Hot Take | The Justice Sunday, September 6, 2026 * Subscribe * Advertise * Contact * Masthead * Alumni * Donate Brandeis University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1949 | Waltham, MA * Home * News * Features * Forum * Sports * Arts & Culture * Staff * * * * * Home * News * Features * Forum * Sports * Arts & Culture * Staff * Blog * Alumni * Search Sports Hot Take Aaron Klein ’26 says, “Individual sports where another person can’t directly affect how you perform aren’t as serious as team sports.” By Luca D. Jordan | published 05/18/26 10:00am * Tweet * Share Thanks for sending in the last take of the year, Aaron. To elaborate on what he means with his take, Aaron believes that sports where there isn’t another player that can interact with you in any way are, firstly, inherently less difficult than team sports, and secondly, are a step below team sports competitively. There aren’t many competitive activities where an opponent doesn’t have a direct impact on a player’s performance; the big-name ones that come to mind are golf, figure skating, swimming, skiing, snowboarding and most track and field events. It’s hard to say whether or not the individual aspect of these sports makes them more or less difficult. How hard a sport is can be an entirely subjective thing, especially when it comes to the mental aspect of competing, which I think is the main difference between an individual sport and a team sport. When competing in an individual sport, you usually go in with a game plan and try to complete it to the best of your ability. Team sports are the same, but you can’t rely on just yourself or your own strategy, and there are more factors out of your control. As a result, there’s more quick thinking and problem-solving required for sports like basketball or soccer where you can’t predict everything that is going to happen in a match. However, I can’t definitively say whether an individual sport is a step below a team sport competitively just because they can differ so much. I can say golf is not as physically demanding as basketball, but I can’t say which is mentally easier or which takes more skill. I will say — to Aaron’s point — that team and individual sports require different skill sets, but it’s up to you which is more difficult. Comments powered by Disqus Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Justice . Top News The Girl with a Guitar by Sophia Garcia | 07/03/2026 Examining the March 24 ICE misidentification on campus by Jateja Spriggs | 05/21/2026 Fighting Authoritarianism Brandeis holds May Day protest by Chava Thiell | 05/21/2026 New damages found at Polaris lounge by Ashhwika Soni | 05/21/2026 See The Print @thejustice Tweets by thejustice /thejusticenewspaper The Justice Most Popular TOP NEWS 09/06/2026 09/06/2026 09/06/2026 See The Print @thejustice Tweets by thejustice Related Stories Examining the March 24 ICE misidentification on campus by Jateja Spriggs | 05/21/2026 Fighting Authoritarianism Brandeis holds May Day protest by Chava Thiell | 05/21/2026 New damages found at Polaris lounge by Ashhwika Soni | 05/21/2026 The Girl with a Guitar By Sophia Garcia Most Popular See The Print Version Follow @TheJustice * Home * News * Features * Forum * Sports * Arts & Culture * Staff * Advertise * Subscribe * Archives * Contact * Masthead * Alumni * Donate The Justice (c) 2026. Read our Privacy Policy Powered by Solutions by The State News