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Persuasive Essay: Should Kids Play Competitive Sports

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When you talk about competitive sports, what do you think of? Soccer, track, basketball? Well, these are all good examples. All sports keep you healthy, are all about learning from your mistakes, and most of all, putting in your best effort. Athletes learn determination, that they cannot always be the best, and that they need to be prepared to fail. According to Tommy Lasorda, a former Major League baseball player, “The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person’s determination.” The most important thing when kids play competitive sports is that they need to be determined to do their best. However, sports do not only give kids benefits physically but also mentally. Kids should play competitive sports because there are …show more content…

It can help them maintain a healthier weight and they will be at a lesser chance of having obesity problems. In fact, according to “Sports Promote Healthy Weight In Teenagers”, “They calculated that if all adolescents played on at least two sports teams per year — in other words, one team per season — obesity rates would plunge 26 percent and the prevalence of overweight adolescents would fall by 11 percent” (O’Connor). This is significant because if teens just make an effort to play two sports a year, obesity rates will go down drastically. Additionally, the article “What Are the Benefits of Competitive Sports For Youth” explains that kids will also be encouraged to eat nutritious foods and have a better diet which will enhance their ability to play (Davis). Consuming wholesome foods will result in kids having sustained energy for longer periods of time, while sugary foods will just give kids high and low periods of energy. More energy will mean that kids are more focused while playing the game, proving that competitive sports and physical health are …show more content…

It will teach lessons such as ‘you cannot win every time’ and steer them away from bad behavior. For example, the article “4 Proven Ways That Playing Sports Benefit Your Child” says, “They found that 80 percent of these studies showed that youth were less likely to use illicit drugs when they were involved in sports, and drug use was lower overall among athletes, especially during high school” (Fadden). This illustrates that sports do contribute to keeping kids away from negative influences in school and in their overall life. Not only this, according to “Facts: Sports Activity and Children”, sports are “...teaching discipline or dedication (81%), teaching how to get along with others (78%), mental health (73%), social life (65%), skills to help in future schooling (56%), and skills to help in a future career (55%), according to a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation/Harvard/NPR survey in 2015” (“Facts: Sports Activity”). This highlights how playing sports helps kids in elevating their social skills and are tools for them to become better individuals in the present, for the future, and in every area of their lives. Competitive sports influence the actions of kids and can even teach them key life

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