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Affects of physical activity on mental health
Affects of physical activity on mental health
Affects of physical activity on mental health
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In the article "Have Youth Sports Become Too Intense?", the issue of whether or not sports are good for kids is debated. One side explains that it is not good, while the other is that it is. Even though they disagree on if it's too intense. They agree that it is getting more intense. The benefits in participating in competitive youth sports are worth the drawbacks because the pressure of the competition pushes you to do more. When kids join sports, they join intense competition and that competition drives them to practice more and do better.When kids join sports, they join intense competition and that competition drives them to practice more and do better. In paragraph four of "No" it states "Intense training promotes self-confidence, self-discipline,
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.
In the article, “Get Off That Couch and Play”, it states, “Students learn important life skills such as how to accept criticism, how to handle oneself under the pressure of competition, how to work hard toward a goal, how to win and lose graciously” (“Get Off That Couch and Play” 1). In sports, teens can learn how to accept criticism from their coaches, athletes have to learn that they do not do everything right and at some point they will get corrected by a coach and have to learn how to deal with that and accept it. Also, during middle school sports children learn how to handle themselves under pressure. A teammate may be pressuring them to work harder, or to score a goal and an athlete needs to learn how to stay calm while the pressure is riding on them. Furthermore, working hard towards a goal is taught throughout middle school sports because setting a goal you want to achieve is important to how you perform while competing.
Amanda Ripley’s idea that athletics are a distraction in “The Case Against High-School Sports” sparked within me the question of whether all people are equally distracted by athletics in an environment which is heavily focused on academics. The author states, “During football season in particular, the focus of American principals, teachers, and students shifts inexorably away from academics.” I can clearly remember a day last May in high school where I had a late football practice and two AP test the following morning. I recall waking up very tired, sluggish, and upset that I did not get a last minute chance to look over my materials. I remember feeling like I had maybe taken on too much, but I knew I would be alright because I had prepared
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.
Playing competitive sports affect young people in a good way. They are good because you have that commitment and now its hard to back down. In the "no" section of 'Have Youth Sports Become Too Intense?", it states "Intense training promotes self-confidence, self-discipline, and commitment." Student athletes can agree with all of this because it teaches discipline and a lot of other things. Parents can disagree with my reason, because they don't want their child to go through with intense training. They think it's way too much for the child.
Looking back at Statskys essay she noted that children quits sports mostly “apart from their change in interest” but also because of “…lack of playing time, failure and fear of failure, disapproval by significant others and psychological stress ” (3) one will agree with me that teenagers are influenced by the parents, coaches and their friends. This group of people are considered as outside forces in every sport thereby making them loose interest in sports and not the sport discouraging the children from indulging. I do not agree that competitive sport is derailing Children advantage to partake in sporting competitions; rather it tends to develop their skills, needs and abilities.
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.
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.
In the articles, “The secret life of Tiger Woods” by Wright Thompson, and “Are parents ruining youth sports? Fewer kids play amid pressure” by Michael S. Rosenwald, there is a very similar occuring theme that is portrayed. It is if becoming an “elite athlete” is worth making big sacrifices like friends, family, and a normal childhood. I believe that the quest to become an elite athlete, is ultimately not worth the sacrifices it requires. One of the effects of being an “elite athlete” is that you will probably not learn the basic ways of how to live life. One time Tiger Woods was with the navy SEAL’s that he did fun things with like shoot guns, and jump out of airplanes, but one time they went out to eat, and when the waiter brought the
youth sports [were] the one haven for good sportsmanship," says Darrell Burnett, a clinical child psychologist and youth sports psychologist. "Not anymore. It's not just a game anymore." With technology (etc) distracting our children with violence and so on, we cannot afford to ruin what sports may do for them. With sports being just one of the few things left that can contribute to success in life, education, and health, parents need not to put any sort of unnecessary pressure on their kids at such a young age, or any age for that matter, ever.
...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