I had a key sporting experience playing handball when I was about 18 years old.
During a turbulent time, which was very negative at school, for example, I started playing handball as a goalkeeper.
Due to injuries to others and because things were going well, I became the regular goalkeeper after my first year. In my second year we were fighting for promotion and in the decisive game of the season, against the league leaders, I hardly made any saves in the first half and only slightly touched three balls with my hand. The team played well and so we were only 9:12 down. During the break, despite my unfortunate performance, I received nothing but support from the team - no criticism, no blame. Things went completely differently in the second half. I made practically everything there was to save and in the end we were able to win 21:20 against a clearly better team.
The entire team approached me after the game and put me at the center of this victory. Back then, as a teenager, I didn't often experience recognition for achievements or positive traits. Even today, it's often the case that exaggeration and standing out garner more attention than earning others' respect for oneself as an independent person, just as one is. Recognizing achievement and that someone is better seems much easier in a sporting context. Loyalty within a team is similar to that within a circle of friends.
