Sattam Alkahtani
Professor Sheyene Heller
ENGL 1204
March 26, 2015
Children Need to Play, Not Compete (Summary)
The proper socialization of children is an important part of their daily lives. From a very young age they are taught to play with other children. But unfortunately the aspect of organized sports has increased dramatically in the past few years. Children are no long simply content with having fun with their peers. Instead they are meant to be highly competitive with their friends and the worst part here is that this problem is actually encouraged by their parents. Their precious childhood is now unfortunately being ruined as a direct consequence of these so-called ‘sports’
Along with the great physical pain that they have to
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So consequently we need to objectively analyze these features of hers in order to draw up our own conclusion about whether or not what she is saying is actually worth considering. In order to create and accurate examination we need to look at the exact motivations which Mrs. Jessica may have had before writing this extensive article. There may be many who would attack her research simply because of the fact that she is a woman and as a result of this there is definitely a soft-heartedness present in her that makes her possess such concepts regarding the indoctrination of children. Although it cannot be said that sports are the true enemy here. Children actually love to play sports in their free time. But the central idea which the writer Jessica is trying to convey to us is that the concept of sports has been twisted and corrupted. It is no longer the peaceful past time which it once …show more content…
This age is especially crucial for the developmental stage. Although it has already been established that children of our time are definitely a lot more competitive. The main idea which we need to review is whether or not this competition is actually good for them in the long run. There may be many different men who would say that such competition is actually quite beneficial for the proper evolution of the child’s psyche. It instills in him or her amazing qualities such as discipline and honor. There are also different scholars and intellectuals over the centuries who have proposed that competition breeds
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.
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.
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
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
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...
One of the many benefits of playing sports is the children will build character. Building character is important because with character they will obtain new friends and develop different skills. Playing sports at a young age can build character in many ways, “Playing sports at a young age enables children to participate in social interactions and build skills such as teamwork, leadership, and responsibility as they learn to work with others to achieve a common goal,” (Aspen Institute). This is a benefit because they will build character from learning how to deal with wins and losses from playing sports. Also, they will develop different skills. Developing different skills will build character because, “numerous positive developmental indicators have been associated with sport participation, including improved self-esteem, emotional regulation, problem-solving, goal attainment, social skills, and academic performance,” (Holt). This shows how when children play sports that some of them acquire different skills than others. Lastly, some of the benefits that the children will receive from playing the sports are obtaining new friends and developing different
Participating in a sport at an early age can be essential to the overall growth process during a child’s upbringing. Whether the participation is through some sort of organized league or just getting together amongst friends and playing, the lessons learned from this can help teach these kids and provide a positive message to them as they develop. There is a certain point, however, when organized sports can hinder progress, which is when adults get too involved and forget about the underlying reason to why they are helping. While adult involvement is necessary, adult involvement can sometimes send the wrong message to children when they try to make participation become more than just about fun and learning. According to Coakley (2009), “organized sports are worth the effort put forth by adults, as long as they do what is in the best interest of their children and put that thought ahead of their own agenda” (Coakley, p. 151). This is a valid argument because once adults put themselves in front of the children and their values, it needs to be re-evaluated as to why they first got involved in the beginning. Partaking in organized sport and activity from a young age can be beneficial to the overall development of children, as long as decisions actions are made in the best interest of the children and not stemming from ulterior motives of adults.
In “Children Need to Play, Not Compete” Jessica Stasky proves that how adult competitive games are harmful in so many ways for children. She highlights the physical and psychological problems, loss of good future players and the pressure which children handle to fulfil the desires and wishes of their parents as three main downsides of such high standard games due to which children entire life get affected.
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
Jessica Statsky, in her essay, “Children need to Play, Not Compete” attempts to refute the common belief that organized sports are good for children. She sees organized sports not as healthy pass-times for children, but as onerous tasks that children do not truly enjoy. She also notes that not only are organized sports not enjoyable for children, they may cause irreparable harm to the children, both emotionally and physically. In her thesis statement, Statsky states, “When overzealous parents and coaches impose adult standards on children's sports, the result can be activities that are neither satisfying nor beneficial to children” (627). While this statement is strong, her defense of it is weak.
Chapter 9 and 10 in Michael Marmot’s The Status Syndrome discuss the effects that parental status and lifestyle have on the health of their descendants, as well as the moral implications of health inequity and the possibility of future policy changes. Childhood and its influencing factors cascading from one’s parents’ education, socioeconomic status, and health behaviors are highlighted as being some of the earliest and most prominent determinants of one’s health in adulthood. In addition to parental factors, social participation and access to being able to participate in healthy societal activities also shapes health status from childhood to adulthood. Whether a child gets to play outside with other children or an adult can safely jog in their
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.
Children who participate in sports are developing rapidly in sports skills, sportsmanship, and psychologically, but does this come from organized sports are just nature’s process. Children develop emotional and social benefits from participating in sports. Children experience character and leadership development through peer relations leading to an increase in self-esteem and a decrease in anxiety levels. Children will get opportunities to experience positive and negative emotions throughout their practice and games trials. It is important for the coach to understand the “psychology of youth sports and physical activity participation” (Weinberg & Gould, 2011 p.516).
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...