Before you start emailing in your rebuttals, hear me out. I'm not saying that other sports aren't great or fun or even beneficial. I believe all of those things as someone who spent a good chunk of their childhood shopping around for what fit me best. All I'm saying is that martial arts provides some advantages over the average seasonal sport.
1) Martial Arts never stops. It's a year around thing. It's not an activity where you are training for only a couple of months to not do it again until the next season. You are constantly perfecting your craft and always have a physical activity.
2) Valuable life skills are taught. Martial Arts dives deeper than just the physical aspect. You can't truly be a black belt based off of pure talent. You must act like a black belt in attitude: respect, focus, self control, patience, confidence, etc.
3) There is a supportive family of other students and instructors that want to see you succeed. Everyone is supportive. Yes, there is individualized learning, but you are also in a class full of people who become more than a team but a family too. And the instructors provide guidance, leadership, and encouragement.
4) Martial Arts focuses a lot on team work (and yes supporting others and working together is a big deal in our schools) but martial arts allows for individual growth. Anyone of any skill level or physical ability can do martial arts. Everyones journey is also taken at their own pace, but you have a bunch of people who love and support you cheering you on along the way.