Sustained Involvement In Youth Sports

With around 45 million kids enrolled in some type of organized sport, it’s clear that youth sport is a massive part of American culture. Most people remember playing a rudimentary form of soccer or basketball during elementary school, when rules weren’t too important, and having fun was the only goal. While nearly everyone can recall playing some kind of organized sport during their childhood, a very small percentage of people stick with sport beyond middle school, and even fewer go on to play after high school. The amount of children who quit organized sport during adolescence has raised questions about the psychological risks of youth sport. Youth sports in and of themselves are not an inherent problem; however, issues do arise when children are asked to take on too much at too young of an age. While there are risks associated with youth sport, organized sports also provide

42 percent polled say it is appropriate for children to begin playing tackle football younger than age 14. Parents are starting to hold their kids out of football and other sports which is keeping them from learning the game and learning social skills early in life. Youth sports have been a part of many kids’ lives for as long as the sports have existed. Youth sports keep kids active and helps them get out of the house. Youth sports help kids develop social skills at a young age and they gain a better understanding of the game. As a result, youth sports are important parts in kids’ lives because they help kids develop social skills and they help them get a better understanding of the game, even though there are some safety issues.

Many people think that sports help children develop teamwork, self-confidence, moral character, and other personal strength but others see the negative side of youth sports, believing young athletes develop aggressive traits such as bullying and the need to dominate their opponents not just on but off the field as well. Youth sports have become far too intense, especially in contact 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.

It’s been debated that having kids participate in sports can be either a positive or negative factor in a child’s development. Is participating in sports a positive outcome in a youth’s development? Through my own personal experience and through the research that I have conducted I believe that participating in sports is a true benefit to a child’s development. Participating in sports can contribute to a healthy individual, developing problem-solving skills, social interaction, promotes following direction and rules, goal setting and creating plans, promotes self-esteem, reduces stress, helps academic success, and a higher quality of life.

In the most recent decade, the controversy of youth sports has been a very important discussion for people in the United States. Sports are a popular pastime for young athletes, and there are approximately 45 million participants of youth sports in the US. However, just like most things, there are pros and cons to be considered of these activities.

Participation in youth sports leagues helps teach these important lessons. Stephen D. Kenner who is the president of Little League International says in his essay Sports Teach Kids Valuable Lessons, that “But the lessons young players gain between the foul lines have guided some to become astronauts, emergency first responders, bestselling authors, military heroes, professional athletes, and even presidents of the United States.” Kids who participate in youth sports go on to do astonishing things later in life. Parents who want the best for their children later on should sign them up for youth sports. Jim Thompson, who is the founder of the not-for-profit organization known as the “Positive Coaching Alliance” says, “Competitive sports enhance life well after childhood.” This is another person that has seen the effect of youth sports on life beyond childhood. Youth sports are a vital part of the overall development as a

Youth sports have many issues that affects kids like injuries, lack of interest in the sport and most importantly bad parenting. The problem in youth sports is that parents expect too much from their children at a young age causing them to stop doing sports at the age 13, more or less. Parents are making their children play year round sports that can lead into injuries. What I’ve researched so far, many articles and journals are meant for parents to make them improve their parenting on young athletes. I’ve read that many parenting styles regarding youth sports are repetitive. In other words, many parents are making the same mistakes like being too hard on their kid or enforcing training for many hours. From my research so far there are good and bad physical and mental outcomes of kids doing sports at an early age. Many of which are mainly good but all

Over the years, youth sports have transformed from pickup games to heavily organized sports leagues. Community recreational leagues formed, where teams played other teams from their community, or teams from surrounding comminutes. However, that was not the only option for kids. If the child was good enough and heir parents had enough money, they could join a travel team. These teams often provided more skilled competition and teammates. Travel teams have greatly increased in popularity. They are so popular, that some people believe they take away from the community aspect of children’s sports. Travel teams are so popular because many parents believe that travel teams greatly improve their child’s chances of turning into a great athlete or getting a college scholarship.

Have you ever felt and noticed the difference when something is given to you versus having to truly work hard for it? Whether it is as simple as saving your own allowance for a year to buy a fishing rod you’ve always wanted or putting every ounce of effort and thought you have into making an “A” for a writing assignment in class. Would you appreciate the fishing rod the same over time if it was just given to you for no reason? Would you feel good about your writing assignment knowing you could have given more effort for that major grade? Believe it or not, over time these types of questions, feelings, and thoughts have led to the rise of Youth Competitive Sports across the United States and made it to where it is a 15 billion dollar industry

James plays for the number 2 boys and girls club in Washington DC. James plays for the 10 and under team. He is the teams point guard. James and the team played number 10 boys and girls club on January 30, 2016. James was a key player in the team’s success that game. The parents made him seem like he was already in high school. They would cheer and slap hands with everyone around them win he made a shot. They would yell to the coach, to make sure their son had the ball in his hands if they wanted to win the game. The father would yell when has son missed a layup “you owe me some push-ups after the game”.

          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 is an enormous industry. The outstanding popularity of the sports industry has greatly affected youth sports organizations. In order to supervise, teach and manage these athletes it is estimated 2.5 million coaches spend an average of eighty hours a season with them. The majority of these coaches volunteer for programs organized by the community, religious organizations, and recreational facilities.

When considering enjoyment, known factors that affect the participation for youth sport participants are motivational climate and coaching behaviors. . The very first coach that a child encounter plays a very important role in the child’s sports life. In fact, the first coach a child encounters can be the determinant if the child will return to participating in the sport or not. Coaches need to motivate the children to play and continue athletic involvement. However, there are numerous external factors that are involved in the child’s sports life such as: peers, academics, parents, anxiety, and of course the relationship between the coach and the athlete.

Character development is not something that can be gained or developed over night. Character development is the multiple life skills that an individual builds within themself throughout their lifespan. When a person develops good character in their early years of life, they will benefit in the long run because they used the life skills they gained and put them to use, becoming a successful individual in all aspects of life.

Raising children in today’s society is not for the faint of heart. Raising children has never been easy, but it is especially difficult in youth sports today. Coaches and parents are putting a lot of pressure on our young sons and daughters. The pressure to succeed in sports at