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Star athletes have an influence on our lives whether we like it or not. Whether it’s endorsing items of sports wear, being the face of fitness programs, or being the subject of gambling on trusted Bitcoin sports betting sites that provide users with impressive bonuses and quick payouts, sportsmen and sports women influence things that we do every day. But what are some of the positive lessons you could learn from them and from sports in general? Here is a list of the ways sports and sports people can inspire you outside of playing. 

Health And Fitness

Perhaps the most obvious way that sports and sportspeople can inspire people’s lifestyle is through health and exercise. To put it really simply, you can’t be anything like a successful athlete, on any level, if you don’t keep yourself in decent condition. An athlete’s exercise and nutrition regime can give people the push to get up, get moving, and watch what they eat. It isn’t just physical health that benefits either. Exercise has been demonstrated to have a positive impact on mental health, too. 

Talking of mental health, a good sportsperson needs to have a large amount of resilience. Sport is a matter of winning and losing, so being able to take bad results in your stride and keep on focusing on your end goal is something that a lot of people are able to learn from their sporting heroes. 

In fact, it could well be that sports stars have inspired people to look at wellness-related careers in general, not just in the world of athletics or even medicine. There is a good chance that people who work for wellness startups or health tech companies could have been started on their career path by their love of sports. 

Role Models

For as long as sportspeople have been public figures, they’ve inspired people. At least since Robert Barclay Allardice, AKA Captain Barclay, triggered a craze for long-distance walking, or pedestrianism, in early nineteenth century Britain, people have seen what the stars are doing and tried their best to emulate them in their own little way. 

If, for instance, an athlete pushes through adversity, whether it's in the shape of being dropped, or getting injured, or anything like that, it can inspire people to gain some personal fortitude themselves. One of the best examples of a sportsperson bouncing back from a bad time and inspiring others comes in the form of Argentina and Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Ricky Villa. In tears after his substitution in the 1981 FA Cup final, he reemerged in the replay, scoring a spectacular winning goal and becoming an inspiration to millions in the process. 

Diversity is important, and so is representation. If someone sees someone who they can identify with enjoying success in the sporting arena, it can spur them to make a proper go of things themselves. One thinks of Jackie Robinson, the first black man to play Major League Baseball, and how he became a hero for African-Americans and was one of a number of people to get thinking about the possibility of civil rights for all. Not only that, but people like Robinson can encourage others to make their own mark in their chosen fields. 

Personal Branding

In sports, a player manages to combine their look, their skills, their attitude and their personality into one thing - a brand. Sometimes, this can expand into certain endorsements - think, for instance, of basketball legend Michael Jordan and the iconic, record breaking Nike Air trainers, or George Foreman grills - but at other times the branding is more of a personal thing. But no matter what, some people are able to take themselves and move beyond their sport. 

A player who demonstrates their skill and their consistency can become an icon and inspire others to do the same sort of thing in their own fields of work. Likewise, someone who isn’t afraid to show what they are like off the field of play could get one of their fans to open up a little bit more about who they are and show people what they are truly like. 

The truth is that, whether you’re a professional athlete or just a regular member of society, personal branding is important. The way you communicate, show your strengths, and work on your weaknesses says a lot about who you are.