Capstone Research: Limiting Children In recent years, there has been an increase in the amount of adults who want children to specialize or pick their desired athletic path too early. Parents, teachers, and coaches have always pressured and questioned children about what they want to be when they grow up. Parents might want their kids to choose one sport for financial purposes, coaches might do it for selfish reasons to better the children in their specific area of teaching, and teachers might pressure kids to make this choice so they know the kids are growing up with goals and aspirations. All of these are valid reasons, but asking a kid to pick one specific area to specialize in before they are fully developed can lead to more harm than good. …show more content…
“In an article from The Wall Street Journal, multiple sports participation was encouraged by no less an authority than Stephen Curry, who despite being a basketball prodigy at an early age, ‘also played some baseball, football, soccer, and basically everything else in a sports buffet’”(The dangers of youth sport specialization and the benefits of diversification, n.d.). The greatest shooter in the history of basketball, a highly skilled sport, grew up playing multiple sports and advocates for children to do the same. While it is understood he spent endless amounts of time getting extra shots up, he made time for other sports which he says play a large role in developing him into the athlete he is today. Also “an increased amount of volume of one specific movement while the body is growing can lead to imbalanced development and a higher chance of overuse injury” (Reinold, 2015). Specializing can create muscular imbalance and limit overall development or cause an athlete to create early, lingering overuse …show more content…
Potential Burnout In conclusion, a lot of the points that have been made throughout this paper can be benefits of children playing just one sport in general, but they should be playing multiple sports for the huge reason of burnout. Specialization often leads to children being burnt out because of the over repetition at such a young age, while it takes a lot of repetitions to be elite at a sport, incorporating practice and training from other sports will allow a child to have a break from their ‘main’ sport while still staying in shape and developing athletic and mental skills. “An athlete who specializes early or plays on an ultra-competitive select team is at increased risk of burnout or quitting sports as a result of chronic stress, repetitive strain and a decrease in intrinsic motivation and enjoyment during their training sessions” (Lench, n.d.). Kids will feel pressure from their parents to do extremely well if they do specialize, this is because parents will have spent countless amounts of money and time on their kids'
Kids are playing in a pressure pot full of stress and this is dangerous. They feel over-responsible toward team mates, parents and coaches and in consequence, are playing with chronic pain and even concussions. One-Sport Wonder Kids are deciding by ages 9-10 they want to excel in one sport in order to win a college scholarship.
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
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
However, is the number of these children who have taken to specializing in a single sport at very young ages (Kauffman). This sudden, growing increase has escalated the idea of sport specialization rapidly. With that being said, I believe that early sport specialization is not the right choice for some children. A recent study of issues and concerns related to present-day school sports revealed that the coaches, athletic directors, school principals, parents of athletes, and also the athletes felt that there was a pressure to specialize in a single sport and to do so at an early age (“Journal of Physical Education,” n.d.).
One quote that was used was, “Children who specialize in a single sport and train intensively for it are at higher risk of experiencing overuse injuries, as well as burnout, anxiety and depression, according to a new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP),” (Perry). She said this because it shows how when children play sports that there is a major health risk involved and they could be depressed and exhausted. Another quote is, “More kids are participating in adult-led organized sports today, and sometimes the goals of the parents and coaches may be different than the young athletes,” (Brenner). Doctor Joel Brenner said this because it shows how the coaches and parents are sometimes more involved in the sport than some of the young athletes.
There are many consequences to playing and training to be the best in one sport. The main risks for kids who specialize in a sport is that they may go through burnout. They do the same sport over and over, and then they have the adults in their life putting pressure on them causing them to burnout. Kids get to the point when they feel helpless and not being able to meet the expectations for the adults , causing them to burnout in their sport. (Rerick 1). Athletes that specialize in one sport are at risk for injuries, these injuries usually happen at growth plates, ligaments, as well as joints. Depending on the sport you play you injuries will be in the shoulder, elbow, knee, or ankle. Today more and more people that specialize in one sport have injuries due to overuse. (UVM Medical Center 1). For children who have been specializing in a sport since they were very young, they may get to the point where playing at practicing and in a game is not fun anymore. With the combination of boredom, pressure to be good, and stress may cause them to drop out of the sport they used to loved. (Hess 2-3). When one sport is not fun or there is too much stress involved it could cause them to give it up. Pressure gets to kids and can make the sport they love become the sport they don't like anymore.
Our society, in terms of world sports, has grown increasingly impressive. Most professional athletes have been playing their specialized sport since grade school, and although impressive, the people we are rooting for are wearing out quickly. Although youth sports programs are a health benefit to society, they also pose disadvantages to a young person’s growth and development.
Sports are a popular pastime among all ages and types of people. People not only participate in them for fun, but also for money, physical fitness, rush of competition, and for many other personal reasons. Playing sports is especially common among young people in schools. Athletics are great and enjoyable for many reasons, but there can be a point where sports participation can go too far and become negative for children and adults. Sports specialization for young people is an increasing trend that results in sports having a negative impact on individuals and society.
