Why Kids Should Not Play Competitive Sports

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Some people think that letting kids play competitive sports is beneficial for their well-being, but I believe that there are potentially more negative side effects towards children playing competitive sports than there are benefits. People may argue that competitive sports helps lower rates of obesity, causing more kids to be healthier and in better physical shape. However, kids should not play competitive sports because there is a high risk of injury, it may cause emotional burnout, and there is a high financial cost to participate. This paper will argue that kids should not compete in competitive sports due to such various negative impacts. The first reason why kids should not play competitive sports is that it can cause injuries. Many kids who play …show more content…

Kids may push themselves to be better to the point that they become emotionally strained. This stress can also cause kids to lose self confidence. T. Marcie Huggins states, “The mounting pressure to play well can increase stress and make children feel bad and lose confidence should they make mistakes or lose” (Huggins, 2017). This extra pressure that kids put on themselves can also lead them to turn to performance enhancing drugs like steroids. Not only can competitive sports cause stress and psychological problems that can lead to drugs, but it can also cause many to be less focused on academics because of the stress that it puts on them. According to KCRA.com, balancing sports and academics can be highly stressful, causing many to be less focused on their studies while they work harder on playing sports to get a scholarship. This is important to know because this stress buildup is hard to balance with your schoolwork and grades due to the competitiveness of the kids playing in these sports. Competitive sports has many negative impacts on the kids that play, but it can also be far too