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Academic effects of sports on children
Effects of sports on children's development
Effects of sports on children's development
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In the article “Organized sports do not benefit children” John Gerdy writes about youth sports programs no longer being about meeting the educational, developmental, and recreational needs of children but rather to satisfying the ego needs of adults. This topic has been widely argued over. Questions have been ask of parent who choose to have their kids win than to have fun. Gerdy in his writing will talk about De-organizing children’s sports and the adult domination of children sports as well as his opinion on the whole argument.
. The facts in the essay are merely opinions of a writer. It has not been proven a scientific fact that parents are the problem but in his case actual scientific proof is not needed to agree with the writer despite a little bias in the writing. The article starts out with the author picture of a game brawl erupting after a youth soccer game just because your son’s team lost the game. The article starts and the author targets the true meaning of organized youth sports and the requirements it should be meeting and the purpose it is currently serving. Gerdy
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states that children want to play sports, not to win, but simply to have fun. It is the adults who are destroying youth sports. Studies contrasting spontaneous youth play versus organized youth sports indicate when left alone children will successfully organize, administer, and manage their own games. They are very capable of choosing sides and settling disputes. Children can handicap the games to ensure everything is evenly matched and made interesting and fun. No matter the event learning is a part of doing something different. When kids are left alone to experience the game and learn it gives them an opportunity to develop organization, mediation, and interpersonal skills which are very valuable skills to know. The biggest problem and a perfect example is having multiple superior athletes from different counties or even cities combining to make a superior team against merely 8 year olds. In the organized game the coaches will put out an elite team that goes ahead and destroys all it opponents damaging multiple kids confidence. By the end of the game the other team has not even gotten a chance to touch the ball. If this was a pick-up game which is not watched over by adults the kids would make sure there is an even distribution of talent and skills for both teams. No matter the sport kids will always distribute talent evenly. The game would not exist if it was not fun, in youth leagues adults will impose the idea of winning which replaces the goal of maximizing fun and participation. After explaining the case, Gerdy writes about the reconstruction of youth sports to give the game back to the kids.
First he talks about other people who oppose his argument saying organized sports are a home run in more ways than one. It is building confidence and teaching kids about emotional self-control. Organized sports not only keep kids healthier physically, but mentally as well. Research shows that children who play organized sports are frequently healthier and physically stronger than their less athletic peers. According to sports psychology author Jim Taylor, Ph.D., endurance sports have been found to enhance brain development. In addition, he says that sports build confidence, develop focus, and teach kids about emotional control. "Kids learn essential life skills, such as hard work, patience, persistence, and how to respond positively to setbacks and failure," Taylor
says. The way it was written Gerdy is in support of re constructing youth sports. It is safe to assume this due to both sides of the argument. He uses plenty of circumstances that has occurred and shows why a change is needed. For example a detailed explanation of how “pick up” and “adult organized” games work. Which concluded that parents having total control of the game is making the game less valuable and more competitive for parents who are in it for themselves. Gerdy also uses different scenarios to show what he is writing about. He uses much less evidence for the opposing side with brief quotes from valuable sources and less fact on the key issue which is on parent having total control. John Gerdy addressed the issue of organized sports not making an effect on children. He intended for this article to be a form to take down organized sports and to limit the power parents have on it. He believes the true joy of playing youth sports is to be with friends and to enjoy the moments that come with the game. His main goal was to persuade parents and all involve to limit the control and effect they have on the game he does this by including a detailed essay on what he felt was the truth about sports today and the change needed to make it special again. Work Cited Gerdy, John R. "Organized Sports Do Not Benefit Children." Sports: The All-American Addiction. Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi, 2002. Rpt. in Sports and Athletes. Ed. James D. Torr. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2005. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 20 Sept. 2015.
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.
Stephen D. Keener, writer for the New York Times, says in his article Sports Teach Kids Valuable Lessons, “The lessons young players gain between the foul lines have guided some to become astronauts, emergency first responders, bestselling authors, military heroes, professional athletes and even president of the United States” (Keener). Keener talks about how playing on a sports team as a child can teach the kid very important characteristics, like: teamwork, leadership, and sportsmanship. Any kid who wants to get a job when they’re older is going to have to know how to work well with people, which is where learning the skill of teamwork is so huge. Considering Ripley’s point about sports lowering academics, Keener argues, “These lessons directly translate into the classroom and beyond” (Keener). These are some very important lessons I think that kids can benefit from
The amount of unnecessary behavior by parents at youth sporting events is increasing rapidly and is ruining the kid's experiences and their passion for the sports. Parents in the United States are becoming more involved in their children's sports than the kids themselves. The reason that so many young American athletes are quitting at such an early age is because their parents are making the sports a joyless experience and are placing too much pressure on the kids to win and to be the best. Parents have become out of control at youth sports and it seems that the kids are showing more civility than the parents these days. Parents need to get back to teaching their kids that sports should be played for fun and not just for showing who's the best.
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.
