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Advantages of sports on an individual
Advantages and disadvantages of team sports
Competitive sports benefits
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A Sociological Perspective of Sports In the book entitled A Sociological Perspective of Sports, Wilbert Marcellus Leonard II says, “Many of us have strong opinions as to the value of competitive sports. Some of our beliefs are based on personal experiences, others are not” (219). I have my own strong opinions about the value of sports, most of which are based on personal experiences. I have been surrounded by, and involved in, competitive level sports my entire life. From the time I was born, I began attending professional volleyball games on the west coast beaches to watch my mom play in these matches. I spent many of my early years of life lying on the beach watching volleyball games. Once I was old enough, I participated in almost every sport that our local YMCA offered. I have been doing gymnastics since I was four years old and have been competing in it since I was eight. With gymnastics I have traveled all over the country. So far, I have spent the majority of my eighteen years of existence learning about sports and the benefits and drawbacks that come along with them. As I grew older, and my commitment to gymnastics increased, my friends began to see less and less of me. It seemed that anytime they wanted to plan something I was busy. They did not like that I spent so much time at the gym and they did not understand my commitment. I do not think that they ever believed that the benefits I gained from my experiences were worth my other sacrifices. However, despite bad days, crammed schedules, and questionable coaches, I have concluded that the good elements of sports far outweigh the bad. I believe that every child should be involved in some kind of sport because of the valuable lessons that are taught ... ... middle of paper ... ...r in professional sports. In his book, Leonard states, “Many children are exposed to organized competitive sport early in life, and their success and failures may either enhance or jeopardize the self-concepts they develop” (219). As he implies, sports have a major influence on childhood development. Healthy exercise, discipline, time management, and social skills are promoted in sports and cause the success which enhances the child’s self-concepts. Despite arguments from those who tend to be left out when it comes to a child’s sports career, mostly friends from outside of the child’s sport or team, these skills are incredibly valuable in the adult world and I believe that a child benefits exceptionally from learning these characteristics at an early age. When these attributes are developed in a child’s experience of sports, the results can only be positive.
Stephen D. Keener, writer for the New York Times, says in his article Sports Teach Kids Valuable Lessons, “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 president of the United States” (Keener). Keener talks about how playing on a sports team as a child can teach the kid very important characteristics, like: teamwork, leadership, and sportsmanship. Any kid who wants to get a job when they’re older is going to have to know how to work well with people, which is where learning the skill of teamwork is so huge. Considering Ripley’s point about sports lowering academics, Keener argues, “These lessons directly translate into the classroom and beyond” (Keener). These are some very important lessons I think that kids can benefit from
Youth sports are 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: first, that the participants of youth sports are not physically and psychologically ready, and second, that the mentality of win or lose is more harmful than helpful during the formative years of a child’s development. I agree with Statsky that children’s sports are too often over competitive, but some competition is beneficial to their development.
Athletes in times of difficulty can be important role models.” This shows that sports are in fact helpful because they can grow children into being important role models for the rest of society. Studies have shown time and time again that playing sports can be beneficial to children and we also believe this to be true. Many people still think that sports cause “too many injuries”, or coaches “are not fair enough”, but adolescents will experience these things all throughout their lives because injury can happen anywhere and they will not always be the best at what they are doing. Sports are beneficial to the youth because they can teach children and teens important life skills, help them maintain a fit and healthy lifestyle, all while improving their mental health.
More specifically, children are also increasingly pressured--again, usually by parents and coaches--to specialize in one sport and to play it year-round, often on several different teams (Perry). Now, if sports specialization is such a great idea, then why are kids being “pressured”? As stated before, sports specialization can result in severe injury or even retirement from sports all together. Evidently, parents would not want to risk their athlete’s entire athletic career just because of an overuse injury. Knowing this, a diversity in sports activities is the solution to the problem. Additionally, a specialization in sports can lead to the young athlete not experiencing a sport that he or she may truly enjoy in their life. If a parent already makes a child decide on a sport to play, how will the child know if that is the sport they truly want to participate in? As the child ages, they could realize that the sport they play now is not one that they love anymore, so they could just quit. Deciding at such a young age is not only a hasty decision, but also a terrible one. Finally, this specialization can also create social problems. If a child is already so competitively involved in a sport, then their social lives and relationships with friends are at risk. The clear choice here is to let the child live a normal life by allowing them to make friends and play, rather than taking over their lives with competitive
Simon of Hamilton College along with Professor Cesar R. Torres of State University of New York collectively wrote Fair Play: The Ethics of Sport. As a matter of fact, Professor Robert L. Simon was named to the list of ‘’ 100 Most Influential Sports Educators by the Institute for International Sport’. In addition, Cesar R. Torres is Professor in the Department of Kinesiology, Sport Studies and Physical Education at The College of Brockport, State University of New York, USA. He is a former President of the International Association for the Philosophy of Sport. In this book, the research question is if winning is what people ought to think that is important or whether winning really ought to be regarded as a primary goal. Although, their primary method employed in the research consisted of interviews they got a lot of data from empirical observations. The professors found out that sports are a significant form of social activity that affects the education system, the economy, and, perhaps, the values of citizen. The purpose of the books is to describe how participation in sports affects the participants’ values. In addition, they described what personality features contribute to success or failure in competitive athletics. Likewise, this work is related to Professor Pelling’s work because it also talked about how a sport competition can affect directly an athlete life. For instance, this work is relevant to my research question because it explain how
Have you ever been walking through a department store and noticed someone watching you; or have you ever noticed how some friends act different around other friends? Sociology is the study of these and other social behaviors and how people interact with others in groups. The sociology of sport is seen as a subdivision of sociology where the main focus is on the relationship between society and sport. There are many ways to analyze the sociology of sport. One way is to look behind what society sees as real to see if things are really as they seem. Another way to analyze the sociology of sport is to objectively look at other views to gain another perspective. Also, a researcher could analyze the sociology of sport through a more scientific viewpoint by gathering information or by experimenting and then analyzing the information. The cultural analysis framework is yet another method to analyze the sociology of sport. It divides into two phases: the analytic and synthetic phases. In the analytic phase researchers would review such factors as the norms and roles of society and individuals. In the synthetic phase researchers would review other factors such as institutions and social classes.
