Persuasive Essay: Youth Sports

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Did you know that nearly 60 million children play youth sports each year? There is a reason that so many kids choose youth sports as their pastime, not only is it fun, but it is very healthy for kids, youth sports are quite obviously an integral part of the youth, but why? For starters, it is just plain fun, nearly every kid loves to go outside and play sports with their friends. It is also proven to be very good for the kids. While some may believe that youth sports can be damaging, most understand that youth sports are very important as they can keep kids healthy for life, and lessen the chances of depression, and sports have become very safe. Youth sports have many positives and all kids should play them. Firstly, football has gotten a …show more content…

Firstly, they think that sports can lead to “Young athletes who feel pressure to succeed are at risk of struggling with feelings of shame when they do not live up to expectations”(Dekin). While this may be true in some instances, this is not a common feeling. Being an athlete comes with a lot of pressure as you are very important to the team, however, this is not necessarily a bad thing. Feeling pressure can give the youth a large sense of purpose as they feel like they are important to a large organization. It can also lead to a healthier lifestyle as the kids can use the pressure to continue to work towards being better at their sport, leading to them becoming more fit and athletic. Another reason that many people do not like youth sports is that they believe that it is too expensive. According to them, it is very concerning that, “there are AAU basketball teams that charge up to $4,000”(Hulne). Some sports can cost nearly 10K per year, not even counting equipment, parking or travel. While yes, they do have a point in that the cost of youth sports can be way too much for what it is. However, these exorbitant costs that are being talked about are a bit misleading. These costs are outrageous, but most of the time optional. The high expenses you normally see are for travel teams. These are teams that travel all around the nation and are formed from large tryouts. Many players will never play for a club team and the ones that do will most likely do it after many years of playing rec. The “Rec” leagues can be very cost-effective as they can be almost free, and they are still the same sport. There are many, if not the majority of sports that have local rec leagues that are a lot cheaper. They are great for young kids shopping around for a sport to play without breaking the bank. In worst case scenario, kids can always play pickup games with friends or small leagues at local parks. Based

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