Review of Related Literature The focus of this chapter of related literature regarding an examination of the effects of athletic participation on student athletes. The discussion of this examination will be presented in the following order: (1) disadvantages and advantages of parental involvement; (2) disadvantages of athletic participation and (3) benefits of athletic participation. Disadvantages and Advantages of Parental Involvement There are several research studies that support the disadvantages and advantages of parental involvement in athletic participation. According to Hellstedt (1990), parents may create high levels of pressure, while under-involved parents do not provide enough support to facilitate a child’s desire to participate. But those parents who are moderately involved seem to provide just the right balance not only to facilitate enjoyment, but also to challenge the child to continue to grow and develop his/her skills (Hellstedt, 1990). Without support, especially financial and emotional, it would be very difficult for a child to be able to participate. However, the pressure felt from the parent who is over-involved could easily take out all the enjoyment of playing sports (Hellstedt, 1990). According to Donna Merkel (2013), the challenges faced by adults who are involved in youth sports, from parents, to coaches, to sports medicine providers, are multiple, complex, and varied across ethnic cultures, gender, communities, and socioeconomic levels. It
Parents that enjoy or even succeeded in athletic events more often then not want to see their child participate in that sport. It sometimes can be overwhelming for a kid to try and live up to a parent's expectations or dreams. In some cases the child isn’t physically athletic or simply does not want to play any sports. In today’s world we make it seem like there are no other activities a child can participate in. Despite the chances of your kid enjoying the sport parents should not force their kids to participate in athletic events because it can cause your child stress, or leave your child overall unhappy.
In conclusion, the benefits of sports cannot be denied. There is no doubt that interscholastic athletics in high schools are generally good for student’s mind and health. It is the mental and conceptual area that many use to support the importance of participation in competitive sports, something many can wholeheartedly agree with. It is also the same area that some point to when behavior exhibited by some athletes does not seem to support what is believed they should be learning. As with anything, however, one can only get out of something what one puts in. Athletics also provides social benefits and center on concepts such as cooperation, teamwork, and friendships. All of which can also benefit them in school and the workplace. Physical benefits
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.
Occasionally in some athletes’ lives, the parents pick the sport their child participates in. They may do this because they want to envision themselves and their child participating. Athletes’ parents push them to go to practice and games, and they end up quitting due to the parents “gap between the child’s desire to have fun and the misguided notion among some adults that their kids’ games are a miniature version of grown-up competitions, where the goal is to win (Atkinson). This problem can lead to psychological and anxiety issues in children. If a child believes they have to be the best, but they physically and emotionally can’t, it can make the relationship between the parent and child distant and not as strong. Parents hope to see their children in the professional sports; however, only “one in six thousand high school football players will make it to the NFL” (Atkinson). With these statistics, the odds are very low for athletes to make it that far, and parents pushing their children to be that .0001 chance can stress a kid out and strain their academics. In bigger schools, it is more competitive to be on a school sports team, which can cause heartbreak if an athlete does not make the team, but the parent can take it to a whole new level believing that the child did not work hard enough. This can sometimes lead to the student being punished, with
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.
In recent studies, there is a proven fact that the participation of youth sports is plummeting; more than 70% of adolescents quit sports by the age of 13, and the cause: parents. The young athlete’s psychological state is at risk due to the fact that parents beat up on their children and make them quit because of the reassurance of their failures and inability to pursue their dreams due to their parents negative focus. Michael S. Rosenwald, author of “Are Parents Ruining Youth Sports? Fewer Kids Play Amid Pressure” explains that if “we reinvented youth sports from scratch by putting the physical and emotional of kids needs first.” In other words, the author implies that the child’s voice is never heard over the overbearing parent as they continue to push their child to their breaking point, never acknowledging the fact that children are suffering mentally. The child’s mental health is never questioned because “no parent wants to unilaterally disarm and acknowledge that the system is broken,” meaning the parents avoid the situation. But even so, this relationship is sensitive because the child can never fully escape the parent, without the proper communication techniques and respect between the two, the parent will continue to overshadow the child and the self confidence will continue to
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.
