Persuasive Essay: Should Kids Play Competitive Sports

Competitive sports are both physically and psychologically beneficial for youth. Physical activity can positively affect development among youth, such as self-esteem, goal setting, time management, social intelligence and leadership.

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.

The United States is a staggering thirty percent of the world’s obesity; that percentage could be reduced up to 10% if elementary aged kids participated in a sport; so be active SPC! (Janssen). One issue with elementary kids playing an organized sport is that most schools do not offer school sports until the middle school ages (6th-12th grade). Starting a sport at an early age not only is an advantage to being better at the sport when a child is older, it also increases the chances of going to college (Lindholm). High school athletes are more likely to attend college because of sports, starting sports earlier is better because they get a head start (Mandic). Elementary students playing sports opens up room for improvement.

Grace Chen, an avid education researcher and a writer, as well as an educator, states “Researchers at the institute for the Study of Youth Sports at Michigan State University report, "Kids who participate in organized sports do better in school, have better interpersonal skills, are more team oriented, and are generally healthier” (“Pros and Cons of Sports Competition at High School Level” 2015). This demonstrates that children who participate in sports do better in school, and over all have better life skills that children that aren’t in sports. This is important because school is very important if children want to have good jobs in the future and children need the life skills from sports to help in their future as well. Also Lucy Calkins, an expert in writing and reading, said “Students learn important life skills such as how to accept criticism, how to handle oneself under the pressure of competition, how to work hard toward a goal, how to win and lose graciously” (“Get Off That Couch and Play” 2014). This supports the idea that children learn life skills by sports like how to accept criticism and how to handle oneself under the pressure of competition. If someone is under a lot of pressure it is good know to what to do in that position. Furthermore, Lucy Calkins also said “Many children who compete on sports teams also experience a heightened

Do you remember when you were a kid? Playing ball in the yard with your friends or playing baseball with your dad? Or even being on a sports team? How did that effect you in your adulthood? What if you would have missed out on those building blocks? The question at hand is "Does playing sports have a more positive or more negative effect on children and teens?" Let's explore all the reasons why it does have a positive impact.

Many people argue that competitive sports raise numerous amounts of pressure on the youth making them distracted from things such as their education and because it can cause severe injuries, but some people argue that youth should play competitive sports because it teaches major life lessons that can help with many different aspects of their future such as college, getting a job, and many more. Playing competitive sports also improves your physical strength, another physical aspect of playing competitive sports is decreasing your chance of being obese or having disease. If you don't prefer to play competitive sports there are alternative options such as biking or walking to school. In an HT Health article “Sports Seen As Key Weapon in Fighting Teen Obesity” it says that in a study with 1,700 kids, ten percent walked or biked to school 3 ½ days a week,, in the study they found that biking or walking to school lowered the risk of being obese by 33%. I argue that kids should play competitive sports because of the important life skills taught through these sports and the physical benefit of playing sports. In this paper I will explain how communication, time management, and lowering the risk of being obese; supports my claim, “Kids should play competitive sports”

Dating back to 1892, a new threshold in American sports history was achieved. The Allegheny Athletic Association had defeated the Pittsburgh Athletic Club. More importantly, William Heffelfinger was paid $500 to participate on the AAA team, thus birthing Professional Football. As the years passed, American Football has seen an exponential progression, including the introduction of children’s football associations. While there is a numerous group of parents who have no problem with their child being involved in football, recent revelations would begin to grow concern in some. It is because of this we must ask, should parents disallow their children from participating in football, or should they focus on the more positive benefits that the organized sport could have?

Sports help our youth later on in life. America is struggling with an obesity crisis and sports help lower

From 2008 to 2015, the amount of 13 to 17 year olds that play sports, organized or unorganized, fell from 42.7% to 39.3%, according to an annual survey by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (2015). Normal physical activity benefits health, and it also helps kids develop and improve their cognitive skills. Technology is keeping kids off the field. Parents are also worried about injuries, however, most injuries are preventable. Playing sports is good for the health of kids, it keeps them off technology, and most injuries are avoidable.

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.

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.

Sports are fun for people of all ages and it’s no secret that sports are good for your health. There are many reasons why people decide to play a sport, but one of those main reasons is because sports help to promote a healthy individual. “Regular exercise increases quality of life. Children who exercise are more likely to continue the practice into adulthood.” (McEntie, 2006) Playing sports can cause long-term weight loss and can help to prevent weight gain. Those who want to lose a massive amount of weight can achieve their goals by playing sports. Participating in sports can improve many things such as heart, lungs, and even blood vessels. Playing sports can reduce the risk of colon cancer, and increase bone mass. According to McEntire (2006) “They also are less likely to be overweight”(p.3). Yes sports help

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

Sports may help improve children’s overall health. Many people against youth sports might say that participating in sports has a high risk of injury. This is not correct; children have a much less chance of injury as that of an adult. However I believe that sports can improve children’s health.