Argumentative Essay: Should Children Play Youth Sports?

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Recommended: Impact of sports on students

Jett Eaton is a seventh grader from Mesa, Arizona who loves to skateboard. Jett spends most of his days practicing in order to master new skills. On an ordinary day in April 2012, Jett decided to continue practicing after his father had told him to stop; a decision that caused him to slip off the ramp and nearly die. Although sports are extremely popular among children, they can often cause children to experience a loss of confident and severe injuries.

Children should not play youth sports because the pressure that is placed on them can result in self-esteem issues later on in life. First, when considering the impact of sports on children, Steve Silverman, author of The Minnesota Vikings: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and Who's Better, Who's Best in Football, stated that many coaches are only interested in winning games and therefore put pressure on the team to win (Silverman). It is not realistic for coaches to expect their team to win every game, and by setting this standard, …show more content…

Also, this expectation can lead players to think they are not good enough if they do not win every time despite their devotion to the sport. Secondly, whether it’s placing a value on success by saying “I expect 3 goals today” or telling their child to make them proud, parents commonly pressure their children to perform well and may cause their kids to feel discouraged if they do not live up to expectations (Stricker). When children do not perform well they may potentially feel that they have let their parents down, or have been a disappointment. This can cause stress on the child-parent bond and leave children feeling inadequate. Lastly, when asked about the psychological effects of sports on children, Paul R. Stricker, a pediatric doctor, states that failure in sports can cause children to lose their

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