Children Need To Play Not Compete, By Jessica Statsky

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

Middle school students are competing in competitive sports which both have a positive and negative side. Some players say that sports can help people lose weight and keep active. But on the other half states that it can be dangerous and can cause future physical damage. Generally competitive sports can be fun but it can come with consequences of regret of young children 's lives. My reasons of competitive sports being bad are that it can take up the participants time and it can pressure or overwhelm them in a sense of them being stressed. Second reason is that the injuries can be vital and can cause future damages to your physical state and maybe mental state if overwhelmed too much for working on the sport. My third and final reason of competitive

“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.

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

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

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)

The passage ‘Children need to play, not compete’ is a profound analysis of a variety of negative impacts that the competitive sports have on the life of children. Jessica Statsky is of the view that competitive sports have a far more negative effects on children than the benefits of it. The ‘adult standards’ that are unfit for the children, need to be eradicated from children sports as they are inappropriate for their better physical growth. These include all kinds of sports that are contact as well as non-contact. These not only influence their physical health but also deteriorate their psychological health. The author is also of the view that the high hopes of parents and coaches need to be lowered as well. These burdening high expectations can cause trouble to the innocent mind of the child. The author also claims that the rules,

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

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.

Some people don’t know the benefits of playing competitive sports, but After reading my essay I think you now know most of the benefits and maybe from now you might see competitive sports in a different way. Playing competitive sports matters because it has a huge impact on your life. If you are a parent reading this easy I think you should allow your child to join and play competitive sports it important that children stay healthy. For kids not everyone is good at all sports but is better for kid join and try out new things and remember it’s not all about winning but it’s also about

Nearly all Americans love sports but is it really worth it. In this generation, competitive sports has become more dangerous than ever sports experts are starting to worry that competitive sports has a more negative effect than a positive effect on children. Most competitive sports can lead to severe injuries, pressure which can lead the youth using illegal drugs, and all the money parents spend on their kids to play sports is ridiculous, and worst of all most children are starting to burn out of sports emotionally and physically.Competitive sports do not have a positive effect on all children because of the cost, pressure/injury, and enjoyment.