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The Pressure to Succeed
The Issue
“Show me a good loser and I'll show you a loser,” Vince Lombardi once said. This saying could be the unsung anthem of American sports for children and teenagers. Everyone loves to win. In sports there is always competition. Is there too much emphasis on “the win” for kids and teens? This issue is important because it essentially develops the way children and teenagers think and react; it will affect them later on in life. Too much emphasis on winning is a problem because there is extensive pressure from parents and coaches, and the consequences can be severe.
Some people, such as Vince Lombardi, argue that the win is all there is. They say it motivates them to do well and will help them reach their dreams and give them the desire to achieve their best. Whereas others, such as Elizabeth Larsen, argue that the emphasis on the win is too great. Larsen says, “Some athletes take anabolic steroids as performance-enhancing drugs to build muscle and endurance.” So according to Larsen, kids are under such a great pressure to do well, that they resort to steroids could greatly affect them later on in life; emotionally and physically. (Dying to Be Strong). So then is the the issue is whether the win is the most beneficial element or is it how they play the game becoming too hazardous?
Winning is all that matters
Looking at the side of winning being the only reason to play sport, it is very easy to get wrapped up in all the glamour of victory. Wanting to be the best places an unwavering drive in the depths of one's soul and it is not satisfied until a first place trophy is sitting on his or her shelf or a gold medal is hanging around thier neck. “Don’t let anyone tell you, 'Winning isn’t everythi...
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...ure on Their Young Athletes to Succeed." Central Kitsap Reporter. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2013.
Larsen, Elizabeth Foy. "Dying To Be Strong." Scholastic Scope 62.2 (2013): 4-8. Academic Search Complete. Web. 2 Dec. 2013.
"Winning Isn't Everything, It's the Only Thing". Bluegrassprep.com. Kentucky Sports Fan, 11 Sept. 2013. EBSCO. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. .
"PARENTAL PRESSURE AND TEEN ANXIETY: Parents Fuel A Kid's Competition Anxiety." Journal Of Pure Power 5.1 (2010): 59-63. Academic Search Complete. Web. 4 Dec. 2013.
Kanters, Michael, and Cheryl A. Estes. "Parents And Youth Sports." Parks & Recreation 37.12 (2002):
20. Academic Search Complete. Web. 20 Nov. 2013.
Feigley, David A. "The Role of Winning in Youth Sports." The Role of Winning in Youth Sports. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 9 Dec. 2013.
Steroids have become an athletic advantage to those becoming the best. Steroids first used in the early 1990’s were used by players as an everyday supplement, providing a boost in their game. This has evolved into a daily habit for players and teen accessing a life destroying choices just to be the best for once. For steroids have developments in the scandal with “13 Major League Baseball players, including Alex Rodriguez- the highest paid player in professional baseball” (Woerner). Showing PED’s will destroy the things you love the most, but only “effective in the short term” (Woerner). Meaning that the little amount you took won’t last you a lifetime.
When the coach turned his head, the seven-year-old stuck a finger down his throat and made himself vomit. When the coach fumed back, the boy pointed to the ground and told him, “Yes, there it is, Coach. See?” (Tosches A33).It emphasizes the fact that if a child gets hurt once, they will fear the possibility of getting hurt again ,so they try to find excuses to prevent themselves from playing the game.Second,Statsky states how competitive adults have drained the fun out of children's sports and made the game unappealing for children.She cites Martin Rablovsky, a former sports editor for the New York Times says that in all his years of watching young children play organized sports, he has noticed very few of them smiling. “I’ve seen children enjoying a spontaneous pre-practice scrimmage become somber and serious when the coach’s whistle blows,” Rablovsky says. “The spirit of play suddenly disappears, and sport becomes job-like” (qtd in Coakley 94). It shows the fact that competitive adults are oblivious to their actions and don't notice that what they are doing can really affect a child mentally.Third, Statsky is concerned that competitive sports will lower a child's self-esteem and make them lack confidence.’’Like adults, children fear failure, and so even those with good physical skills may stay away because they lack
Kids just want to have fun. In a bygone era, parents wanted kids to play sports for fun and camaraderie. However, a new attitude is developing among coaches and parents, which is mopping-up fun from youth sports. Now it's all about the team and the game. The team must win the game at any cost.
