Children Need To Play, Not Compete, By Jessica Statsky

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In “Children Need to Play, Not Compete”, Jessica Statsky tries to bring forth a pressing issue of competitive sports and its destructive effects. These sports are designed keeping in mind the age and physical strength of adults which make these sports unsuitable for the young ones. They have a destructive effect on a child’s physical and mental health. Jessica talks about how the competitive sports becomes a hindrance in the development of growing bodies of children. She further elaborates by mentioning the injuries faced during this time period can last a lifetime. On addition to the physical stress, the competitive sports causes a lot of physiological issues as well. The amount of mental pressure and extreme physical requirement makes these …show more content…

I agree with the point that the focus of sports has shifted just to winning the game as the world has turned into a big rat race where everyone is trying to bring the others down. These types of sports should not be a part of children’s life. They have a hazardous effect on the development of a child’s body and personality. Due to the demanding nature, the children are affected mentally and physically. Their bodies are not developed to take this much of pressure. Jessica puts it rightly when she says that the inability to perform physically leads the children to develop mental health …show more content…

Due to this belief system, the other valuable aspects of the sports are left behind like sportsmanship and teamwork. I own view are aligned with Satsky that these competitive sports are the cause of inferiority complex in many children. This starts right at the beginning when the children are selected to be a part of the team or not. The method of selection is extremely brutal and inconsiderate of a child’s age and their physical and mental capacity. The selection criteria are so demanding that most of the children give up the idea of even trying out in the first place. The ones that somehow manage to gather up the courage to do try out are left heartbroken when they fail to meet the exaptation of the coaches. Only the ones who are trained beforehand and know every skill are selected to join. Even if someone is showing potential and can become better with a little help are sent home. This kind of attitude leaves the children devastated and they give up on sports altogether. Their potential remains buried. Statsky rightly stresses about the pressure the children are put through in the name of tough love. The children sometimes face horrible injuries in the field and get afraid to ever set foot in the game again. They avoid playing because of the fear of getting hurt q they quit the sports to protect themselves. Children come up with all sort of excuses to get

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