Negative Effects Of Sports Participation In Sports

“Why Are Sports Beneficial to Kids?” Aug 9, 2010 | By JeffErmann, Web, 20 Mar.

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

While Millington and Wilson focus on a specific demographic, Messener et al. (1993) focus and compare the effects of sports

The impact of preserving sports in high schools has been surrounded by much controversy as people suspect that it is the reason behind the poor academic achievement of students. Opponents to high school sports feel that allowing athletics to be a part of schools sidetracks the focus of the student body, which goes completely against the main purpose of schools. Indeed, this assertion is completely true and based upon plentiful evidence. High school sports undoubtedly come at the expense of student academic achievement since they divert the attention of students away from academics and they come with far too many financial costs, both of which incur negative impacts on the academics within a school. The bottomline is that sports are harming the education of students, so a school must make the decision between composing quality sports teams or providing high level academics; both of these choices simply cannot occur simultaneously.

Many youth sports are part of community organized after-school programs. There are many different types of these programs such as T-Ball, Little League Baseball, Pop Warner Football, soccer, martial arts, cheerleading, and so forth. “There are over 40 million youth participating in organized sports, and both girls and boys have a dazzling array of choices and can play a sport year round” (Le Menestrel and Perkins 13). Communities use youth sport as an outlet to encourage social activity, a healthy lifestyle, and skill development for that particular sport. For example, “Participation in organized sports can provide opportunities for youth to learn more about specific skills and exercises associated with a particular sport” (Perkins and Noam 76). These programs offer opportunities to boost skills and connect positively with others. Without these activities, parents will have to find another developmental setting that may not give similar or beneficial outcomes as those of organized youth sport. Studies found that, “Sports

Contact sports such as soccer, hockey, lacrosse, basketball, and football have become popular activities for children to have fun and relieve stress they often face from school. The participation of sports has been closely related with improved physical, social, and mental health. Examples may include enhanced self-esteem, lower probability of teen suicide, higher rates of high school graduation, and reduced use of drugs and tobacco. Although the participation in sports may lead to future health

i. In the article “ The Impact of Sports on Adolescent Development” published in Forum on Public Policy in 2013, D.C Jack conducted a study that found

Sports teach important life lessons such as teamwork, discipline, leadership and time-management that benefit males and females alike. Women who participate in sports are more likely to have a higher self esteem, positive body image, better physical and mental health and greater educational success. Youth who participate in athletics learn positive social behaviors, have better academic performance and have lower participation rates in destructive decisions such as drugs, alcohol and pregnancy. The number of positive

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.

Studies show that children need at least an hour of physical activity a day, and with athletics they can easily achieve this. Exercising regularly leads to a healthy weight and body mass and has been shown to improve memory retention, result in better moods, less stress, and even increase focus and concentration levels(Aiu In Online Learning). Teens who are involved in sports are less likely to spend time playing video games, watching TV, and other electronics and more time being active (10 reasons). Studies show that students who aren’t involved in extracurricular activities are 49% more likely to use drugs, and 37% more apparent to becoming teen parents, and students who take part in sports are less likely to participate in unsafe and risky activities, leading to a healthier lifestyle. Children’s health would be at a risk if schools all across America were to start cutting sports

“Juvenile crime is on the rise, becoming more sophisticated, and Kids are beginning these behaviors at a younger age” (Wickliffe “Introduction”). Many studies have shown that children who are interested in sports are less likely to commit these crimes. Although having children involved in sports does not guarantee that they will stray away from criminal behavior, it does however, reduce the chances of them becoming involved. The earlier that children are involved in sports the better, because they could find that they truly enjoy them and wish to continue through middle and high school. A lifelong love of sports as a deterrent to less desirable behavior is something that society would like to promote. Teens who are involved in an extra-curricular activity like a sport are less likely to get in trouble, get better grades, and even live an overall healthier life (Servers “Reducing the Juvenile Delinquency Rate through Sports”).

Sports psychology research has shown that girls gain confidence and self-esteem through participation in sport and physical activity. (USADA). Girls and young women engaged in sport are less likely to be overweight or obese, depressed, smoke, use illicit drugs, or have unwanted teen pregnancies. For instance, in order to win the game, sport player will discuss with their partner and use their experiences to figure the easy way, so the more they think and discuss, the more they get an idea and experience in life. In the article, “The Case against High Schools Sports,” Ripley says, “When I surveyed about 200 former exchange students last year, in cooperation with an international exchange organization called AFS, nine out of 10 foreign students who had lived in the U.S. said that kids here cared more about sports than their peers back home did.” It is true that students do love sport than any others because sports will make them feel relief and feel better and when they feel good, they will of course do thing faster such as school work. Sports is part of the brain

Organized youth sports are extremely common among youth and their families, with nearly 45 million children and adolescent participating in the US. There are many characteristics children can develop while playing sports such as confidence, self-esteem, and leadership. Competition can help kids improve learning and reach greater levels of excellence than they would be able to without the ongoing challenge. Competitive sports can also help keep kids active and healthy as they grow, along with decreasing other distractions that may lead to an unhealthy lifestyle. People argue that competitive sports can destroy self-esteem and lead to dissatisfaction. Children can learn to hate sports and physical activity, fear taking risks or trying new things, are scared to fail or make a mistake, and start to believe that winning is the most important thing in life. Programs and coaches that overemphasize winning, early specialization, stress, and overuse injury are all problems in youth sports. This paper examines the positives and negative aspects of competitive youth sports such as skills gained, lifestyle changes, lowered obesity rates, early specialization, untrained coaches, increasing injury rates, and my own personal experiences throughout sports.

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.