Competitive Sports

Statsky wrote an essay called "Children Need to Play Not Compete". In this essay she talks about how competitive sports are not good for children. Statsky's point in "Children Need to Play Not Compete" appears to be better for the children since she tells how these sports affect the kids in negative ways. Her theory tells the reader why these sports aren't satisfying or beneficial to children (page 236), but doesn't show them how well these sports can improve children in many different ways. Competitive sports teach children responsibility, respect, social skills, and they can very well help them prepare for their

The importance of children’s athletics is for kids to have fun. When the child stops getting enjoyment out of the sport, then it is the parent’s job to take them out. Sports can have many positive effects on a child’s life, but it is important to remember too much of a good thing can make it a hurtful thing. As the culture of youth athletics spirals out of control, it is the parent’s responsibility to save the child from short-term and, unfortunately, long-term damage. Parents need to evaluate how far they are willing to go for youth athletics and when they will have taken their obsession too

“In the United States, about 20 million children and teens participate in some form of organized sports, more than 3.5 million children ages 14 and younger get hurt annually playing sports or participating in recreational activities” (Lucile Parkland Children’s Hospital). Children and their parents are sacraficing much of their time and money with youth sports. With kids starting at such a young age playing such intense sports it is increasing the amount of injuries that occur at younger ages. With the intensity increasing, children’s time is decreasing. These children have no more time for themselves or with their families. Going along with the children’s families, the parents of these young athletes are spending large amounts of money to make their kid the best and go onto the professional league. The families of these children not only spend hundreds of dollars, but also are one of the top reasons youth sports have become so intense. They have been more involved and effect the child’s performance. These sports programs are causing mental and physical damage for these developing kids and the intensity of parents and coached have made it even more overwhelming.

The Federal and state government should stop kids under 10 to stop playing contact sports because 45% of kids under 10 getting hurt are from contact sports and 5% of the time its ending that kids chances to play sports in the feature, Not to mention contact sports can also make kids go to their fullest and being burned out and although contact provide some kids will useful tools in life most of the time there is more negative than positive.

The amount of children participating in competitive sports has been on a steady decline in the past decade. Between the years of 2008 and 2013, the total number of children participating in competitive sports has dropped by approximately 2.6 million. This is mainly due to the many negative impacts that young athletes face when partaking in these sports. Competitive sports involve sports where competition is encouraged, and where winning is more important than anything else. Competing in these sports causes the children to be vulnerable to many risks and many other negative impacts. Children who participate in competitive sports at a young age experience more serious negative impacts than positives, including a risk of severe injury, losing

“Children Need to Play, Not Compete,” by Jessica Statsky is a thoughtful insight on the competitive sports for children. She is of the view that the competitive sports can ruin the enjoyment that games are supposed to provide. These methods of playing the games like adults can prove to be lethal for physical and psychological health. The author quotes from an authentic source that “Kids under the age of fourteen are not by nature physical.” (Tutko) This means that the games for children need to focus more on their pleasure and enjoyment rather than on the competition. Competition only makes children bound to be winners. It also discourages sportsman spirit. Instead of being a source of healthy growth, these competitive sports have started becoming the source of depression for children when they don’t fulfil the expectations of their parents. These sports should enhance the sportsman spirit in children and must be beneficial for their mental and physical health. Concentrating on winning or losing spoils the fun that games hold. In addition, equal chances should be provided to every child to participate. Competitive nature can assist the children in their life later on, but the focus should be on better mental and physical health. (204 words)

In “Children Need to Play, Not Compete,” Jessica Statsky tries to demonstrate the negative effect of organized sports on the physical and psychological health of growing child. She claims that the games are not festive but they end up in the wrong development of a child’s brain. The coaches and parents have high hopes for their children that result in the pressure building. This changes the purpose of sports from teaching tolerance, teamwork and sportsmanship to merely winning by all means. The writer further explains that the idea of winning sometimes causes severe injuries that may prevail for a lifetime. In these games, a child may crash into one another accidently that creates a fear of getting hurt. Just to protect themselves some children back out of many games and are left behind when it comes to the development of their bodies. The rest of the children who are part of these games are in a constant pressure from their parents and coaches that cause the stress and anxiety. Furthermore, the writer states that this “sport becomes job like”. Children are playing just to win and the real spirit of the game fades out. (Word count: 196)

