What Is The Effect Of Competitive Sports On Children?

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

One reason that competitive sports are negative for children is the risk of injury when participating in sports. As said by Bruce Keller, contributing author of “hey data, data, -- swing!” “The No. 1 fear of sports parents is seeing their child injured on the field. And due to the United States' growing population and sports participation, that's now more common. According to the

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.

Concussions in high school sports doubled from 2005 to 2012. High School’s put in a new rule called “Return to Play” this rule was put into place so players waited the right amount of time to come back after receiving a serious head injury. Coming back to quick with a concussion can get you hurt even more or possibly cause permanent brain damage. Studies show that a concussion from a high school athlete takes longer to recover from than for older athletes. Also, studies show that even teenagers are at risk for head trauma not just adults and older athletes. Between 2005 and 2012, four thousand twenty-four concussions were diagnosed in nine sports. This is a very high number for just high school sports alone. Concussions have went up in 5 sports mainly those sports are football, wrestling, baseball, basketball and softball. Therefore, concussions have not only effected football. Many people fail to realize how many athletes are truly affected by a

Sports are the main cause of concussions, but someone can get a concussion anytime and anywhere.” You don't have to be tackled by a 350-pound lineman to injure your brain,"” says Brent Masel, M.D., medical director of the Brain Injury Association of America. (Beil) Parents are now trying to keep their children from playing sports until they’re eighteen. Some people think that forcing athletes to stop playing sports will stop concussions. People should learn how to prevent and how to take care of one, instead of not doing what they love. It is important to understand what a concussion is and how we can determine the state of the problem.

Head injuries are on the rise for athletes at all levels of play. Reports show that the number of children seeking emergency medical care for sports concussions incurred while playing competitive athletics has more than doubled. In 2015, 11 high school football players died from head related injuries. According to “The game’s tragic toll” written by Kalyn Kahler and Dan Greene eight deaths happened in game during regular play and 3 deaths happened outside of game time. Eleven  deaths may not seem like a lot in a year but numbers start to add up though years. This is enough information to definitely prove that it is a bad idea to still play these sports. Is it really worth it to risk your life over something that otherwise would only take up about fifteen percent of your life otherwise? Unlikely, yet these sports are still played every single day. The medical effects have recently caught media attention appearing on fox news and has spread rapidly. Nobody is saying anything good about them which is what needs to happen in order to protect people from being hurt. Many athletes receive concussions then still return to the sport again!  A “second impact syndrome” is a situation in which an individual sustains a second concussion previous to full recovery according to “concussion / mild tbi”. A second brain injury, or cumulative concussions can be more dangerous than the original. A concussion victim, Anne Frank says

Billions of dollars have been spilled into concussion research. One thing that has been proven through this research is that football players face the greatest risk of concussions. This includes all sports, even NCAA and NFL football. Helmets nowadays all have a warning that reads similar to: NO HELMET SYSTEM CAN PROTECT YOU FROM SERIOUS BRAIN AND/OR NECK INJURIES INCLUDING PARALYSIS OR DEATH. TO AVOID THESE RISKS, DO NOT ENGAGE IN THE SPORT OF FOOTBALL. Many people with ties to football argue that the benefits of football significantly outweigh the risks associated. Football people know that concussions can’t be eliminated totally, but they do believe that concussions can be slowed by proper tackling techniques as well as better technology. Even though football may lead to neurodegenerative brain diseases, the benefits of football far and away outweigh these inherited risks.

Although sports are very beneficial for reasons like getting lots of energy out and allowing kids to learn valuable life lessons, some concussions are caused by other things that don’t have to do with sports, the ones that have to do with competitive sports

First off, concussions are becoming more common. Over the years, concussions have more common among young athletes. According to James A. Jagger, an orthopedic surgeon, “Over the 11-year study period, the number of [concussions] doubled for boys and tripled for girls. The study authors speculated that bigger stronger players may account for the dramatic increase of [concussions] among girls.” Because bigger stronger players are playing, concussions are becoming more common. Concussions have also increased by 70%, and at the same time, there has been a drop in others injuries, such as strains, sprains, and lacerations. Which makes it more likely for the players to get a concussions, which is why refs, players, parents, and coaches need to be aware of the symptoms, because if another hit to the head occurs, it can lead to life threatening brain swelling, or permanent nerve damage. Because concussions are becoming more common the

For example, the article “Get Off that Couch and Play” by Eileen Brooker, from Sports World, states, “ Participating in competitive team sports will teach young children to live a healthy lifestyle” ( Brooker, 2014, p.1). This means that when children actively participate in sports, they will be motivated to eat healthier and stay in shape, because of the team sport they are a part of. Some may argue that there are many other ways to prevent obesity, such as walking or biking to school instead of driving. I can tell you that is incorrect because according to the article,“What Are the Benefits of Competitive Sports for Youth?” by Sarah Davis, who has worked in nutrition in the clinical setting, and earned her bachelor's degree in nutrition from San Diego State University, states“Participating in competitive youth sports burns very many calories and helps to prevent obesity” (Davis, 2017, p.3). This describes that if you play a competitive sport, it will burn more calories than other activities and will lead to a healthier lifestyle. Not only does playing a competitive sport prevent obesity, but it also teaches children life

Every year there are nearly 2 million injuries in high school sports accounted for (Sports-Related Injuries). A lot of injuries go unaccounted for too. Injuries in sports can be very dangerous, especially for young kids and teens whose body and brain are still developing (Esch, Mary, and David Klepper). Just one hard tackle can change their life forever, with the long-term effects injuries can lead to. The most concerning injury is a concussion. Not only are there concussions in hard-hitting sports like football and hockey there are also concussions in NASCAR and soccer. In order to protect our youth and pros, players and coaches should take traumatic brain injuries more seriously, players should be more educated on

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.

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.

Sports may help improve children’s overall health. Many people against youth sports might say that participating in sports has a high risk of injury. This is not correct; children have a much less chance of injury as that of an adult. However I believe that sports can improve children’s health.

Do you have a passion, something you love to do more than anything? Imagine people trying to stop you from doing what you love because they think it’s not useful or a waste. Some people say competitive sports cost too much and they are way too dangerous for young kids to participate in. However, for many youth, competitive sports play a positive role. When kids play competitive sports, they are happier and they learn how to be healthy. Also, they learn life lessons that they will need for the future.