In “children Need to Play, Not compete.” Jessica Statsky talks about the harmful and destructive effects of competitive sports can haven on young children. The problems faced by the children due to introducing theses sports is immense. They cause a great deal of damage to the brain and body both. Statsky mentions the harsh selection method that children have to go through and how it result in physiological issues when they are unable to meet the benchmark set by their parents and coaches. She explains her claims trough different sources and examples. Statsky shows her apprehensions about the amount of physical pressure the children are put trough. The developing bodies should not strain itself as it would obstruct their development. Due to …show more content…
the tough physical activity required in the filed the children face severe injuries. These injuries make them fearful of their own wellbeing so they start avoiding the game. In many cases, the children quit the sports because their injuries never fully recover. In the end, Jessica says that in the present time the sport should have become all about winning and the true spirit of the sport such as the idea of sportsmanship and teamwork has faded away. Strong Response: The point made by Jessica Statsky regarding competitive sport in “children Need to Play, Not compete” are really alarming and true.
I completely agree with the damaging impact of these sports on the young children. She raises awareness regarding many issues that are associated with the competitive sports. As I have experienced most of the situations mentioned, I can understand Jessica’s concerns. She tries to raise awareness among the parent and coaches that these type of sports are extremely unhealthy for the young kids. She justifies her claims trough example from our present time. Everyone who is associated with sports can relate to these issues. The rat race of the world has changed the whole object of the game. Now sports have become all about winning and this is the root cause of all the problems faced by the children today. Jessica wisely constructs her arguments and quotes experts opinion to back up her claims. Jessica gives reference of a psychology professor, Thomas Tutko, who described the destructive effects of sports on the children when they are made a part of this type competitive environment. He talks about who the young children are more concerned about their physical wellbeing and gets easily scared when they faced with an
injury. I completely agree with Jessica point that the physical and mental pressure has converted the sports more into a “job”. The unrealistic amount of expectations and the physical requirement of sports take a toll on children. The unnecessary stress causes mental health problem as well. These sport are designed for grownups and according to their physical and mental capabilities which make them highly inappropriate for children. Parents and coaches think that victory should be the only outcome of playing and don’t expect anything less. Afraid of disappointing and not coming up to the desired expectation, most of the children stop playing altogether. They don’t realize the damage it does to their child. This notion of winning makes even the grown up act like kids. They start to fight and use bad language in the middle of the field over a children’s game. I remember in one game the parents of the opposite team members staring fight in the each other just because they disagreed with the points. The fight became so intense that the game had to be stopped and postponed to another day. This sets a very bad example for young children.
After first reading the essay “Sports Should be Child’s Play,” I believe David Epstein made a valid point when discussing the issue of children participating in competitive sports at a too young of an age. He effectively delivered his argument by giving an appropriate amount of evidence without crowding the piece and losing the reader. There were certain sections of the essay that would have been difficult to understand without context, however Epstein was able to guide the reader and explain the evidence and situation when necessary. The title of the essay drew me in because “child's play” coincides with something that can be easily accomplished and is enjoyable. However sports, at the higher level, are challenging and are required to be taken seriously. If children are playing at competitive level too early in their life, it can cause a loss of enjoyment and be detrimental to their physical and mental health.
This shows that parents are way too out of control in youth sports.... ... middle of paper ... ... The amount of unnecessary behavior by parents at youth sporting events is increasing rapidly and is ruining the kids' experiences and their passion for the sport.
When the coach turned his head, the seven-year-old stuck a finger down his throat and made himself vomit. When the coach fumed back, the boy pointed to the ground and told him, “Yes, there it is, Coach. See?” (Tosches A33).It emphasizes the fact that if a child gets hurt once, they will fear the possibility of getting hurt again ,so they try to find excuses to prevent themselves from playing the game.Second,Statsky states how competitive adults have drained the fun out of children's sports and made the game unappealing for children.She cites Martin Rablovsky, a former sports editor for the New York Times says that in all his years of watching young children play organized sports, he has noticed very few of them smiling. “I’ve seen children enjoying a spontaneous pre-practice scrimmage become somber and serious when the coach’s whistle blows,” Rablovsky says. “The spirit of play suddenly disappears, and sport becomes job-like” (qtd in Coakley 94). It shows the fact that competitive adults are oblivious to their actions and don't notice that what they are doing can really affect a child mentally.Third, Statsky is concerned that competitive sports will lower a child's self-esteem and make them lack confidence.’’Like adults, children fear failure, and so even those with good physical skills may stay away because they lack
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.