This can be seen in “What Are the Benefits of Competitive Sports for Youth?” by Sarah Davis who states “Participating in sports teaches children and teenagers how to compete in the real world. As they grow older they'll face competition in school, in the workforce and other areas of life. But these competitions don't have to be negative or unhealthy. Playing sports can help kids understand how competition works in a friendly environment, and that if you try your hardest, you have a better chance to succeed”(Davis 2). This illustrates how competition is in any child’s life and sports just make them more prepared for said

To most kids and students, competitive sports are a gateway to blow off some steam or to have fun. To parents, the sports that their children play and the lessons that they teach are an important part of their development and life. Despite what many ‘experts’ would like you to believe, both of these statements are completely true. I believe that kids should be allowed to play competitive sports due to the health benefits, the lessons that they can teach, and as a result of the advanced equipment and rules that are focused on making sports safe, as well as the fact that sports can keep kids out of trouble.

The first reason sports help kids these days is by making them have a healthy lifestyle with good food and lots of exercise. This huge, as it stops kids from always eating junk and binging T.V. Sports let kids exercise in a healthy way through the important practice and energy required in competitive sports, which is encouraged by kids desire to win and get better, and forces kids to exercise by also getting better. For example, Kirk Mango (a physical educator, former coach, and national champion) says, “fitness improvements achieved through training...In a society where obesity has become a major health issue”(Mango, 2012). This shows that sports are a good way to keep people healthy. This is really important due to the recent problem of obesity, and sports can make kids have healthier lives, and this will lead them to a different path that will not let them cross paths with health problems caused by things like obesity. Obesity is serious and leads to things like diabetes, and can ruin the childhoods of kids if they never got a chance for sports to help them keep

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

Should kids be sitting on the couch, watching movies, and eating chips all day? What kind of childhood experiences and learning opportunities for growth and development can be attained from being a couch potato? If you really think of it of course; your child is missing out on a lot of childhood experiences. Sitting on the couch, eating chips, is one of the factors to the fact that over one third of the world’s population is obese. Daniel Gould, Ph.D., director of the institute for the Youth Sports at Michigan State University, says, “A solution to obesity is competitive sport. The percent of obese people would drop about eleven percent.” (http://www.parenting.com/article/are-kids-sports-too-competitive) This proves that kid ages four to eleven, should participate in competitive sports. Competitive sports keep kids healthy and fit. Second it teaches kids to face competition and work as a team. My last reason is that it improves self-esteem levels; helps improve self-confidence and helps kids deal with pressure. This is why I believe competitive sports should be a part of all kids’ lives.

Some kids will play rougher and more physically than others trying to do better than kids on the opposing team. The Journal of the American Medical Association reports, over the past thirty years “fractures increased by fifty-six percent in girls and thirty-two percent in boys” (see figure 1). Children and kids often continue to play sports even after injuring themselves or after being injured by another person because of the fear of their parent and or coaches expectations(s) for them to win and continue playing (Muller). Parents often do not like to see their child fail in a sport they want them to succeed in (Wallace). Furthermore, parents will also push their child into sports frequently for their own enjoyment as well as pushing them into sports to keep them in shape. Frequently parents push their child into sports to keep what they perceive as the “American Dream” of an intact family alive: A Happily married family, with smart children and who succeed in sports.

“In the U.S., about 30 million children and teens participate in some form of organized sports, and more than 3.5 million injuries each year” claims Stanford Children’s Health. It’s definitely true that competitive sports can cause all sorts of injuries from big to small. The media teaches people simply that sports leads to horrific injuries and can cause stress, but what the mainstream media hardly discusses are the great benefits of competitive sports. While there may be some negatives to competitive sports, that’s just life, and to add on to that; there are plenty of benefits which are sure to override to media’s facts. Kids should play competitive sports because competitive sports teach children powerful life lessons, contributes to their social and mental stability, and because of the physical gain competitive sports provides.

One positive effect of youth sports is that they help teach athletes important and long lasting lessons to have during their life. For example, a competitive environment teaches kids how to handle pressure and criticism (Mango 3). Most sports have situations that put athletes in tight spots. Even though they push them out of their comfort zone, it teaches them how to keep cool and figure it out. Some may say that too much pressure for youths can leave a negative impact on them. On the other hand, by learning how to cope with the tension and criticism from supportive coaches and teammates, kids can persevere through these problems and grow stronger mentally. In addition, kids learn problem-solving skills that may help them surpass obstacles in their later lives (Website). Children tend to depend on the knowledge of others to figure out problems for them. When I tried wrestling for the first time, competing on the mat all by myself was very anxious and daunting. Even though it wasn’t the most enjoyable, t taught me how to stay focuseand just move through it. By learning how to think