Youth sports are a very important part of a child’s development. Youth sports allows kids to grow as a people and to learn important life lessons. Youth sports also allow kids to interact with people as well as work together with others as a unit to achieve a goal. However, kids are being forced, and pushed in sports at too young of an age by their parents. The number of kids who play youth sports is at an all time low in the country, and parents are a major cause of the problem. In the U.S. by age 15, 80 percent of children who play a sport quit the sport (Atkinson). Kids are being pushed too hard at a young age; children are also being forced by their parents to “specialize” in a single sport in a hope for the child to become a professional
With more and more children participating in some sort of organized sport than ever before, there is a constant concern regarding the pressures kids are brought into to excel. Emotionally over-involved parents often think that it is their responsibility to persuade, push, or support the children's fantasies or sporting objectives, even if the kids themselves do not share the same aspirations as his/her parents. Part of growing up is learning what interests you the most. It's how one becomes familiar with who they really are and what they enjoy doing in life. Unfortunately, for many young children, his/her parents seem to take his/her own lives into their own hands. Most parents want their kids to grow up to be "superstars", make it big after the college scenario, and perhaps go on to play professionally or succeed in the Olympics. We all know that there are the few that make it professionally, and having your parent paint a picture for you as you're barely going into grade school is unethical. Yet for the unfortunate, these kids are helpless to the pressure that is put on them at such a young age. Take Todd Marinovich, for example. For the child's entire life he was exercised, fed, schooled, and drilled with his fathers' one g...
Research has shown that early specialization and intense training can lead to physical injuries, burnout, psychological stress, and developmental issues in young athletes. In a study published in the Journal of Sport Sciences, researchers found that early specialization in sports was associated with increased risk of overuse injuries, psychological stress, and dropout rates among young athletes. Furthermore, while some child prodigies may thrive under intense pressure, many others suffer from negative consequences such as anxiety, depression, and social
Was there ever a time when you felt like giving up on a sport you were playing? There happen to be kids who are experiencing this as well as many unfavorable impacts from specializing in one sport, including overuse injuries, burnout, and so on. Now, specializing in one sport during high school may not seem like the worst considering it shows these athletes' dedication and love towards this sport, yet all of the negatives still overpower the positives. The specialization of one sport should not be forced upon high school athletes, since there are many key skills and opportunities that they can acquire. To start, there are an immense amount of negative impacts that can be prevented by engaging in more than one sport.
According to statistics gathered by youth sports organizations, “Up to 50 million kids play youth sports in America, and 73 percent who begin playing a sport quit before they turn 13” (Binns). The children could have quit because they did not like the disappointment of losing, or because they are exhausted from their parents pushing them too hard. But parents have their reasons for pushing their children into sports. “Studies show that kids who play sports are less likely to become obese, abuse drugs or alcohol or to perform poorly in school” (McCormick). If children are not active, then they will most likely become overweight, and if they have nothing to do in their pastime, they may turn to drugs and alcohol, which usually leads to a decrease of grades in school. A parent putting his/her child in sports gives the child something to do and keeps them fit. Parents also put their child in a sport hoping that he/she will get success out of it “Eager to nurture the next A-Rod or Michelle Kwan, parents enroll their 5- or 6-year-olds in a competitive sports league or program” (Stenson). While not all parents are pushing for future Olympians, the fight for a sports college scholarship is competitive and parents may feel that their child will have a better chance of gaining one if he/she starts competitive sports early. Parents push their children to succeed, and children--not wanting to disappoint their parents--push themselves, sometimes harder than they should. If done right, pushing a child into sports can have a positive effect on the child’s interaction with other children while teaching them commitment and healthy competition. However, focusing on winning and earning a scholarship versus having fun may backfire, because the cons...
Also, choosing a single sport and quitting all the others can result in a premature withdrawal, because the athletes can face a decrease in motivation, since that the sport can become less interesting or enjoyable. The intrinsic motivation related to the enjoyment the activities is seen like an important factor to maintaining participation and goal achievement in adolescents. So, as many adolescent athletes need to specialize in a single sport because of collegiate scholarships, they become highly skilled but also the pressure and stress increase, once that they are facing the sport as something different, not just as an enjoyable and funny activity but something that they need put responsibility into it, as a job, for example. (Myer et al,
Children need autonomy, enjoyment and confidence in order to progress in any activity. (Lovell, J, 2016) Kids being kids, all they know about winning is at the end of the game have a higher score than the other team, but what they do not know is the byproduct of seeking such a reward. The level that the supporting cast expose the kids to is steep, in which in most cases are detrimental to the kids. The level that coaches and parents demand from the kids all the time is usually what drives the kids away from sports and the affect from the pressure usually results in withdrawal from the sports.