Team sport is a competitive sport that involves an organized group of people collaborating as part of a larger organization (such as a club or league) to achieve goals that are shared. Examples of team sports include synchronized swimming, dragon boat racing and baseball. In many team sports, athletes compete against other teams for points in order to advance in the championship standings. However, there are also some team sports in which the participants do not compete against other teams, for example, mountaineering and track and field events.

While the importance of team work has been recognized in a variety of settings, the study of it in the context of sport has received relatively little attention. Nevertheless, research suggests that the development of social skills in youth is facilitated by participation in team sport and that this development has important implications for other aspects of life.

There is a unique quality about team sport that sets it apart from other forms of group activity. Unlike other forms of grouping, such as families or coworkers, sports teams are subject to extensive external regulation in terms of their processes, rules and procedures. These external controls have a profound impact on the way that a team operates and the ways in which members interact with one another.

Additionally, team sport has a unique ability to teach young people about both winning and losing in a healthy and supportive environment. The burden of loss is shared among teammates, which can lessen the blow, and winning can feel even more gratifying when it’s achieved as a collective effort.