Playing Up Research Paper

Youth sports are being questioned by the public as being too intense. One of the reasons for this is that sport specialization is up to a record high 25 percent(Sirs). This means that one in every four people are only playing one sport which can lead to injuries and psychological issues. Another issue is injuries in youth sports. Most specifically football is being researched intensely for head injuries that can hurt the children for the rest of their lives. Even though some believe that youth sport programs should be less intense they still believe that all sports are helping the youth grow up to be leaders for the next generation. Although many believe youth sports programs

Youth sports are continuing to be shifted into adult standards, by promoting victory while risking injury. Kids do not have the same physical capabilities of professional athletes on television, yet some parents insist that their kids continue playing extremely harmful sports at a violent level of play. Young athletes should not put constant strain on developing bones and muscles. For example, in baseball, a twelve-year-old trying to throw a curveball puts constant strain on the elbow’s ligaments, and may cause

Competitive sports in some cases are becoming very unhealthy for children. Most children would rather play on a losing team than sit on the bench of a winning team. Youth sports are a great idea to get children up and active, as well as improve their social skills. Just like every other thing in life it is important to practice and work hard to achieve success. However it is unhealthy to push for results over the needs or wants of the child. Aside from the mental stress that young athletes may experience from intense training and physical play long lasting injures is now a growing concern. Fact is competitive sports is a double edge sword if done right it is the greatest thing world, but if done wrong it can be very unhealthy for a child.

SHOULD EXECPTIONALLY TALENTED YOUNG ATHLETES BE ALLOWED TO PLAY PROFESSIONAL SPORTS WHEN THEY ARE STILL IN THEIR EARLY TEENS EVEN IF THEY HAVE TO MOVE AWAY FROM HOME AND LEAVE SCHOOL?

In their article, Bruce Kelley and Carl Carchia give a multitude of reasons why many kids aren’t cut out for sports. For example, they said, “Nervous types appalled by the incessant yelling by adults from the sidelines can be excused for believing that all the competition turns off as many kids as it turns on. Sabo found that 45 percent of the students in his survey who started a sport had quit it. Yet as you can see, the reasons for quitting aren't that youth sports are necessarily bad” (“Hey, data, data—Swing!,” 2013). This demonstrates that while some children can thrive off of the pressure put on them, some find it mentally taxing. Additionally, as pointed out by Jacqueline Stenson in her article, “Pushing Too Hard Too Young,” “Kids with a strong internal drive may thrive on the competition. But the pressure can be too much for others, particularly grade-schoolers who aren't as equipped to deal with the stress as older athletes” (2013). This suggests that if too much stress is put on them, children can become extremely uncomfortable while playing sports, and might even start hating sports because of it. Correspondingly, Jacqueline Stenson mentions in her article that “Not only are these youngsters at risk for emotional burnout,

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.

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.

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.

Coaches should be required to give equal playing time to kids 13 and under because studies have shown that “70% of children are dropping out of organized sports by the age of 13” (Sullivan). There are multiple reasons for why this is happening. The kids could be finding new things that interest them more for example, but one of the reasons is because they’re sitting the bench, not getting playing time. A reason for the coach benching them is because they might be underdeveloped and not the best player so the coaches try to mandate their playing time. In an article, by an anonymous writer the person states that “If kids are on a team, and they never get to play meaningful minutes or get pulled out after any mistake, they are going to quit!” (Sullivan). This is true. Who wants to sit on the bench and be forced to watch your other teammates play. How are kids supposed to develop a real world view of the game? How are they supposed to improve?

Despite such an increased concern for this topic many people are aware of the possible implications of placing their children in football or playing the game themselves yet they still continue to do so. Many players are told from a young age to simply be tough and suck it up, “[…] youth profess that the game and the team are more important than their individual health and they may play through a concussion to avoid letting down their teammates, coaches, schools and parents” (Breslow,

When most kids play for typical leagues whether they are fun leagues or competitive leagues injuries can happen. The injury rate is slightly higher then children with sedentary lifestyles. Studies have shown that children that are not exposed to sports are less likely to play them later in their adolescence. This country has a growing epidemic of overweight youth. Children subconsciously about fitness in a fun manner. Active kids typically remain active throughout their life

Children will possibly play on teams with new kids. This lets them branch out, make new friendships and bond with others as they learn to work together. Putting a child in sports early on will prepare them for the high level of play as an athlete when they are older. There is only a greater risk for serious injury when they get older due their size, as they will get taller, and their weight as it will increase. This will cause a greater impact then, than it will now, as children are not strong enough to cause a severe injury to other players.

“BOOM SHAKALAKA” hollered the announcer at the top of his lungs. Every time an shocking race had been completed in the finals session and a record was broken he hollered that. And He should have especially for this race… I won’t say that I thought it wouldn’t happen in front of my eyes but how was it possible at all, much less in front of my eyes.

So that might be the reason why some kids, leagues, and coaches are to competitive because they don’t know the percentage of players that go and play in the big leagues, where winning actually matters. Playing any sport is good for any kid, but doing it right will lead to a better experience.

Also Robert Glatter says, “We all want our children to be healthy and enjoy activities--including sports--that lead to fulfillment and improve their happiness. Playing team sports is an important part of the process of socialization and learning how to work together to achieve a goal, not to mention a way to stay fit and healthy.”(Robert Glatter) Not only does child’s happiness increase but so does their health. They will stay active, strong, and healthy. To go along with all of this, an anonymous author from the article “Why parents should push their kids to play in team sports” states, “One of the good things about sports is that many bad things will happen. Games will be lost. Injuries incurred. Your child might be benched, demoted, or not perform up to his/her abilities. Your child might hate his/her coach and feel that he or she is incapable or unfair. And all of this will be good. Responding, adapting and dealing with all of this will