In the past 30 years, the direction of sports within the youth has drastically changed. In the past, young athletes aimed to play in several sports. Now, athletes focus themselves in one single sport and year-round extensive training has been encouraged by most adults in a young athlete’s life whether they are a parent or a coach. Allowing the youth to participate in sports is frequently considered “a great way to develop leadership skills” and “an appreciation for individual and team accomplishments” (Sailor). Along with the rise of Sport Specialization, concerns pertaining to a child’s physical and psychological health have begun to increase as well. Early Sport Specialization may lead to greater risks in a child’s life such as injuries,
It’s been debated that having kids participate in sports can be either a positive or negative factor in a child’s development. Is participating in sports a positive outcome in a youth’s development? Through my own personal experience and through the research that I have conducted I believe that participating in sports is a true benefit to a child’s development. Participating in sports can contribute to a healthy individual, developing problem-solving skills, social interaction, promotes following direction and rules, goal setting and creating plans, promotes self-esteem, reduces stress, helps academic success, and a higher quality of life.
How can sports help a student’s performance in school? To be able to play sports in school, students need to maintain their grades, thus motivating learners to do well in school (Harris). In addition, a sport allows a person to come out of their comfort zone to meet new people and build up their self-image. Athletes also experience positive health benefits. Especially at a young age, playing sports can help to reduce diabetes, heart diseases, and other sickness that could be very harmful to students (Morris). Sports is something all students should participate in because of its positive effects. Therefore, schools should require students to join at least one sport. Participating in sports will help students build their academic success, develop character and improve their
When considering enjoyment, known factors that affect the participation for youth sport participants are motivational climate and coaching behaviors. . The very first coach that a child encounter plays a very important role in the child’s sports life. In fact, the first coach a child encounters can be the determinant if the child will return to participating in the sport or not. Coaches need to motivate the children to play and continue athletic involvement. However, there are numerous external factors that are involved in the child’s sports life such as: peers, academics, parents, anxiety, and of course the relationship between the coach and the athlete.
These days, there is too much pressure on children who participate in organized sports because of the unnecessary parental involvement they experience. A growing concern amongst those involved in youth sports is that certain aspects of parental involvement become detrimental to the development and experiences of young athletes. Early emphasis on winning, making money, and the disruption of education can exceedingly affect ones desire to further participate in a sport later on in his/her life.
Sports and the general physical activities have been associated with a plethora of benefits. Not so much in correlation with education though. The debate on sports and academic performance relates as to whether sports affect academic performance positively or negatively. Mostly, academics, especially in high school and colleges, require an enormous time commitment. In the same way, sports demand time commitment. Apparently, academics and sports run linearly and either would consume the time of the other. Such would be the argument put forth by the claimants of the negative effects of sports on academic performance. The opponents to the positive correlation of sports and academic performance ground their arguments largely on the time commitment that the two require claiming that sports would consume a student’s time for study hence affecting their academic performance. Proponents of a positive correlation between sports and academic performance summon an extensive range of evidence showing that students who participate in sports perform well in academics. The proponents’ arguments are fetched from the proven benefits of exercise which improve a student’s overall well-being and motivate their academic performance. Opponents would, however, argue that the studies that find athletes and sports persons good at academics do not show how such correlations occur in that other factors could be the actual causes of the correlation and not sports in themselves. Regardless, opponents to the claim that sports affect academic performance positively cannot deny that sports affect the overall well being of any human being. As such, there is no denying that sports affect academic performance positively where a balance among the two is maintained.
Youth sports are an incredibly healthy way for kids to grow and release energy. Children in preschool can begin to take part in sports like dance and soccer, and as they grow older, the lists of sports gets longer. However, there are negatives of sports that are often not talked about by parents, coaches, schools, or the media. As a result, stigmatization occurs, leaving children struggling with sports to suffer alone. With youth sports, elevated levels of stress occur, and as a consequence, mental health can decline. Youth sports can have an adverse psychological effect on young athletes and it is an effect that can be damaging for children for their entire lives.
youth sports is not always a positive one. Some of the influencing factors include: the participation of parents in youth sports programs, the suggestion by coaches, parents and