Should Kids Participate In Competitive Sports

“Are Competitive Sports Bad for Kids?” Mar 31, 2011 | By Rachel Nelson, Web, 20

Today there is an ever growing debate on whether competitive sports are beneficial or harmful to children. While many people believe that they can be harmful, in this article I will show you some of the many ways they can be helpful to kids. There are three reasons I decided to outline here; there are life lessons can be learned, sports help improve health and they help to build self-esteem and confidence.

Depending on the sport that a child participates in, most sports require physical activity. Research has shown that “physical movement can affect the brain’s physiology by increasing cerebral capillary growth, blood flow, oxygenation, growth of nerve cells in the hippocampus, neurotransmitter levels, development of nerve connections, density of neural network, and brain tissue volume” (Donaldson 4). In other words, physical exercise causes short-term relaxation, improved concentration, enhanced creativity and memory, improved mood, and enhanced problem-solving abilities. Sport can help prevent drug and alcohol abuse by teaching young athletes to be aware of their body and how it responds to different stimuli and circumstances. Athletes learn to value what their bodies can do and to maintain those abilities (Jones 2). Being an athlete gives kids an acceptable reason to say no to drugs, alcohol, and other unhealthy behaviors when offered by their peers.

Competitive sports have been apart of american culture for as long as time has existed. Nowadays, there are forty million kids who play competitive sports. These sports have a critical affect on children. They help shape children, and help determine who they are in adulthood. With forty million children playing competitive sports, people need to know whether these sports affect children for better or for worse. Well, competitive sports do have multiple beneficial effects on children. Such as it keeps children healthy physically and mentally. This is important because keeping a healthy mind and body will allow kids to do their very best. Competitive sports also reduce drug and cigarette use in children, which is significant because drugs

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.

An issue that is hotly debated is, should kids play competitive sports or not. It’s clear that the overall people feel that competitive sports are good for kids. Competitive sports teaches kids life lessons, makes them more responsible and teaches them healthy habits. Millions of American children and teenagers are overweight. This obesity epidemic has made the early onset of health problems such as diabetes, are more common. Over forty millions of boys and girls were participating in organized competitive sports in 2008, and this will help bring down the obesity rate.

The first reason that kids should not play competitive sports is that they are stressful. Kids who play competitive sports often experience stress from wanting the recognition involved with winning. According to LiveStrong, “The mounting pressure to play well can increase stress and make children feel bad and lose confidence should they make mistakes or lose” (Huggins 2017). This shows that kids want to win and be the best player on the team, which can result in stress or pressure. When kids are put on the bench or the team loses, the players may experience low self-esteem. Also, participating in a competitive sport also takes up time because of the intense training schedule that is demanded. Because of that, kids may stress about schoolwork or other activities. This can develop failing grades or other consequences. Time.com states, “Student-athletes tend to take easier classes and get lower grades than non-athletes” (Square 2015). This is important to notice because the intense schedules that the athletes have may not allow enough time for schoolwork. The schoolwork may not be completed or fully understood, which can lead to lower academic excellence and poor grades. Competitive sports are unhealthy to kids’ minds. They can cause stress and pressure, and may lead to poor grades and other academic issues.

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.

Have you ever thought about it, even a little bit what i'm talking about is if middle school kids should play competitive sports or kids shouldn’t play competitive sports well if you haven’t this will inform you.

We think kids should not play competitive sports because of physical injuries, negative effects on life, and cost. Body 1: One reason that kids should not play competitive sports is because of injuries happening way too often. For example, an article by Jacqueline Stenson states, “One of the most comprehensive surveys to date, by the Centers

Some think that kids should go out for competitive sports, but others say that kids should not go out for competitive sports. Overall it should not be a thing because people take the risk of getting a fatal injury from competitive. This doesn’t sound like a good thing but many are taking a risk with most sports having contact with one another. Many players often get injuries or have a chance of getting a concussion. There are also other ways to get physically fit or eating healthy by not taking the risk of any minor or major injuries and just choosing to be healthy. The cost is also a big factor in doing competitive sports because you may have to spend a lot of money on equipment or lessons.

An issue that is hotly debated is whether kids should play competitive sports or not. Millions of children around the United States play team sports from elementary school to colleges. Some examples of these are football, soccer, baseball, lacrosse, swimming, and softball, and there are even more. While some believe that sports can be good for kids, they actually harm children. Kids should not play competitive sports because it can lead to serious injuries, it can put stress on kids, and it can put a lot of pressure on parents.

Have you ever wondered about this question, "should middle school aged students play competitive sports?" Students in middle school should do competitive sports. There are many reasons why these students should play sports. More social life, keeps you fit, and teaches you to share team success/work.

Not everyone believes competitive sports are good for kids. Some people believe competitive sports are harmful to kids. Competitive sports are good because they improve overall health, teach life lessons, and positively impact kids lives.

I believe that sports have a positive impact on children. Sports can improve children’s health,