“All of us wish we had perfect childhoods with a mother and a father who modeled ideal parental attitudes and taught us how to internalize the tenets of self-love (Williamson).” Many of us, however, did not. There are many pressures in life, one that youth and adolescents need to worry about is the pressure surrounding performance in organized sports. The problems surrounding and the argument about pressure in sports date back to when organized youth and adolescent sports were created in the nineteenth century. When modern sports were invented in 1862, there were many great benefits of sports, such as more people staying physically active and higher grades among students who participated in sports. (“Oneida Football Club”). However, the parental …show more content…
Major issues that come with sports specialization, or picking a specific sport to only participate in, are burnout and overuse injuries. The cause of overuse injuries is quite straightforward: No relief of training. An athlete who is physically overworked and who’s rest is neglected will never have time to just rest and relax for a couple of days will have a high risk of burnout (Goldberg) “A long-lasting physical effect is overuse injuries. “An overuse injury is a microtraumatic to a bone, muscle, or tendon that has been subjected to repetitive stress without sufficient time to heal or undergo the natural healing process” (Brenner). Overuse injuries are most common in the shoulder, wrist, elbow, or knee. For example, an experiment performed regarding high school athletes showed a visible relationship between hours practicing the sport and injuries recorded. Athletes who trained over sixteen hours a week were much more likely to be injured (”Overuse”). These injuries just do not …show more content…
When youth athletes receive injuries emotionally, an amount of these youths will take substances that enhance performance. Others will just give up forever (Stenson). Children may feel forced to continue sports because of money spent, little amounts of free time, and small amounts of time with friends and family as consequences of their participation in the sport (Cumming and Ewing). Athletes who find their parents to be supportive reap the vast number of benefits of sports. People who drop out of sports and quit exercising are usually pressured by a parent in a way that is uncomfortable for the child (Cumming and Ewing). Depression can come upon a child who is pressured (Allowing Youth Sports to be Child’s Play). Remorse and depression are two terrible emotions for anyone to feel, but it is very hard on a child. Another reason children quit sports is because it was not fun for them anymore (Stenson). This usually is a red flag that parental pressure is much too strong for the child to handle. Athletes sometimes feel like that to the parent, they are just another figure or asset rather than individuals when they are forced to do a sport they dislike (Cumming and Ewing). Furthermore, when athletes are put at level where they cannot compete and constantly fail, they become extremely embarrassed. Being nervous and having and self-esteem issues can
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.
Jessica Statsky, in her essay, “Children need to Play, Not Compete” attempts to refute the common belief that organized sports are good for children. She sees organized sports not as healthy pass-times for children, but as onerous tasks that children do not truly enjoy. She also notes that not only are organized sports not enjoyable for children, they may cause irreparable harm to the children, both emotionally and physically. In her thesis statement, Statsky states, “When overzealous parents and coaches impose adult standards on children's sports, the result can be activities that are neither satisfying nor beneficial to children” (627). While this statement is strong, her defense of it is weak.
Many people believe that concussions are just a head injury that causes headaches, but it’s more than that, so much more than that! In my recent research over Concussions, more importantly, concussions due to sports related occurrences, and the side effects.
These injuries develop over time (page 13). So even if you don't practice everyday for hours on end, you are still at risk for an injury. "'I felt a sharp pain–like a knife–on my elbow, says Kellen, now 20. 'It hurt too much to play.' I sat in the dugout for the game, hoping it wasn't a big deal.' (Page 12)." This detail shows how the injury felt and how it affected him in the moment. But overuse injuries don't only affect you during the sport that caused it. They can affect your ability to walk, run or even use your hands (fine motor skills). "You could miss an entire season, end your sports career or even jeopardize your ability to do normal activities like running and jumping...they can affect your life. (Page 13)" "You are particularly vulnerable to these injuries, thanks to a growth spurt that occurs during puberty. This growth spurt creates tension and instability in the muscles and tendons, making them more fragile and more susceptible to pulls or strains. " Years of training can cause overuse injuries, "a problem plaguing teens across the country (page 14)", because our bodies are not yet ready to handle the intensity of the practice required to "go pro". But this wasn't always the case. "Youth sports are a far cry from the days when kids played mainly for fun, and and experts warn that this seismic cultural shift is harming a generation of growing bodies. (Page 13)" Because
In light of Jessica Statsky’s book ‘Children need to play, not compete’, she argued that, with the vivid increase of sporting competition lately in the United States, children have been exposed to the adults hard and rigorous training by devoted parents and coaches at their tender age making a game that is supposed to be fun and joy look hectic and strenuous to them due to the standard of training they are made to go through and also the belief that they must always win thereby making them lose the spirit of sportsmanship, and neither gaining satisfaction nor benefiting from them. In as much as sports are good for physical, mental and emotional growth, it should be organized in a manner that the youths will enjoy the game at the end of it rather than the fear of being hurt or defeated by the other competitors.