Young athletes put in danger by the competition, aggressiveness, and intensity of sports. Kids everyday are being pushed past limits by coaches parents and fans. The intensity of sports has become so high they are causing mental and physical exhaustion. Sports like wrestling has kids eat different to either lose gain weight. Football player, Baseball player, and even cheerleader have to work out in extreme temperatures. Some kids involved in competitive sports have been taking weight lifting classes and even just conditioning. The youth are being put in danger due to how competitive, aggressive, and intense youth sports have become.
First, youth sports are harmful because parents are pressuring their kids. According to the video, “Your podcasts have really helped me realize the pressure i was unknowingly placing on my 10 year old daughter just by being overly invested in her sport.” (Parents Who Pressure Their Sports Kids) Some parents don’t even know they are placing unnecessary pressure on their kids. In the video, “She didn’t want to disappoint me and that had a negative effect on her and stopped her development.” (Parents Who Pressure
In the article, “Children Need to Play, Not Compete,” the author, Jessica Statsky demands that very composed, focused games that are played in grown-up standard, for example, Little League Baseball and Peewee Football are not appropriate for children particularly those who are between the age of six and twelve. These games have the opposite impact of growing either future players or fans. Moreover, they can damage children mentally and physically. She mentioned a few reasons to support her ideas. Statsky explains that competitive sports persuade children into doing physical actions that are bad by taking twelve-year boy as an example of a child being hurt to attempt to throw a curveball. Even though children are not injured, there is a fear
In the essay “Children Needs to play not compete” Jessica Statsky talked on some of health, physical and psychological reasons children should not be allowed to indulge in competitive games or sports. She appealed to the parents and coaches or game masters on the implications and dangers of organised sports and She argued that competitive sports may harm teenagers both physically and mentally. Statsky in the book stated that sports generally are organised activity irrespective of how it’s being organised either locally or nationally or internationally. She also persuaded that both contact and non contact sports played by kindergarten have side effects on the children either as a competitor or as spectator; hence they should not be...
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.
The value placed on the importance of winning in professional sports has hit an all-time high. The astronomical amount of money being spent in the entertainment field of athletics has dictated a win-at-all-costs mentality that has trickled all the way down to negatively affect our youngest athletes - the prepubescent. The athletic world has forever been exploiting our youth as a source of athletic potential, sacrificing the health, safety and welfare of these child-athletes to satiate the intense nationalistic pride of the country and more dishearteningly in the name of the Almighty Dollar. This has caused coaches and athletes to take drastic measures which are sometimes illegal and usually unethical in order to improve performance levels. One of the most controversial training practices center around the impact of strength training in prepubescent children.
...petitive sports can cause lasting harm and have no benefits for these children (Statsky 627), then examples of how childhood competition negatively affected individuals years after the fact would go a long way to proving her accusation. As Statsky's thesis rests on the assumption that adult imposition of competition and organization in children's sports makes the games neither satisfactory nor beneficial to the children, then lack of benefit must be shown along with lack of satisfaction. The existence of unsatisfied child athletes in organized sports is no indication that children are somehow unsuited to competition and team sports.
According to statistics gathered by youth sports organizations, “Up to 50 million kids play youth sports in America, and 73 percent of those 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 in grades in school.
Confucius once said, "he who does not do well is less guilty than he who pushes too hard." People found that competitive sports are often physically straining and it is detrimental to proper emotional development. This blows away the misconception that competitive sports create a healthy and engaging atmosphere for kids. This and an overly strong obsession with winning create a toxic mix for the child’s wellbeing. People have begun to realize the world of competitive may be doing more harm than good for their children. Parents have also begun to notice that competitive sports often injure their children severely and also make the child feel left out, which in turn is detrimental to the child 's emotional health. Therefore, competitive sports
Let’s review the Pros of children taking part in organized sports: physical activity, socialization, health competition, self-esteem, and discipline. With every action there is an equal reaction also known as the Cons of children taking part in organized sports: which are injuries, cost, stress, and lost family time together.Some of the benefits of playing outdoor sports, are stated by Adnan Samia in an article entitled “Benefits of Sports.” In schools today the break time is hardly 20 to 30 minutes. Playing outdoor games enhance endurance, flexibility, improve balance as well as strengthen bones and muscles. Sports help in developing better hand-eye co-ordination and fast foot movement. The children who play sports are less likely to get arthritis and diabetes than their peers who do not exercise or play games.
The main goals behind Sport Education are to help students become knowledgeable about different sports and activities to the point where they can participate in these outside of the classroom to stay active. Also it teaches execution and strategies and encourages competitiveness. It is important for kids to be competitive because they will have to be in life and it will teach the importance of winning and losing the right way. “Sports offer kids a great chance to work cooperatively toward a common goal. And working coope...