Pros And Cons Of Youth Sports

Benefits of Youth Sports“Sports do not build character. They reveal it,” said John Wooden, legendary UCLA basketball coach. Playing sports not only provides physical activity, but also other positive benefits. This is especially true for children. A well-structured and organized youth program will provide benefits and positive experiences for young athletes. While children are having fun participating in sports they are also building character, learning to work as a team, and playing fairly. Most people think the only benefits of sports are physical. Sports are more than just developing hand-eye coordination and burning calories, youth sports provide many developmental benefits, physical benefits, and psychological benefits.

Over the last two decades the growth of youth sports has reflected the popularity of professional sports in our society. Sporting events and news are available to the public twenty-four hours a day on television and radio: sports are an enormous industry. The outstanding popularity of the sports industry has profoundly affected youth sports organizations. An estimated twenty-five million children age six through eighteen participate in at least one school or community based athletic program. These numbers increase exponentially as the age of boys and girls entering sports keeps falling. In order to supervise, teach and manage these athletes about 2.5 million coaches spend an average of eighty

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.

Many youth sports are part of community organized after-school programs. There are many different types of these programs such as T-Ball, Little League Baseball, Pop Warner Football, soccer, martial arts, cheerleading, and so forth. “There are over 40 million youth participating in organized sports, and both girls and boys have a dazzling array of choices and can play a sport year round” (Le Menestrel and Perkins 13). Communities use youth sport as an outlet to encourage social activity, a healthy lifestyle, and skill development for that particular sport. For example, “Participation in organized sports can provide opportunities for youth to learn more about specific skills and exercises associated with a particular sport” (Perkins and Noam 76). These programs offer opportunities to boost skills and connect positively with others. Without these activities, parents will have to find another developmental setting that may not give similar or beneficial outcomes as those of organized youth sport. Studies found that, “Sports

Specific Purpose: to persuade people to have their children play sports as a youth Thesis: Every kid should play youth sports because the benefits from playing are far too great to pass up. Introduction I. Across the US there are 36,000,000 kids between the ages of 5 and 18 who play organized sports each year. II. With a nearly infinite amount of different sports and leagues to choose from, there’s something out there for everyone.

Youth sports are like violent attack. Some kid may tackle you or harm you. You can never trust anyone. Studies have shown that youth sports had a significant impact on the health of children all through their life. The texts “Youth sports -- too dangerous? / Are youth sports too harmful?” by Tony Cooper, “The Psychology of Youth Sports” by Marilyn Price-Mitchell Phd, and “Many kids are overdoing it when it comes to sports, and that’s dangerous” by Ryan Basen convey that youth sports have become a huge issue, as more and more children are getting injured and harmed everyday. Youth sports may seem like fun activities that build social interaction and make them personable but, can be harmful since many children can end up in the hospital due to

Many parents wonder how their children are spending time after school. They are concerned about what they are doing at home, at the mall, with their friends, or during time spent alone. Others worry about their children's health or their tendency to be overweight, something that can cause them to be the object of ridicule. There is one good solution to many of their concerns, and it involves physical activity that is the result of being involved in sports. Youth Sports are important to keep kids healthy and out of trouble.

Youth sports are important for a variety of reason. They provide students with physical, psychological, academic, and social benefits. Some psychological benefits of sport include gaining self-esteem from intrinsic motivation, developing social skills, leadership skills, and teamwork. Another important psychological benefit includes avenues for young people to take initiative, meaning that they can commit energy to a goal over time. This can transfer over many areas including school, work, and sport. There are also academic benefits. These benefits include but are not limited to ties with physical activity and a higher

Organized youth sports are one of the most popular activities in the US and have been for many years. There are approximately 45 million children who play youth sports. [Merkel] This number translates to about 75% of families have at least one child who participates in an organized sport. [Gajula] The most common reasons for children choosing to play a sport are to: have fun, learn new skills, and make new friends. The reasons for parents placing their child in sports are so: their children can compete against others, receive a challenge and strive to be better, and to set winning as a goal for sports and for life. Other important benefits are building good character, obtaining confidence and high self-esteem within themselves, earning respect and leadership roles and skills, acquiring assertiveness, and learning how to deal with conflict.

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.

Rochelle M Eime et al. also found out that, “ Parents reported benefits for their children in personal and in social development from sports participation.” (15). It has been proven that participating in activities, such as sports, can help develop social skills. I met most of my friends through sports and some of the best things that I have been apart of have come through sports. “ Social benefits included: positive relationships with coaches, making new friends, and developing teamwork” Rochelle M Eime et al. (15). “ Personal benefits included children being emotionally controlled, enjoying exploration, having confidence and discipline, performing well academically, managing their weight and being kept busy” Rochelle M Eime et al. (16). I believe playing sports at a young age is extremely beneficial and helps children develop themselves much faster. Studies have shown that children involved in sports had higher development outcomes. “ Liner et al. (2009) found that, “participation in sport and other organised activities had the greatest youth development outcomes, and low involvement in organised activities outside of school was associated with less positive development across the board (41). Children who are not involved in any organized activities have a higher chance of getting over weight and not getting out of the house to get any physical

Livestrong.com states, “According to The Center for Kids First, 30 million to 40 million children get involved in organized sports in the course of a year. However, between the purchasing of equipment and uniforms and driving kids to games and practices, parents may wonder if statistics prove benefits or drawbacks to sports participation.” (Wilson, 2013) Although some may think that sports are dangerous and stressful, imagine what would happen to the world without the Super Bowl, World Cup, and competitive sports. It is clear that adolescents should be able to play competitive sports because they keep kids active, mirror life problems, and show our true talents that God has given us.

When kids participate in a sports they will learn the lessons they will need throughout their whole life. Kids will understand and get taught discipline, commitment, and dedication. Sports will definitely help kids grow better emotionally. Kids will need to learn these lessons eventually, and sports would be the best way to show them; kids learn the most when they are having fun. It goes without saying, children will definitely be a whole new person after participating in a sport because they will always try in everything they do all the time. The days of repetition in a sport will help the kids learn the skills they need when competing for anything whether another sport or even in class. When they have to dedicate their time to what they love they will learn to value the discipline. It is better to learn these amazing life skills at a young age rather than an adult. The sooner children learn the more they will succeed. Children will learn commitment and how to commit

Sports can help improve children’s self confidence. Some people against youth sports might say that children can get made fun for lacking skill in that particular sport. However I believe this is false because all the children work as a team. It doesn’t matter if children win or lose, all that matters is that they’re having fun. I believe that participating in sports can improve children’s self confidence. Sports can improve feelings about themselves by 85% (Doc 1). When adolescents play sports they feel as though they are a part of something important. As a result children are left feeling self-confident.

One must admit that there are some downfalls to youth sports. Parents place a lot of pressure on youth athletes, the injury rate has increased greatly, and sports are lopsided compared to other extra curricular activities. However, there are many parents realizing their mistakes and help their kids have a fun experience in sports. Same schools are investing in safer equipment. Schools are realizing that lopsidedness of sports, and acknowledging other activities as well.