According to Jessica Statsky’s essay titled Children Need to Play, Not Compete, most children under the age of 12 do not need competition in sports. Claiming that organized sports are not “satisfying nor beneficial” for young children, Statsky expresses her concerns over a few issues. Supporting her thesis, Statsky discusses the negative physical and psychological effects of competitive sports. She further asserts that most children do not enjoy competition by citing a study about how most children would prefer to be on a losing team that allowed everyone to play rather than a winning team that may bench them due to performance. Also, she states ‘scorekeeping, league standings, and the drive to win bring(s) out the worst in adults’. Illustrating …show more content…
According to a story on Nightline, children are being approached by college recruiters at younger ages. There is a child, age 11, who has been on the cover of Sports Illustrated because his football career is so promising. The opportunities and experiences being exposed to him would not have occurred if not for competitive sports. Per the interview, even if football does not work out, he possesses the confidence from sports to declare he wants to run for mayor when he got older. This child personifies how competing can benefit someone under the age of …show more content…
More adults and coaches need to go to training sessions that puts emphasis on the team sport rather than the score. The values learned in playing a sport that demands performance helps to groom a child for the future. Consequently, adults should be able to translate those values to a child so they understand exactly why they are playing. Even she credits the Little League for having workshops that deal with the ”educational theory” of team sports and “how to make practices more fun”. This should become a standard for all sports no matter what
In 2012 the minimal percentages of high schoolers receiving D1 scholarships was incredibly minimal, “about 2 percent of high school athletes win sports scholarships every year at NCAA colleges and universities” (O'Shaughnessy). Not only can sports potentially set teens up for a positive future, but it also can start teaching valuable lessons at a very young age. Valuable lessons such as dealing with loss and success and work ethic and teamwork. Young children who are exposed to these skills early in life only grow with confidence. Lisa Mooney from the Livestrong organization further argues all the benefits team sports can potentially have on children: “Athletic accomplishment yields confidence and assurance for growing children” (2014).
The Unexpected That Changed My Life for the Better Friday Night Lights not only refers to the stadium that football players play in, but it also refers to every Friday night in September through November. That simple phrase brings back several memories, that carry emotional weight. Memories that are exciting, awe-inspiring, and even painful, and frustrating. The poem “Friday Night Lights” by Gerald Locklin summarizes some of the emotions that come with playing a sport, and brings about a deeper thought process. Being a part of a sport becomes your life, it teaches life lessons, helps build your personality, and shows you passions you never would have dreamed of.
Sports exist at the core a societal foundation. Sports allow for a wide range of ways to get involved from involvement to spectatorship. The youth spend their days playing and fascinating over sports, similar to that of an adult, elderly, ect. Neither the appreciation nor the excitement of sports and athletic events differ by age. Some would say sport play such a big role in society because of their ability to incorporate life lessons into a fun activity, while other think the fascination of sports exist as the problem.
In “Do Sports Build Character or Damage it?” Mark Edmundson explains the pros and cons of children who grow up playing football. Firstly, he believes the perseverance it takes to show up for hard practices is useful later in life. Especially when they get frustrated with something and don’t notice the little bits of progress they are making.
Concentrating on winning or losing spoils the fun that games hold. In addition, equal chances should be provided to every child to participate. Competitive nature can assist the children in their life later on, but the focus should be on better mental and physical health. (204 words) Response In “Children Need to Play, Not Compete,” the author has described sports as one of the ways that enhance mental and physical heath.
Kids can translate the hard work they've put into their sport by working harder to be a better student or employee and a better person overall. Kids sports can most definitely help in the area of working together with someone or a
She also goes on to say, “Soon the stakes get higher because many parents and coaches play to win. Winning means recognition and that could lead to lucrative opportunities -– high school championships then college scholarships and perhaps a shot at the pros” (par 3). This evidence shows that there is so much pressure to be good and work hard that it is not even fun anymore. Kids have to deal with the pressure of winning, so they work harder which can make them burn out quickly from the
Coed Teams Benefit Both Male and Female Participants “An active participation in sports has a positive influence on a teenager’s social life, self-esteem and even academic performance (Sitkowski, 2008). ’’ Sports are an excellent means of spending one’s leisure. Sports are all types of typically competitive physical movement or game which, through organized participation, intend to improve physical skills, strengthen the body and give enjoyment to members.
Should Children Receive Trophies Just For Participating? What are trophies? They are memorable tokens that symbolize hard work and excellence. They are symbols of winners who worked hard to try and reach their goal.
Dr. Frank L. Smoll states, “All children and youth need vigorous physical activity as part of their daily lives, and sports provide the benefits of exercise and the potential for acquiring a sense of accomplishment.” (Smoll 1/2).
The amount of children participating in competitive sports has been on a steady decline in the past decade. Between the years of 2008 and 2013, the total number of children participating in competitive sports has dropped by approximately 2.6 million. This is mainly due to the many negative impacts that young athletes face when partaking in these sports. Competitive sports involve sports where competition is encouraged, and where winning is more important than anything else. Competing in these sports causes the children to be vulnerable to many risks and many other negative impacts.
Summary In “Children Need to Play, Not Compete,” Jessica Statsky tries to demonstrate the negative effect of organized sports on the physical and psychological health of growing child. She claims that the games are not festive but they end up in the wrong development of a child’s brain. The coaches and parents have high hopes for their children that result in the pressure building. This changes the purpose of sports from teaching tolerance, teamwork and sportsmanship to merely winning by all means.
Competitive sports provide a community which kids can work with and beat other teams with. “Playing a sport helps children develop social skills which would benefit them even when they grow older. Playing sports teaches them about teamwork and cooperating with others. They learn to interact with people from different ages” (Mahaseth). When these kids grow up, they can use these skills to be able to cooperate and talk with their colleagues.
Some people don’t know the benefits of playing competitive sports, but After reading my essay I think you now know most of the benefits and maybe from now you might see competitive sports in a different way. Playing competitive sports matters because it has a huge impact on your life. If you are a parent reading this easy I think you should allow your child to join and play competitive sports it important that children stay healthy. For kids not everyone is good at all sports but is better for kid join and try out new things and remember it’s not all about winning but it’s also about
How Competitive Sports is Beneficial Children at a young age have a lot of energy, To solve that problem, they are sometimes put into a competitive sports team. Many will disagree and say that this is unacceptable , while others say that it is beneficial. Children should be able to be put in sport teams because most children play sports as a passion,and it not only benefits them with being athletic and healthy, It's also favorable to children because only its a game, it also teaches children morals, and life lessons. One reason Children should be able to play sports, is that playing sports is beneficial to the kids health.