Childhood Sports Argumentative Analysis

One of the best American traditions for children is to participate in youth league sports. There is nothing more fun than getting a group of friends together and organizing a winning team. However some believe that childhood sports should not be very competitive. Some people would argue that “It’s not about winning, it’s about having fun”, whereas others want their child to be the next Babe Ruth or Michael Jordan. In the book Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs Chuck Klosterman describes the time he coached peewee baseball team and how the parents viewed his competitive attitude as negative. The parents believed that their children should play regardless of their athletic ability. However Klosterman argues to the parents that this was unprofessional,

According to the Journal of Physical Activity and Health the main reason children play sports is because they want to have fun, but the absence of fun is the “number-one reason for youth sport attrition”(Visek 1). The Journal of Physical Activity and Health conducted a study to determine what makes children want to participate in youth sports. In order to obtain results, they surveyed youth soccer player, coaches, and parents, and questioned them about what makes sports fun. In the study, they created the ‘FUN MAPS’ which provide evidence about the ‘Fun Integration Theory’, which “can be used to maximize fun for children and adolescents to promote and sustain a healthy lifestyle through sport” (Visek 1). The study claimed there were 11 different fun dimensions, and the survey group indicated the importance of each fun determinate within the dimension. Of the 11 dimensions’: positive team dynamics, trying hard, and positive coaching were listed as the three most important factors of fun. Another figure that was calculated was the importance of playing time and this resulted in “80% of players, 93% of parents, and 94% of coaches indicated that playing time was very-to-extremely important to youth sport competition” (Visek 4). On page 6 and 7 of the article, they list the 11 dimensions and the 81 fun-determinals, and under the category of trying hard; competing, working hard, and setting and achieving goals were highly chosen by the subjects of the survey. The study establishes a fundamental point of enjoyment in youth sport, but also reveals how competition is important in the development of a child. The results contribute to both my and Klosterman’s arguments on competition in youth sports. When it comes to playing time, children need to be willing to compete to earn their starting spot. The conclusion of this study proves that the ‘Fun Integration Theory’ can convince children