary perk of the game for those who don’t get out as often. If you need to reduce your time in the sun, you can also wear arm sleeves. I have a whole article on why baseball players wear arm sleeves if you’d like to learn more.
13) Baseball Teaches Players to Quickly Adapt
Life is all about how you react. Most people understand that it’s tough to make important decisions, but it’s even more important to adapt to those decisions and change course if something does not go your way.
Baseball is full of scenarios that force you to adapt to changes. Sometimes the ball does not bounce your way and you need to quickly react to make the play. Sometimes, you’re batting and waiting to see a fastball, but you need to quickly adapt to a breaking ball.
There are plenty of scenarios in baseball where things happen quickly and it’s important to react on the fly and adapt to what’s happening. These scenarios are a great way to gain experience with adapting to change and they will help baseball players more easily adapt to changes when they are off the field.
14) Baseball Players Become a Part of a Community
A majority of happiness revolves around one’s social life. Think about it…
Your love life is social. Your job is social. You make your decisions based on other people’s actions.
Baseball is the perfect sport to make friends because you all have a common goal – winning.
More importantly, baseball is a sport where teamwork is highly valued and usually required. This means you get to meet people who are more open to bond with you and genuinely root for you. Having an opponent to defeat further accelerates team bonding.
A good social life leads to a happier life, and baseball gives you both.
15) Baseball Encourages a Strong Work Ethic
Talent is something that takes time, patience, and practice. Any player you see in the MLB has spent countless hours honing their craft by spending time in the gym, in the cage, and on the field. Baseball players need to be constantly practicing to get better.
Cal Ripken Sr. is famous for saying “Practice doesn’t make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect.” This quote by itself just goes to show you how a strong work ethic is a must for any baseball player. The more you practice, the better you get. But you need a strong work ethic to get there.