Jessica Statsky's Essay Children Need To Play, Not Competition

In today’s society, it seems as if everything is a competition. From competing for a spot at the best school to attend to competing against fellow colleagues for the best position in the job field; it’s always a fight for the top spot. In Jessica Statsky’s essay, “Children Need to Play, Not Compete,” she explains the harsh effects that can occur in children if they are put into competitive sports too early in life. It is understandable that the world needs to be competitive in order to grow and expand, however, if competition is pushed too much at a young age, children may start to doubt themselves, believe that they are not any better than anyone else, and sometimes even end up hating the activity that they are pursuing. That is why parents

Most parents believe that if they start their children off young, then their children will be more successful in whatever sport they are put into, but it can also cause their children to burn out and drop the sport by the time they are a teenager. Also, what parents sometimes might forget and do not understand is that, if their child does not like the sport they are playing, they are more likely to not try and find a way out of not playing in the game. In Statsky’s essay she explained how there was a child about seven-years-old who was playing a Peewee Football game and no longer wanted to play. The child told the coach that his “tummy hurts” in order to not play, but the coach did not accept his statement, so the little boy made himself vomit right onto the ground. This action from the little child shows how competitive sports have psychological dangers and can cause children to harm themselves in order to stay out of the game. When parents start their children at a young age, it can cause their child to find ways out of playing and sometimes it can be very harmful to their health and well