Children Should Not Be In Competitive Sports

One reason that children should play competitive sports at a young age, because then they are less likely to do drugs and alcohol. For example, Top 10 Health Benefits of Youth Sports says “It is well-known that children who participate in sports are less likely to drop out of school, and become involved in drugs and alcohol activity.” Michelle Obama, the former First Lady, had a very big speech on it, and she had a very powerful point. Her point was how athletes are less likely to become involved in drugs when they play competitive sports. This is important because drugs and alcohol is a very big problem that our world is facing today. People are trying to help kids not get into drugs and alcohol and this is a good way to prevent it. According

In “Children Need to Play, Not Compete,” Jessica Statsky argues that younger children should not be involved in overly competitive sports. Statsky wrote that organized competitive sports were to the disadvantage of children both physically and psychologically. In youth athletics, some parents and coaches put their own dreams in front of their children 's’ well-being by stressing winning. Statsky concludes “all organized sports activities” to be remade as a more enjoyable game regardless of each athlete’s ability and athleticism. The author states many issues that kids have when they are forced to play a sport just to win or that they don’t enjoy. Some kids just don 't enjoy sports, but their parents force it on them. Certain organized sports programs promote winning over physical skills and self-esteem. Statsky brings up valid points that early childhood shouldn’t involve intense physical competition, which is associated with the risk of injury to the body and mind.

In the article “The Rising Costs of Youth Sports, in Money and Emotion,” When parents spend money on sports they do not realize that they are just paying for the sport itself, not including private lessons and uniforms (Sullivan 1). This means that parents actually end up spending much more money than they thought. According to the article, “Is the Cost of Youth Sports too High,” “The rising costs of youth sports has also raised some concerns that it’s making it harder and harder for children to get involved, even if they want to.” This shows that because families don’t have enough dough, they are spending it on other things instead. Author Paul Sullivan writes that many people say that it is a waste to spend money on sports when you can buy much better things (1). This is important to notice because why waste your money when you can use it on bills, clothes, furniture, and many more useful

Many people argue whether kids should or should not be able to compete in competitive sports. First, competitive sports provides many health benefits. Also, playing a sport will help prepare for difficult challenges as an adult. Finally, the extra expenses that parents are paying for will decrease immensely. By competing in competitive sports kids will solve many difficult challenges faced around the world today. Children should be able to compete in competitive sports for various reasons.

Just to participate in these activities costs a high amount. The average parent pays over $671 a year for sports related equipment and participation states the article “High Costs of Youth Sports”. People who can’t even afford a meal are taking every bit of money they have in order for their child to have the opportunity to play a sport, and due to the increasing levels of competition in almost every sport, the costs have also increase massively in order to pay for the proper coaching and more amount of practices. Parents are pushing kids as young as 3-4 years old to pursue certain sporting activities in the hopes that years of involvement will enable their child to ‘be the best.’ For many parents, the ultimate goal is to gain a college scholarship. Although, some argue that parents are just looking out for their child’s best interest, it has become more about the chance to be the best than to do what you love most. Look at shows like Dance Moms where parents sacrifice everything in order to make sure that their child is getting the best training in the best facilities maximizing their chance at stardom. Jacqueline Stenson, the author of the article “Pushing Kids too Hard too Young”, states, “Eager to nurture the next A-Rod or Michelle Kwan, parents enroll their 5- or 6-year-olds in a competitive sports league or program.” Parents apply so much

Each year in the United States, more than 36 million school-aged children participate in an “organized sport” (“Youth Sports Statistics”). Especially over the past few years, many studies have proved or disproved the idea that sports are beneficial for young kids. Those studies have found that youth sports have both positive and negative effects on young children, and research shows parents and coaches have the greatest effect on a child’s experience.

America’s baseball diamonds, soccer fields, hockey rinks, and basketball courts have never been so busy with children. The number of kids involved in an organized sport is not what is so groundbreaking. It’s the way in which children are playing or how their parents are arranging for them to play that may be cause for concern (Ferguson). Much controversy surrounds youth sports with the biggest disagreements coming over parental involvement and the intensity of play. Although there are many benefits for team participation, there is a growing fear that the negatives are starting to outweigh the positives.

By participating in competitive sports at an early age, kids develop life skills to help them with this dilemma. They learn that when they see others being successful, that it is due to the hard work they put in and not just by chance.

