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