The Problem of Youth Sports Intensity

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Adolescence is the time period of scraped knees, bumped heads, or worse case scenario a dislocated shoulder. This time period is a time for only scraped knees bumped heads, but it isn't the time period for concussions. According to Lisa Weisenberger, " injuries associated with participation in sports and recreational activities account for 21 percent of traumatic brain injuries among children in the United States". Damaging physically is mainly bruising, scratches, sprained ankles, and concussion. Emotional abuse is a verbal attack on a child's self-esteem by a person in a position of power, authority, or trust, such as a parent or a coach. Because of the potentially damaging physically and emotionally effects of youth sports, it is obvious that they are too intense and must be changed. Lisa states that " children ages five to fourteen account for nearly forty percent of all sports related injuries treated in hospitals. On average the rate and severity of injury increases with the child's age".

Youth sports intensity is problem, because the amount of injuries that have been occurring, it is outrageous. According to Minnesota Amateur Sports Commission Athletic Association, " sixty six percent of boys play organized sports, and fifty two percent of girls play organized sports". The problem is that these youths are getting involved in very physical sports and getting mentally and physically hurt. Lisa weisenberger also states, that sixty two percent of organized sports related injuries occur during practice". This problem exists because many of the youth's parents influence their children in various ways. "The level of competition in youth sports has gotten exponentially greater forcing this level of hyper competition", Martha Ir...

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...ates had formed their own competitive athletic leagues modeled after New York City's PSAL, Settlement suit. The number of boys' clubs grew rapidly through the 1970s, working in parallel with school leagues. "At the same time, many physical-education professionals stopped supporting athletic competition for young children because of worries that leagues supported competition only for the best athletes, leaving the others behind". The physical educations are not going to stop unless the non competitive sports end.

This should be the end of our children's mental and physical lives. We should make this more of a situation that is viewed by parents who force their children to be competitive. There were " One hundred and twenty sports related deaths of young athletes 2008-2009, forty-nine in 2010, and thirty-nine in 2011", according to youth sports safety statistics.

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