The same reason that the military will ask you to do activities that pose potential injury and if you get hurt to the point while serving that you cannot rehab to what’s required for continued service, they will conduct a medical evaluation and board you out from service. Sports develop teamwork, grit, competitiveness, and help develop attributes useful for working as a member of a team in whatever military occupation you end up in. Sports are additionally a way to see how folks perform under pressure as a member of a team when stakes are not life or death to predict how they’ll perform under higher stakes.
Playing team sports as a kid definitely helped me at the Academy in a lot of intangible ways, and I built skills for my continued service in the Army. I’ve gotten hurt along the way, both playing sports and doing things that the Army has asked me to. It’s part of the risk of physical activity, and the military requires a level of fitness to perform most jobs. I wouldn’t trade any of those experiences to date.
