Youth Sports Participation : Students And Parents Look Towards A Bright Future Essay

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

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.

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.

One thing almost every young child looks forward to is the activity of play. Kids love nothing more than to go outside, run around with friends, and get dirty. If children are already active at a young age, why not encourage them to continue by enrolling them in an organized youth sport program? Young people will gain many positive experiences by participating in organized physical activities, but none as important and influential as the social skills, physical skills, and mental skills developed and nurtured during their time in youth sport. As a result, the young participants can continue to build upon and cultivate these skills which will ultimately be transferred into their development as successful adults. Along with the social and

i. In the article “ The Impact of Sports on Adolescent Development” published in Forum on Public Policy in 2013, D.C Jack conducted a study that found

Atkinson, J. (2014, May 4). How parents are ruining youth sports - The Boston Globe. Retrieved November 26, 2014, from http://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2014/05/03/how-parents-are-ruining-youth-sports/vbRln8qYXkrrNFJcsuvNyM/story.html

In the articles, “The Secret Life of Tiger Woods” by Wright Thompson and “Are Parents Ruining Youth Sports? Fewer Kids Play Amid Pressure” by Michael S. Rosenwald, the authors explain what the sacrifices that elite athletes have to make in order to reach that professional level. I think that becoming an “elite athlete” is worth the sacrifices it requires because if you think about it, elite athletes inspire others and make younger people want to try to be an athlete too. Thus, elite athletes make large amounts of money in a year just doing a sport and doing something they like to do, not what they’re forced to do. In the article, Rosenwald says “...Still, active kids are less likely to be obese and are more likely to have higher test scores,

During my childhood, I played many sports I absolutely adored, and those sports taught me many lessons I will never forget. Sports were how I made the most of my friends and how I relieved most of my stress. I believe sports can have noteworthy influence in other areas of life. In Kevin Kniffin’s article, “High School Athletes Gain Lifetime Benefits”, Kniffin explains how research shows people who played sports go on to get better jobs and better pay by using the life lessons they were taught from sports.

Did you know that staying active can not only make you stronger and build endurance, but can also help with something completely different like improving overall health or preventing 13 different types of cancer? I’ll bet you didn’t know that! However, while there are benefits in youth sports, there are also risks in them. The risks come in a wide variety of sports ranging from football to hockey. Do you think that youth sports should stay around? Well, in my opinion, they should. I think you will agree with me after you read my arguments.

Since the creation of man, sports have had a tremendous role in the way people live their lives. From the time we are born, until our elderly age, most of us are involved in some way with sports. Whether it is a scrimmage game of soccer at recess in elementary school, playing on the varsity athletic team or simply watching the Olympics or sporting events on television, sports have an influential role in our everyday lives. The outstanding popularity of the sports industry has profoundly affected youth sports organizations that an estimated twenty-six million children ages six through eighteen participate in at least one school or community based athletic program (Smith & Smoll, 1997). Well structured sport programs can provide youths with

Children who participate in sports are developing rapidly in sports skills, sportsmanship, and psychologically, but does this come from organized sports are just nature’s process. Children develop emotional and social benefits from participating in sports. Children experience character and leadership development through peer relations leading to an increase in self-esteem and a decrease in anxiety levels. Children will get opportunities to experience positive and negative emotions throughout their practice and games trials. It is important for the coach to understand the “psychology of youth sports and physical activity participation” (Weinberg & Gould, 2011 p.516).

Though sports may not prove to be a deviant deterrent for youth today, it is important to determine whether structure and organization within a sport will help adolescents find social construction. In doing so, this will help adolescents create a healthy and productive life without social deviance. It is imperative that youth find a way to develop cognitive skills, cultivate mature emotions, and find empowerment within themselves. This can only be done through positive internal and external factors, such as parents, teachers, coaches, and other constructive role models.

Sports participation with today’s youth is universal in society. It is important to understand the conditions youth engage in organized sports promotes development and character. Today’s youth are unruly and unforgiving, but if they participated in organized sports they would be productive citizens, develop bonds with coaches and players to gain the key attributes in life like discipline, sacrifice, integrity and responsibility.

Organized youth sports are extremely popular among youth and their families, with approximately 45 million children and adolescent participating in the US. There are many characteristics children can develop while playing youth sports such as confidence, self-esteem, leadership, respect, independence, assertiveness, and conflict resolution. Competition can help kids learn more, improve faster and reach a higher level of excellence than they would be able to without the ongoing challenge. Competitive sports can help keep kids active and health as they grow, and other distractions increase that may lead to an unhealthy lifestyle. People argue that it can destroy self-esteem and lead to resentment. Programs and coaches overemphasizing

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