With television and computer so common in today’s society, more and more people spend much time at home watching sport shows. Young children grow up with their heroes being famous athletes they see on TV everyday. These young children grow up wanting to be just like the people they have watched for years on television. Becoming a great athlete is a dream of many young people and also their parents. Because steroids have seemed to make it a lot easier for people to attain the goals they have set out to accomplish, many people have turned to the drugs to gain that goal. Without thinking about the physical side effects or the mental side effects that steroids can have on them, they are willing to risk all that to become bigger, stronger, or faster just to succeed in sports whether it be in junior high, high school, college or at the professional level.
...rk, Michael A. "Winning. How Important Is It in Youth Sports?" Youth Sports Institute: Michigan State University.
Simon of Hamilton College along with Professor Cesar R. Torres of State University of New York collectively wrote Fair Play: The Ethics of Sport. As a matter of fact, Professor Robert L. Simon was named to the list of ‘’ 100 Most Influential Sports Educators by the Institute for International Sport’. In addition, Cesar R. Torres is Professor in the Department of Kinesiology, Sport Studies and Physical Education at The College of Brockport, State University of New York, USA. He is a former President of the International Association for the Philosophy of Sport. In this book, the research question is if winning is what people ought to think that is important or whether winning really ought to be regarded as a primary goal. Although, their primary method employed in the research consisted of interviews they got a lot of data from empirical observations. The professors found out that sports are a significant form of social activity that affects the education system, the economy, and, perhaps, the values of citizen. The purpose of the books is to describe how participation in sports affects the participants’ values. In addition, they described what personality features contribute to success or failure in competitive athletics. Likewise, this work is related to Professor Pelling’s work because it also talked about how a sport competition can affect directly an athlete life. For instance, this work is relevant to my research question because it explain how
Heffernan, L. E. (2013, October 10). Parents Ruin Sports for Their Kids by Obsessing About Winning. Retrieved April 28, 2014
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.
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.
Statsky also makes another faulty assumption, which is that competition is an adult imposition on the world of children’s play. She says in her article, “The primary goal of a professional athlete – winning – is not appropriate for children” (629). Children compete to win in the same way that adults do, and they do so on their own without any adult pressure. Common playground gam...
The Web. The Web. 30 Oct. 2013. McCormick, John. The. Kids and Team Sports: Should Parents Push Their Children to Play?
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
When involved in sports, you have to be competitive. You need to win more than anybody else. However, athletes are taking winning to the extreme.
Jeff Kemp, a retired professional NFL quarterback, once stated, “Sports teach positive lessons that enrich America even while revealing its flaws” (Kemp). Athletics offer so much more than the joy of game day and the thrill of a win. Being involved in sports holds the key to a world filled with passion, excitement, and once in a lifetime opportunities. There is nothing better than seeing the student section arrive in full force or hearing the school fight song chanted before kickoff. However, when life moves on and leaves sports behind, the lessons it has instilled in athletes never disappears. The play calls may be foggy and the jersey will be too tight, but what was innocently learned in the jersey shines out at an older age. Although life lessons can be learned through everyday activities, lessons such as teamwork, self-confidence, and dealing with failure are only truly learned through sports by young athletes.
Rookies may look at an MVP caliber athlete and try to emulate his lifestyle. Athletes are pressured to win, “no matter the cost.” This pressure may come from coaches, teammates, or even family members. Olympic athletes may be the most impacted athletes when it comes to the need to win attitude. An olympic athlete has one shot at glory; one shot at winning a medal for his or her country. This shot only comes once every four years, so they are certainly pressured to perform (“Top 10 Pros and Cons- Drug Use in