These days, there is too much pressure on children who participate in organized sports because of the unnecessary parental involvement they experience. A growing concern amongst those involved in youth sports is that certain aspects of parental involvement become detrimental to the development and experiences of young athletes. Early emphasis on winning, making money, and the disruption of education can exceedingly affect ones desire to further participate in a sport later on in his/her life.
Within each family, children may receive a psychological influence while participating in sports. Either if the child feels as if they aren’t good enough, or even either pressured into playing a sport, the child may have a sense of anticipation. Parents may even cause their children to lose the love for the sport they once enjoyed participating in. Believe it or not, this happens within a multiple amount of families all over the world. Whether playing the sports runs within the family, or even if the child is pressured into being a prodigy, family issues may develop. Being on a team teaches teamwork, discipline, and sacrifice. Parents influencing their child to play for the reason that they played it, may cancel three of those out. It’s more than just playing the sport. Whether you’re running up and down of a field playing soccer, or even hitting a tennis ball across the court, it’s important that you love what you’re doing.
Although professional sports are very popular, did you know that less than 1% of high school athletes ever make it to the pros? (Smith). Such a small percent, yet so many high schoolers play sports because sports are the cool and popular thing to do. Most children played sports since they were in preschool. Travel sports start around first grade and most parents tell their kids to go out and play so they get involved in these sports. A lot of time and money is spent to train the young athletes. Many have questioned whether competing in these sports is good for teens and if the desire to win for some has taken over the “fun” aspect. However, the number of young people involved in competitive sports keeps increasing. Young athletes, should not focus so heavily on competitive sports because they put too much pressure on their minds and bodies, the stress they face ruins the enjoyment of sports in this time of their lives, and distracts them from focusing on getting a good education.
... of sport in our society still cannot be ignored. Thus, giving his theory partial credibility in my opinion. While I struggled to understand how this information could be used directly in the field of sport administration, in the end, I have learned that simply being aware of different sociological theories can help to understand why society behaves the way it does in the sport context. This application is very indirect; however, it will allow me to approach future situations with a deeper understanding of sports in society.
This chapter provides background information on the research topic. The first section provides a general overview of the anthropology of sports with sub-headings of anthropologists and their contributions to the study of sport and the body in the anthropology of sport. The second section provides a description of sport studies. The third section of the chapter sheds light on the meaning and application of sport. The fourth heading provides literature on relevant subjects to the anthropology of sports and sport studies. Finally, the fifth heading provides concluding thoughts for the chapter.
A critical issue in sports today is the push for youth specialization in a single sport at a very young age. Activists and many experts in the sports field today argue that this is detrimental to America’s youth and urge parents to deviate away from this myth-based decision. With a society rooted in competitive spirit and edge, parents are encouraging their young children to start with travel teams, olympic development programs, and year-round training for one sport earlier than ever before. Many parents believe that starting their kids out at a young age will result in higher performance and a leg-up on other children. This trend
Youth sport has played a huge role in developing generation upon generation of America’s youth. With over 44 million youth participating in sports each year, it is obvious that sport is a crucial part of many children’s formative years. Youth sports are considered so vital to a child’s development that the few parents who withhold their kids from youth sport are often ostracized or viewed as negligent. While the benefits that youth receive from participating in youth sport are proven and unquestioned, there are also some drawbacks that are particularly prevalent in youth sport’s current state. Character, fitness, and lifelong bonds and friendships are amongst the most essential benefits that are derived from youth sport. Overinvolved parents, inadequate coaching, and an overemphasis on winning, on the other hand, are chief amongst
Sports in America have many different levels of competition, each with a particular purpose that correlates to their philosophical position. However, I believe that the overall philosophical trend of the sports construction in America is one of Social Darwinism. Social Darwinism is an extension of the theory of natural selection made famous by Charles Darwin. The idea is that the fittest individuals are the ones that are be capable of leaving the most amount of offspring, in turn having an impact on the future direction of the particular species. This is where the mantra of “only the strongest survive” originates from. While it is true that at the younger competition levels this philosophical idea does not hold well to sports, however, consider the following analogy: A large pool of athletes in the younger age groups are like the starting population size of a species. However, as the age groups rise, like to high school, college, and maybe to professional leagues, the pool of athletes becomes vastly depleted. This is very similar to individuals in a species dying out to various causes, the idea is that only the strongest survive. Athletes competing at the professional level are so competitive that sometimes they will seek to circumvent the rules of the sport in order to survive and thrive. That is why the philosophical construct of sport in America is that of Social Darwinism. Professional athletes are at the top of the food chain and are under fierce competition and scrutiny from their fellow athletes, and the ever watchful eye of the media. The result is athletes tend to treat their sport more as a game of survival and compete ruthlessly in order to be the best instead of playing for a pure love of the game.
To comprehend the significance of sports, standards within American culture need be implicit. Standards are established on a number of customs that develop from faith, race, background, and topographical location. The basis of our standards is the concepts and notions about what is virtuous, immoral, true, and erroneous and what is sought after. Since our culture is varied, integrating various ethnic and racial groups, it is problematic to influence settlement on some dynamics. For instance, in some nations being skinny is not esteemed, however in some nations being skinny is very significant. Some nations accentuate sports to a larger gradation than others. The notions of exquisiteness and superiority als...