When I went to a co-ed wiffle ball game, I was shocked to see how well the children played as a team. Both, the boys and girls, were cheering each other on and giving each other high fives. Some people believe that boys are more competitive, or intense than the female players, but this was not the case with the children that I watched. Co-ed sports should be opened more often, since boys and girls are both as competitive, and share the same love of sports. Children of both genders, can gain respect and help to end stereotypes when participating in a co-ed sport.
There should be more opportunities for both boys and girls to join the same sports team. Both genders share the same competitiveness, but may show it in different ways. Joyce Benenson at Emmanuel College in Boston, Massachusetts and her colleagues separated 87 four-year-olds into same-sex groups of three. She then gave the group of toddlers either one, two, or three puppets to play with. In an article on New Scientists, Ed Yong claims,
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In an article on Livestrong, the author writes about Laura E. Berk’s suggestion that, “somewhere between ages 9 and 11 kids begin to develop gender stereotypes.” The article also mentions, “Involving them (children) in coed sports early is an opportunity to curb those notions before they start.” By involving children in co-ed sports, male and females learn to respect one another’s abilities, both while on and off the field. Some critics say that children can learn to respect their peers in other ways, such as school, or other gender specific sports. While this is true, not all activities, such as schools, have respectful environments. Also, some schools might not teach students about the importance of appreciation of peers. To conclude this notion, children are capable to learn to stand up to stereotypes, and learn to have respect for themselves and