The first reason that kids should not play competitive sports is that they are stressful. Kids who play competitive sports often experience stress from wanting the recognition involved with winning. According to LiveStrong, “The mounting pressure to play well can increase stress and make children feel bad and lose confidence should they make mistakes or lose” (Huggins 2017). This shows that kids want to win and be the best player on the team, which can result in stress or pressure. When kids are put on the bench or the team loses, the players may experience low self-esteem. Also, participating in a competitive sport also takes up time because of the intense training schedule that is demanded. Because of that, kids may stress about schoolwork or other activities. This can develop failing grades or other consequences. Time.com states, “Student-athletes tend to take easier classes and get lower grades than non-athletes” (Square 2015). This is important to notice because the intense schedules that the athletes have may not allow enough time for schoolwork. The schoolwork may not be completed or fully understood, which can lead to lower academic excellence and poor grades. Competitive sports are unhealthy to kids’ minds. They can cause stress and pressure, and may lead to poor grades and other academic issues.

Summary In "Children Need to Play, Not Compete", Jessica Statsky stated that competitive sports young children are discouraged. In her thought children should be engaged in games that are joyous and those that satisfying and beneficial to them. Jessica and other contributors cited have some reasons as to why the competitive games should not be played by children the age of between 6 to 12 years. To begin with, she points out competitive sports are played with the adult standards which will turn out to adversely affect the development of a kid.

Fewer kids play amid pressure,” shows that children are giving up the fun in sports because the parents want to one-up each other. In the beginning of youth sports, it was just seen as a fun activity for the children, but the parents started getting involved, and the children were shown that this was not a fun sport but a competition that they had to win, no matter what. The article stated this when Amanda Visak explained that, “Amanda Visak, an exercise science professor at George Washington University, recently surveyed nearly 150 children about what they found fun in sports...the kids identified 81 factors contributing to their happiness. Number 48: winning...playing in tournaments, cool uniforms and expensive equipment” (Rosenwald 3). Because of the parents’ competitions, the children think that what is important is winning the game and uniforms, while in reality it should be having fun and trying your best while with your

In the article, Children Need to Play, Not Compete, the author Jessica Statsky asserts that highly organized competitive sports like Little League Baseball and Peewee Football, which are played to professional standard, are not appropriate for children. The author argues that competitive sports for children aged between six and thirteen, has negative effects in developing sports talent for the future and affects the children physically, mentally and morally. She explains how certain physical actions affect the child’s anatomy by citing Leonard Koppett’s claim that a twelve year old trying to throw a curve ball might put lot of strains on his muscles which could turn into a lifelong injury. She further insists that children playing competitive

In an article by TurboTax, it states, “The result, according to TurboTax's most recent infographic, is that youth sports are no longer an excellent opportunity for social involvement determined by passion and skill, but by the family's financial resources, sustaining a $5 billion-a-year industry. ”(TurboTax). This is relevant because competitive sports are supposed to be for fun and exercise, but the quote states youth sports depend on the money your family earns which makes youth sports not “cost friendly” which limits the type of sport a kid plays and how long they can play that sport for. The other bad parts about competitive sports, like injuries, make youth sports a waste of time and energy because it costs so much just have fun and exercise and most likely get hurt. Another example from TurboTax is, “In the United States, parents spend $671 on average per year to cover the costs of uniforms and the hefty fees charged for registration, lessons and coaching, and at least 1 in 5 ends up spending over $1,000 per child, every year.

In “Children need to play, not compete”, Jessica Statsky exposes the dangers of competitive youth sports. She claims that controlling coaches and parents “impose adult standards on children’s sports.” According to Statsky, numerous parent-funded programs would rather have a victorious team then to help players develop skills and self-esteem. She voices her concerns about all organized sports activities, clearly articulating her own view on this matter. Furthermore, she seeks to draw awareness to the physical, psychological, and other affects these activities have on young kids by providing the reader with strong examples of the unhealthy situations children in sports have experienced.“Their goals should be having fun, learning, and being with

According to all of research this is why i think that competitive sports should not be played. My first reason, is that your child can start to develope a bad attitude towards the team. Another reason, is that there is a very high risk of injuries that can happen while you are competing in a competitive sport. An injury you get, could be a life threatening and could change your whole life. My last reason to support my claim is, you're taking a lot of time and commitment to your teammates.