Playing True Sport

Contact Sports and Degenerative Brain Disease Kayla Roides Caledonia-Mumford Abstract This paper connects contact sports with degenerative brain diseases. It also shows that CTE is not only connected to football because of the continuous tackling inducing trauma to the brain, but also soccer where heading the ball can often cause brain damage. This is

The Controversies in Youth Travel Teams Participation in youth sports in the United States is on the rise. “Organized youth sports are highly popular for youth and their families, with approximately 45 million children and adolescent participants in the US” (Merkel, 2013). There are many benefits for children that can be attributed to sports such as: physical activity, learning motor skills, sense of belonging, stress relief, and many more. With childhood obesity on the rise recreational sports has never been needed more than it is today. “Over the past three decades, the incidence of obesity in children has tripled, with one of every three children being affected” (Merkel, 2013). Obesity has many long-term health problems related to it such as: diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure cancer, asthma. We can attribute this health problem to changes in our society over like increased technology, increased crime rates, fast food and isolated suburban neighborhoods. Sports and other physical activities are needed to keep children from causing further damaged to their future.

Pros of Youth Sports 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.

High school sports also has a benefit to an athlete's physical health. Today’s teens are exposed to a great amount of entertainment avenues such as television, video games, and other media devices. These things allow teens to be lazy. Young people generally get less physical activity as they get older. By being physically active it can help prevent obesity. The experience of sports, exercise, and kinesthetic activities helps boost teens’ bodies. Involvement in sporting activities keeps teens moving and and keeps them engaged physically which is vital for their overall health and

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”

Physical activity also has benefits for children's social and emotional development and cognitive development. These benefits include being part of a team and making friends through group sports, which have a major impact on social and emotional development. The effect of obesity on children is closely linked to many bad health habits such as diet, smoking and drug use which in turn can affect a child's academic performance (Goran et al., 1999). Physical activity, if encouraged at a young age, can reduce the likelihood of children developing these behaviours and focus on their academic performance and cognitive development. As children in this age range are in their fundamental development stage, it is important that educators and parents alike, teach children about the importance of physical activity at a young age in order to prevent health and social well-being problems in their adult years.

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

In 2008, 30.2% of youth ages 6 to 12 were active to a healthy level through sports(“Facts”). This shows that some kids are getting the minimum amount of physical activity. To raise this level, all kids should include sports in their daily life. All kids should be engaged in sports. Regular activity is required for good health and high school athletes are more likely to attend college.

Tony's Response Exercise can have a positive and negative outcomes in someone's life. Getting the right amount of physical activity can lead to a better change and difference. In the article "Why Exercise May Do a Teenage Mind Good," Patti Neighmond states,"in the survey, researchers found that teenagers who took part in organized sports had a more positive self-image and greater self-esteem than teens who were not physically active"(6). With that being stated, kids or teens who are in a sport tend to be more active, also that it can build self- confidence. With self-confidence, children will not have to worried about speaking or interacting with others that they may not know.

Sports may not be all that good for children. Some people might say that sports can cause injury, children won’t get a chance to play if they are not very good, or children may be made fun of for lacking skill in that particular sport. I believe that participating in

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

Physical activity has not only physical benefits. It also has a very big impact on social-emotional and cognitive aspects of child’s live. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “The development of a physically active lifestyle is a goal for all children. Traditional team and competitive sports may promote healthy activity for selected youth. Individual sports, noncompetitive sports, lifetime sports, and recreational activities expand the opportunity for activity to everyone. The opportunity to be active on a regular basis, as well as the enjoyment and competence gained from activity, may increase the chances that a physically active lifestyle will be adopted.”

Millions of American children and teenagers are overweight. Over past three decades the incidence of obesity in children has tripled. Abundance of time spent in front of screens and limited access to recess, physical education, and afterschool programs. Sports can help promote physical fitness, health, and even nutrition among our children. Children who are obese often experience a diminished quality of life, learning difficulties, decreased self-confidence, and social discrimination. Participating in competitive youth sports burns calories, controls weight, reduces fat, prevent or delays the development of high blood pressure and helps to prevent adult obesity. Children who are active in sports are motivated to eat healthier foods, such as fruits and vegetables. Youth sports have been shown to break the vicious cycle of inactivity and unhealthy lifestyles by improving caloric expenditure, increasing time spent away from entertainment media, and minimizing unnecessary snacking.

Sports Education of Today In today’s society children are increasingly becoming less active. Lack of physical activity in childhood leads to obesity, can increase one’s risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, asthma, arthritis, and poor health status. Physical inactivity also increases one’s risk for dying prematurely, dying of heart disease, and colon cancer. Technology and video games have become a major factor in this and have seemed to take over and control lives of many children. Less children are involved with sports and few play outside. The lack of physical activity as a child, can pay huge dividends in the child’s health, into his/her adulthood.

A recent study conducted in 2012 regarding the highest rates of obesity in the world found that the UAE is actually ranked 5th (Saberi, 2012).This is due to several factors, mainly including the lack of support for sports programs operating in educational intuitions by the UAE community, including the government