Today the outrageous pressure of parents on young athletes has been taken out of hand due to parents wanting their children to succeed in athletics. Being involved in athletics used to be the child’s choice, but nowadays parents are forcing their children to participate in sports. From young athletes being pushed emotionally and physically too far, to them having to attend twice-a-day practices that consist of five hour workouts (Schurr 1). Parents go dangerously out of their way to have their children excel in sports. For example, a parent wanted their child to excel in athletics so badly to the point that they asked a surgeon to perform a pelvic surgery to help his/her child to become more flexible. Parents do not take into consideration what the effects of performing a pelvic surgery could have on their child in the …show more content…
Parents argue that due to their child being on a strict schedule that he/she behaves better while at school and at home. Parents believe that during their child’s offseason he/she acts out and has a rough time concentrating on completing their schoolwork and chores. Adolescent athletes have even commented that they believe they perform at higher levels academically because of their strict schedule of sleeping, eating, and completing homework and chores (Kimball 2). Perhaps this is true for some troubled children, but parents need to be aware of how much is too much. Many young athletes have become burnt out due to competing at such a high level at such a young age. As parents there are numerous signs to be aware of that show an athlete is being over trained and/or burnt out. Lack of desire to attend practice, decreased satisfaction in the activity, poor performance, low/falling grades, and loss of appetite and/or sleep are all signs of an athlete being over worked (Kimball 3). Not only does this affect the child physically but also
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.
Leff, S., & Hoyle, R. (1995). Young athlete's perceptions of parental support and pressure. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 24(2), 187-203. Retrieved November 18, 2013, from http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF01537149#page-1
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
When I go to a gymnastics meet and do really good, so I get that 1st place medal or trophy. It feels amazing, I mean the sport gymnastics is competitive and I sure do love competitive sports. The competitiveness gets you that rush of excitement. You feel nervous, but excited to get in there and try your hardest. Kids make better choices and have committed when they have the drawbacks of participating in competitive youth sports.
Each year, parents are spending thousand of dollars on team fees alone not including all the extras like coaching, equipment, and uniforms. Parents are spending all this extra money to one-up each other and to have the better kid. Rosenwald acknowledges, “Parents now start their kids in sports as toddler, jockey to get them on elite teams, and spend small fortunes on private coaching, expensive equipment, sway and travel to tournaments” (Rosenwald). It is like a game for the parents now too. One parent will spend this much money and then the next parent will go spend even more money and it just keeps going. The public refers to these youth sports as the new keeping up with the Joneses. Parents are spending big bucks now to believe the more money they spend now, the more likely their kid will get a college scholarship later on. The article reveals, “The number of children playing a team sport is falling, with experts blaming a parent-driven focus on elite travel clubs, specialization in one sport, and pursuit of scholarships for hurting the country’s youth sports leagues” (Rosenwald). Although this money spending train has made youth sports a large industry, many children are starting to hate sports because of the amount of pressure their parents put on them. The author adds, “Many of the adults trying to fix the problem remember a simpler, less expensive time in youth sports. There was no travel
The pressure was said to come from parents, coaches, and the young athletes themselves (“Journal of Physical Education,” n.d.). Which seems to be very typical in today’s youth sport world. It is not uncommon for the parents and the children to observe how each other acts towards a certain sport, how much encouragement they get, or how much they enjoy a single sport in general. The people who are connected to the school sports, including coaches, principals, athletic directors, etc. are not the only ones voicing their concerns (“Journal of Physical Education,” n.d.). “Journalists and sport scientists have also become worried that young athletes are becoming specialized too early and that this early sport specialization can lead to a number of undesirable effects.
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. Though this argument may seem accurate it does not fully explain some of the major health risks and what the parents and coaches are doing to prevent as many injuries as possible.
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
Every year there are a number of children who withdraw from participating in youth sports. While countless leave sports to pursue other interests, a significant number detest their experience in sport. From the intense practices to pressure-filled competitions, young athletes can feel a considerable amount of stress. If this stress remains for an extended period of time, children experience “burnout” and lose their desire to continue playing. There are two ways parents can avoid youth sports burnout for their children: making sure the children have a healthy balance in their lives and giving the children input into decisions. While sports require dedication in order to achieve a high level
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.
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.
Enemies Within is a film that was produced and written by Trevor Loudon. This film was released as a documentary in attempt to warn American citizens against the conspiracy theories about the infiltration of communism and Islam into their government. The conspiracy theories are described throughout the film and have many similarities, but there are distinct differences between them. The credibility of the film is questionable, but if it is to be taken at face value, then it does have worldwide implications.
Teaching kids to be leaders in today’s world is a hard task that many people have tried to do and have been unsuccessful, but youth sports, on the other hand, have no problem teaching kids these important life skills. Ever since Youth competitive sports existed people have been arguing over whether they are. Youth competitive sports teach kids many important life skills, for example, they teach kids how to work together with other people. Another life lesson that sports teach is leadership skills. Although some people say kids shouldn’t play youth competitive sports because they can get injured, the pros like teaching life skills outweigh the cons by a lot.
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...
Many parents put their children into sports for the wrong reason. They try to live their past dreams of sports glory through their kid. They can push and dem...