Abstract: Youth Soccer has recently evolved into a fiercely competitive arena. More and more children are leaving recreational leagues to play in highly competitive select leagues. While select sports are a valuable resource where children can learn how to socialize and become self motivated, children who start at young ages, ten and eleven, can suffer psychological and physical damages. A child's youth sporting experience is directly influenced by the attitudes, sportsmanship and behavior of their parents and coaches. Parents and coaches who pressure their children to be the best and not play their best are responsible for the high teenage drop out rate. By eliminating the "winning is everything" attitude, looking at the effort put forth by individual players and holding parents responsible for their actions we can return the game to the children.
Participation in sports has proven to increase self-discipline and self-esteem, and can teach athletes to learn from their mistakes and move on (Issitt). Athletes playing team sports also develop the ability to work well with others and use teamwork in their everyday lives. Teammates form relationships that are strengthened over a common passion and goal. These relationships can last long after high school is over (Chen). These social skills translate into better communication used with an athlete’s family, peers, and in the community. Likewise, “A 2006 study in Maryland found that student athletes are 15 percent more likely than non athletes to be involved in their communities and to take the time for civic engagements, including participating in voting and volunteer activities” (Issitt). The same study also concluded that athletes are far more likely to be comfortable with public speaking than non-athletes. This study provides concrete evidence that high school sports can help to gain mental and social skills that will be used later in life
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.
These days, there is too much pressure on children who participate in organized sports because of the unnecessary parental involvement they experience. A growing concern amongst those involved in youth sports is that certain aspects of parental involvement become detrimental to the development and experiences of young athletes. Early emphasis on winning, making money, and the disruption of education can exceedingly affect ones desire to further participate in a sport later on in his/her life.
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.
While some may say that the positives of youth sports outweigh the negatives, it is still undeniable that some youth sports have become too intense, because the financial cost has increased tremendously and the number of injuries is very high. First, the cost of youth sports has risen greatly, showing that youth sports is becoming too extreme. For instance, according to Mr. Dorsch, an assistant professor at Utah State University, financial cost of youth sports has grown “up to 10.5 percent of gross income in his research” and is even “hurting family harmony” (Sullivan). Parents are investing so much into youth sports nowadays, whether it is recreational league at a local soccer field or a travel hockey team that plays in other states, that it is not only costing the family more money than before but also breaking the family harmony.
Parents will always debate whether they should or should not allow their children to play organized sports. Sports benefit children in many ways that a parent may not even realize. Some benefits of youth sports are, Children who are physically active typically remain at normal weights throughout their childhood and into adulthood, children that participate in sports are more likely to be successful in school, provides them with leadership skills, teaches them to respect authority (the coach), and can raise the child’s self-esteem by giving them a sense of belonging. Those are only a few of the benefits that parents may not know about that they are holding their child back from being apart. Sports allow children to have a good role model to
Youth sport programs try their hardest to portray and mirror professional sports organizations and teams in skills, looks, and status. Although sports can assist in building character, self- esteem, and health, it can also plant the seed of cruelty, greed, and dishonesty. At some point in many sports winning becomes the single most important factor in maintaining a winner status, no matter the cost. With this being the ultimate goal for coaches and parents it then eliminates the fun aspect most children play for from the start. When coaches and parents all have different agendas and goals of how the sport should be played, the child is then put in the middle of something called “crossfire”, which can evolve into much unneeded stress put on the young athlete. With confusion and large amounts of pressure put on the child to win, we then see there is a conflict of understanding ‘personal victory’ vs ‘team victory’. This can cause low self-esteem, extra stress, or fear towards losing if the expectation of the parents and coaches are not delivered by the
Youth Sports NPR released an article in 2015 discussing how sports can benefit a child’s mind and heart. Youth sports can teach a child more than just competition. A family of four, with two young athletic children, explains how athletics is important to them. The parents believe physical activity is important for their children, just like any parent would say, but they also believe life lessons, as well as experiences are important, and they gain that from sports. The article states that 76% of adults who have children in high school, or middle school, encourage their kids to play sports at a young age.
If parents, children, coaches, and fans are not able to come together to understand truly what is truly at stake, the player's happiness, then tomorrow others might wake up to a world where sports, themselves, were banned. At this point, the facts speak for themselves and have shown time after time again that competition in youth sports is natural and fun; so why give more facts? However, in today's day and age, parents will continue to have complaints against competition in sports. Nonetheless, if people fail to acknowledge the idea that competition is wrong then they will be ignoring the world at large. If everyone won’t be able to come together and agree that competition in youth sports is good than tomorrow might just become,
Sports have always been a way for students of all ages to have fun competitively. Students develop a passion for certain sports and let it have a huge impact in their life. Some people believe that sports are only fun and games, but it’s much more than that. Sports can improve people’s cognitive abilities in more ways than athletes can imagine and have helped to evolve human beings into smarter individuals. School sports are beneficial to students because they create great habits and help people psychologically.