High Cost Of Youth Sports

Are sports beneficial or detrimental to youth? Why and how? When and where? A lot of questions have been asked either by parents or by other people who are doing this type of research. Although the physical exercise provided by sports is essential, there are many other benefits both immediate and long-term. Some state that it gives children an opportunity to play Sports and interact with other children and form social bonds and relationships but along with that it is beneficial but from the research I looked at and my own opinion, I feel that most children drop out or do not play because of lack of interest or other reasons.

Children who participate in sports are less likely to be overweight or obese, have higher self-esteem on average, and are generally more invested in their academics. Sports are oftentimes seen as a gateway to academic opportunity, particularly for kids with fewer resources. While this logic is inherently problematic, it is true that high schoolers who were involved with organized sport were more likely to be enrolled in college later on. Youth sports also give children a place to develop socially by teaching them about teamwork, leadership, and compromise. Team sports in particular can provide children with a sense of belonging to a group, and therefore increase their self-esteem and improve their social competence. There are dozens of reasons why youth sport is important and beneficial to a child’s development, and with millions of participants each year in the United States alone, it doesn’t look like youth sports will be going anywhere anytime

W In the same article by Anne Josephson(15 Reasons Competitive Sports Are Good For Kids(That have nothing to do with winning) says this exact thing. She also says it gives kids a healthier mind.With a healthier mind you can do a lot more with your everyday life, when it comes to grades, attitude, etc. In her article it also says that kids who played sports for their school were less likely to drop out of school because of education issues.This may be because not only that there minds are healthy, but that many sports are run through the schools themselves, so if they skip school or get bad grades they literally can not play.Another detail to support this is, Kirk Mango believes that with obesity on the rise it seems fitting--pun intended--for more kids to play sports and get into shape. Almost 19 million kids, ages 2-19 are obese. If all kids play competitive sports there would be a lot less obesity in this world. Youth sports could solve a problem that many people

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.

The first reason I think kids should play competitive sports is communication. Communication is one major skill you will need in order to get a job, and what is convenient about this is that competitive sports can teach you this life skill. Coaches who mainly focus on communication are teaching youth athletes how to maintain and start relationships such as, family, friends, etc. Communication is mainly (in sports) taught through “games” if you are playing a game such as soccer you will need to communicate with your team members in order to work together.. But communication is not only taught through sports it is also mainly taught through school from working on group projects to something as simple as recess or lunch. LIke I said before understanding communication and how it works is key to getting a job. In a Career Quest article “Why Communication Skills are Essential to Your Future Career” says in a employee survey that communication skills almost

Competitive sports in some cases are becoming very unhealthy for children. Most children would rather play on a losing team than sit on the bench of a winning team. Youth sports are a great idea to get children up and active, as well as improve their social skills. Just like every other thing in life it is important to practice and work hard to achieve success. However it is unhealthy to push for results over the needs or wants of the child. Aside from the mental stress that young athletes may experience from intense training and physical play long lasting injures is now a growing concern. Fact is competitive sports is a double edge sword if done right it is the greatest thing world, but if done wrong it can be very unhealthy for a child.

The purpose of this paper is to argue the fact that youth sports are not becoming too intense. After reading the New York Times article I decided to pick this topic and argue against this theory because as a division one athlete I have my own opinions. I picked three sources which can back up and prove that sports being too intense is very much your own opinion.

Positive Physical Effects. The most tangible effects on children who play sports is the effects on children’s bodies. According to the author of the book ReSYNC Your Life, Samir Becic, kids are not as injury-prone when involved in athletics because sports help to boost a child’s skeletal and muscular system (“Top 10 Benefits of Youth Sports”). Not only does a healthy, uninjured child feel better, parents also save money by not having to go to the Emergency Room as often. In Becic’s eyes, fighting obesity by keeping kids moving is another positive influence of sports (“Top 10 Benefits of Youth Sports”). Obesity is an ever-growing problem in our society, and obesity leads to multiple different health issues including heart problems. Becic explains that playing sports as a child promotes a healthy heart, which ultimately suppresses the chance of heart disease (“Top 10 Benefits of Youth Sports”). These studies show that by participating in athletics as a child, that child is likely to see their physical health improve.

