Youth Sports and Character Development

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

Life skills play an important role for becoming successful professionally and improving our personal lives. Oprah, in her lifeclass video, talks about being responsible for yourself and not waiting for anyone else to change the circumstances around you as a way to develop the skills necessary to flourish. The story of Robert Sherfields first experience at community college, “How Community College Changed My Life” tells of how Mr. Sherfield let go of his past failures and worked toward a better future for himself. The quote by Charles Noble “First we make our habits, then our habits make us!” is great to remember when developing the life skills necessary to continue to grow in all aspects of our lives. The video, story and quote can all be connected, good habits produce responsible people. Responsible people are aware of their

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 of the ideals attached to the picturesque image of the nuclear family have evolved considerably over time but with one exception, youth sports. Youth sports is a staple in nearly every American’s childhood as highlighted in “Children Need to Play, Not Compete” by Jessica Statsky. Statsky makes two contentions in favor of this argument. One, the participants of youth sports are not physically and psychologically ready and two, that the mentality of win or lose is more harmful than helpful during the formative years of a child’s critical development. This stance, though contrary to my upbringing is one that I can count as valid to a certain degree. In this essay I intend to explore the more complex

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.

“See you a practice!” is a phrase that most people will say to their friends throughout childhood. Thirty-six million children in the United States play a sport. That is over half the children in the United States. However, even with that statistic, some children are still inside all day watching television or playing video games. Many parents do not enroll their children in a sport because they believe it will result in injury, or the child is going to feel left out. Some even believe that their child will be looked down upon if they are not as good as everyone else. They believe that if the child has more time on schoolwork it will raise their grades. But most children love to play outside and learn new sports. It is a part of a child’s nature to run around and have fun. Only some parents realize that children who play a sport can have more discipline than those who don’t. Sports can also give children experience working with others as a team as well as confidence in themselves. Children and teens who play sports are more likely to have higher confidence, be more disciplined, and work better with others.

Character development is the deliberate effort to nurture the universal attributes upon which schools and communities find consensus. It is a school effort to create students characterized by qualities such as respect, responsibility, fairness, empathy, etc.

Ethical dilemmas confront athletes, coaches, fans and others around the games every year, forcing people involved in sports to examine their behavior and conditions and reevaluate the morals and ethics that are most important to them. Sports topics related to ethics begin in youth sports and carry well into professional sports.

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.

Character in sports – Does it still exist? What is character, anyway? Character is what makes up an individual. Possessing character implies that an individual possesses good behaviors and virtues. There is a popular belief among many people that being involved in high-school sports develops character and makes student-athletes better people. Participating in athletics is supposed to teach sportsmanship, leadership, self-control, sacrifice, fair play, important life skills, and both social & moral values. The afore mentioned values are some of the main reasons why parents make the initial decision to get their children involved in sports at an early age and why they continue with their involvement in sports into high school. There has been a question for many years now: Does participation in high school sports build character? Does participating in high school sports build the good character that student-athletes need to succeed in life as athletes and as human beings?

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”.

Regardless of the result, the successful implementation of a training drill during a game boosts self-esteem. Coaches, families and teammates can also boost a child’s self-esteem by cheering and encouraging a child’s skill development. These coping skills transpose into lifetime benefits such as reduced levels of anxiety, a more positive view on life, fewer social problems hence less chance of giving in to social pressure, a better body image and being less likely to engage in risky behaviors such as drug use.

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).

I saw in his eyes sheer delight and the joy of accomplishment. He had successfully faced a pitcher older and bigger and had fought off pitch after pitch before knocking a single into left field. His base hit drove in a run, continued an inning and fueled a rally which brought the team a victory from what looked like a certain defeat. He was willing to be taught and was willing to try. Success was secondary to the life skills he was mastering. Character traits will certainly be developed as one participates in team sports, but to attain positive character traits will require deliberate efforts by parents, adults, teammates and even leaders of the organization itself.

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