Being a professional athlete is one of the most commonly heard dreams of a young boy or girl who currently elementary school. Whether it is realistic or not, these kids will be participating in the sport that they wish to thrive in. But, time after time we hear adults complain about their child’s insane soccer schedule, or how they have to spend their whole weekend traveling for games. The parents complaints shouldn’t be the topic of discussion, in fact the only opinions that matter are the children. The question shouldn’t be asking whether or not youth sports are too intense, it should be asking if it is worth it. If a child loves what they’re doing then they have every reason to continue playing their sport, but if they are not all in, he or she has to question whether or not all the craziness is worth it.
Do you enjoy getting tackled over and over again? So then why would you let your kid get tackled over and over again? There are many benefits to sports but like all things, there have to be cons. There have been countless deaths, injuries and brain damage in football.
Depression is a mental health disorder that interferes with the physical and psychological well-being of an individual. ‘About 1 in 5 adults have a mental illness in any given year. Mental illness can begin at any age, from childhood through to later adult years, but most begin in teen life.’ (Staff, n.d.) The stress of school and the expectation that parents have for their children is high. This can put a lot of pressure on students, it can effect their everday life, work and relationships. These issues can also heavily affect adults too. Its hard enough as it is for everday people to deal with depression but when you’re an elite athlete this can be a real problem. Athletes are at risk for depression as they’re in high pressure sporting events, there’s also personal and team expectations. Individual disposition may increase bouts of mental health issues in athletes. Also the media has a big influence in the lives of athletes and can be brutal to an athlete.
With around 45 million kids enrolled in some type of organized sport, it’s clear that youth sport is a massive part of American culture. Most people remember playing a rudimentary form of soccer or basketball during elementary school, when rules weren’t too important, and having fun was the only goal. While nearly everyone can recall playing some kind of organized sport during their childhood, a very small percentage of people stick with sport beyond middle school, and even fewer go on to play after high school. The amount of children who quit organized sport during adolescence has raised questions about the psychological risks of youth sport. Youth sports in and of themselves are not an inherent problem; however, issues do arise when children are asked to take on too much at too young of an age. While there are risks associated with youth sport, organized sports also provide
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.
Sports are not for everybody, not only because of talent level, but because a certain mindset is to be had to be successful at any sport. A commitment is made. Forty hours of practice a week, the average amount of time spent practicing for football players, all for a one hour game, the average time of one game of college football, takes dedication. That is not even counting the time spent icing, resting, and studying the playbook or film, not to mention the school work to be kept up with for college and high school students. Most athletes have become used to the grind and juggling three or four time consuming activities all at one time while being successful at each. Waking up at the break of dawn, following a schedule, and suffering consequences when a bad choice is made creates character and discipline that is often needed for many little league, high school, and college athletes. The most important non tangible thing sports teach anyone is how to get back up after falling, how to get knocked down but get right back up and keep going, how to move on from failure and overcome it, focusing on the next important part of life. These skills of determination and courage taught through sports are essential for being successful in any part of life and are hard to come by anywhere
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.
Pressure in youth sports is hotly contested because people hold varying opinions on the issue. Some people argue that competitive sports put to much pressure on kids. Others argue, however, that the pressure put on kids in competitive sports is good for them. This paper will argue that competitive sports put too much pressure on kids.
hergenroeder says injuries in sports also include psychological injury as well. Young athletes should play sports for self enjoyment and to boost self-esteem and improve athletic skills. If these are not priorities in youth sports then participation in sports are potentially harmful by decreasing self-esteem, diminishing athletic skills, and discouraging additional participation in sports. Pediatricians should be aware of potential psychological issues within a young athlete and provide guidance to address them. Albert also says pediatricians should always be involved in providing medical care for children and adolescents when these patients are injured in sports participation. Albert says the overall goal of his article was to increase competency of pediatricians in sports medicine care, specificaly prevention of sports related injuries. Overall Phsycological issues should be looked at carefuly to prevent any future damage to the
Organized youth sports are extremely popular among youth and their families, with approximately 45 million children and adolescent participating in the US. There are many characteristics children can develop while playing youth sports such as confidence, self-esteem, leadership, respect, independence, assertiveness, and conflict resolution. Competition can help kids learn more, improve faster and reach a higher level of excellence than they would be able to without the ongoing challenge. Competitive sports can help keep kids active and health as they grow, and other distractions increase that may lead to an unhealthy lifestyle. People argue that it can destroy self-esteem and lead to resentment. Programs and coaches overemphasizing