Sports can be viewed as a learning environment that helps individuals learn life lessons, foster strong work habits and develop core values all the while learning a sport skill. Youth sports that truly benefit young athletes should be structured to emphasize participation more than just competition. Children enjoy a sport more when they are able to have fun (Humpries). Despite many excesses some sport programs still manage to promote important virtues like self- confidence, teamwork, personal responsibility, coping skills, and persistence. Through sports kids can learn to stay organized and learn how to prioritize (Ferguson). Sports enables development of physical skills and increasing proficiency makes kids feel good about themselves. It teaches kids that failure is something to overcome and and not to fear (Meyerhoff 8-9). Youth sports has many aspects that are truly benefiting for children, but these benefits are slowly being clouded by the negatives that are prominent in today's youth sports.

For instance, Sarah Davis, the author of “What Are the Benefits of Competitive Sports for Youth?” in her article, she argues that by playing competitive sports kids can grow to be healthier. She states,“Competitive sports can help keep kids be healthy and active as they grow,” (Davis). This shows by participating in competitive sports, kids will be more healthy and active. Also, Davis states that competitive sport prevents obesity. She claims,“It helps burn calories and help prevent obesity,” (Davis). This shows that competitive sports can help kids get in shape. In addition, Anahad O'Connor the author of “Sports promotes healthy weight in teenagers” argues in his articles that by participating in competitive sports you can reduce weight. He claims,“It is sports participation particular that makes a difference… it can reduce weight,” (O'Connor). This shows by participating in competitive sports you can reduce

Sports are a popular pastime among all ages and types of people. People not only participate in them for fun, but also for money, physical fitness, rush of competition, and for many other personal reasons. Playing sports is especially common among young people in schools. Athletics are great and enjoyable for many reasons, but there can be a point where sports participation can go too far and become negative for children and adults. Sports specialization for young people is an increasing trend that results in sports having a negative impact on individuals and society.

Atkinson, J. (2014, May 4). How parents are ruining youth sports - The Boston Globe. Retrieved November 26, 2014, from http://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2014/05/03/how-parents-are-ruining-youth-sports/vbRln8qYXkrrNFJcsuvNyM/story.html

A point of disagreement among the people whose youth play in competitive sports, is that some think they are too dangerous because the youth can get many injuries that can change their life forever. But on the other hand people think that it is a way to learn life skills and have great confidence, because they will need to know those simple key skills when they are out in the real world and have a job. Research shows, however, that competitive sports are good for youth because the children are meeting new people and they are building up their self-esteem.

Physical activity is essential for children; therefore sport participation has many physical benefits for youths (Willox, 1994). In the United States there is a very unhealthy trend of physically unfit children going on. According to a recent study by the Harvard School of Public Health seven out of ten kids in our nation are out of shape and the incidence of obesity has increased by more than 50 percent among America's children and teen since 1976 and continues to grow at a staggering rate (Metzel & Shookhoff, 2006). When children participate in sports activities they get some of the exercise they need to improve their quality of life and can help prevent children from becoming obese. Physical activity regulates obesity because it increases energy expenditure, suppresses appetite, increases metabolic rate, and increases lean body mass (Willox, 1994). Even though regular physical sport activity has been shown to improve physical fitness, it can also help in preventing many different health problems down the line that youths who participate in sports are more likely not to develop than youths who do not participate in sports. Women who participated in organized sport and fitness programs as

The first reason competitive sports are good is they improve everyone’s health. Mango thinks that exercise and physical fitness is a good thing in our country where obesity is a problem. Davis thinks it will burn calories and motivates kids to eat healthier foods. According to O’Connor obesity would plunge by 26% if kids played on two sports teams per year.