Sports Can Help Keep Teens Out Of Mischief

Children who participate in sports are less likely to be overweight or obese, have higher self-esteem on average, and are generally more invested in their academics. Sports are oftentimes seen as a gateway to academic opportunity, particularly for kids with fewer resources. While this logic is inherently problematic, it is true that high schoolers who were involved with organized sport were more likely to be enrolled in college later on. Youth sports also give children a place to develop socially by teaching them about teamwork, leadership, and compromise. Team sports in particular can provide children with a sense of belonging to a group, and therefore increase their self-esteem and improve their social competence. There are dozens of reasons why youth sport is important and beneficial to a child’s development, and with millions of participants each year in the United States alone, it doesn’t look like youth sports will be going anywhere anytime

In conclusion, the benefits of sports cannot be denied. There is no doubt that interscholastic athletics in high schools are generally good for student’s mind and health. It is the mental and conceptual area that many use to support the importance of participation in competitive sports, something many can wholeheartedly agree with. It is also the same area that some point to when behavior exhibited by some athletes does not seem to support what is believed they should be learning. As with anything, however, one can only get out of something what one puts in. Athletics also provides social benefits and center on concepts such as cooperation, teamwork, and friendships. All of which can also benefit them in school and the workplace. Physical benefits

First of all sports keep our youth out of trouble. “Sports lead to less smoking, drug use, pregnancy, and risky sex”(“Active Kids Do”). Sports lead to less of all these things because most high school sports have a two hour practice 4 - 5 times a week plus a game so, in doing that it gives less time for our youth to be caught up in illegal activities. Also kids will have to feel the rave of the coach if they get in trouble because that usually means they can’t play a game and the whole team is depending on them. All in all sports help kids stay out of trouble.

Sports can be viewed as a learning environment that helps individuals learn life lessons, foster strong work habits and develop core values all the while learning a sport skill. Youth sports that truly benefit young athletes should be structured to emphasize participation more than just competition. Children enjoy a sport more when they are able to have fun (Humpries). Despite many excesses some sport programs still manage to promote important virtues like self- confidence, teamwork, personal responsibility, coping skills, and persistence. Through sports kids can learn to stay organized and learn how to prioritize (Ferguson). Sports enables development of physical skills and increasing proficiency makes kids feel good about themselves. It teaches kids that failure is something to overcome and and not to fear (Meyerhoff 8-9). Youth sports has many aspects that are truly benefiting for children, but these benefits are slowly being clouded by the negatives that are prominent in today's youth sports.

“Sports teaches you character, it teaches you to play by the rules, it teaches you to know what it feels like to win and lose-it teaches you about life.”(Billie Jean King) Most students from first grade to twelfth grade say that sports are a big part of their life and make them who they were meant to be in a positive way. Some people might argue that students in sports or extracurricular activities have lower grades than the other students, but it's the opposite way around. Sports improve your performance in school because they strengthen your concentration ability and leadership traits.

ii. By participating in sports, teens can learn to communicate effectively with their fellows especially when an instant decision is required.

High School sports are a major part of the American society with over 5 million adolescents participating in sports every year. In the news broadcast “Kids and Sports” by CBS News it tells you that youth sports can greatly benefit a child in many different ways. Youth sports are helpful because they help develop character and confidence, keeps children healthy, and has positive effects on adolescents academics.

“Data shows that high school students who play sport are less likely to drop out. Furthermore, participation in sports also has been associated with completing more years of education and consistently higher grades in school. Not surprising that the discipline and goal setting that is learned in competitive sports helps in

Today’s youth is our society’s future, which is why it is important to keep them safe and out of harm’s way. Children and teens who get into trouble are more likely to continue doing so as they reach adulthood. It is important to give children an alternative extra-curricular activity than hanging out with their friends unsupervised with peer pressure all around them. Sports can be a great way to help these children improve their lives.

A lot of parents think that sports are too hard and too physical for teens and children, but sports are,actually, the best thing that will happen to these minors. Sports are a huge influence on children and teenagers, because participating in sports can actually influence the future of young men and women of today's generation. For the children and teenagers that start to play at a young age, sports can help children develop physical skills and learn how to work as a part of a team.

Sports are embedded in many American schools in a way they are not anywhere else. One element of our educational system consistently surprises them, “Sports are a huge deal in American schools,” says Earl Smith of the New York Times. The positives have always outweighed the negatives in the case against high school sports. As Sato Kai state, “The benefits of sports as part of the education process are abundant and sometimes beyond quantifications,” According to many academic specialists, sports offer formative and life long lessons such as: discipline, responsibility, self confidence, and accountability. These skills can furthermore excel your later life and give you a greater chance of being employed in a high level job. Participation in high school sports helps your later development as an adult and teaches you life long skills that can't be taught elsewhere.

153). Social play through organized sports gives the adolescent a means for physical activity thus, increasing self-esteem through appearance. By increasing the participation rate, the physical ability of the adolescent increasing once again provides an “opportunity to demonstrate these attributes” (Findlay & Coplan, 2008, p. 158). Sports participation increases the athlete’s self-esteem and well-being over their non-participant peers. The psychosocial benefits for adolescents through sports participation provide an advantage context for skills (physical and social), self-esteem, and anxiety reduction.

One thing that is a positive outcome in sports is the overflowing happiness people get when they participate in competitive sports. One example is that “children who were involved in sports were more assertive, had greater confidence in their skills and physical appearance, and reported more positive feelings than those who didn’t participate. (Merkal, Donna, Youth sport: positive and negative impact on young athletes, 201, May 31).” If children hold an extreme love for the sport they play, most children use that sport as an escape. Playing sports blows off steam and helps people relax. “Physical activity stimulates various brain chemicals that may leave you feeling happier and more relaxed. (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research ,Exercise: 7 benefits of regular physical activity, 1998).” Playing sports can help bring families or other kids together to build strong bonds. “It appears that US children are healthy and happy as they engage in this traditional pastime, and families report higher levels of satisfaction if their children participate. (Macdonald, Brian, Kids in Sports, Part 5: Can sports help shy kids to make friends?, 2009).” A pat on the back from a parental figure is enough to keep kids going and doing their best. Because sports make children happier, they are more prone to keep playing which all in all makes children happier and it teaches kids to do what makes them happy. With suicide being the second biggest fatality for adolescents doing what makes them happy can be a life or death situation.

Students learn about the importance of sports and how it has a positive effect in their lives. Sports also help teach children about teamwork and sportsmanship and how it will help them in the future. Although some people might argue that sports are making children stressed out and distracting them from learning, it actually helps raise their grades and help them become more focused. Paying high school sports not only allows students to handle pressure, but to also gain leadership

Sports can be a unifying force, too.  Parents of high school students who participate in sports have higher expectations for their children.  They will drive their children to work harder and achieve more potential.  Girls find participation in sports to be a way to break gender stereotypes, enhancing their sense of possibility.  Also, playing team sports can minimize feelings of difference and isolation.