Essay On Playing Sports

I believe that the positives of being involved in middle school sports, by far, outweigh the negatives. Being involved in middle school sports help these children grow to be adults physically, emotionally, and socially.

Football is a sport that is played in schools across the country. Like anything else, football has its pros and cons. It can be beneficial to the player in many different ways but it can also hurt the player in different ways. Many different studies have showed both sides of the spectrum.

Every year 300,000 students are participating in sports (Gould 1). The School District has been funding the athletics program, which has been benefiting many of the students’ lives for several years. The discontinuation of high school sports will cause many students to loose the health, social and educational benefits provided by participating in athletics. The School District should continue to fund sports because they benefit students.

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 first reason that I believe supports my claim is that kids gain a sense of healthy competition that can prepare them for life. This can be seen in the article “Pros and Cons of Sports Competition at the High School Level” where Grace Chen, an education researcher, writer, and educator, states that sports and competition, “...help teens develop an array of personal skills, including resilience, attitude control, time management, and long term thinking abilities” (Chen 6). This

There are many reasons why I feel that children should play youth sports. One of those reasons is, sports keeps kids out of the fridge and on to the field! In a study titled “Why Should Children Play Sports?” written by Amanda Davis states “Sports participation promotes health and wellness not only through childhood but throughout a child's lifetime. Sports such as swimming and golf are especially beneficial because the child can continue to play as an adult, benefiting from the physical activity. Children who participate in sports might also be more aware of healthy food choices. Although sports participation is an excellent avenue to promote health and wellness, parents and coaches must encourage healthy living and be positive

Children experience more harmful negative impacts, rather than beneficial positive ones, such as being at a constant risk of severe injury, wanting to opt out of sports early, and being under high levels of stress and anxiety. These impacts could lead to children being injured for an extended amount of time, children being inactive and unfit later in life, children dropping out of school, and many other catastrophic circumstances that children should not have to put up with. The opposing side suggests that children who participate in competitive sports experience positive impacts, such as staying healthy and in shape, and having positive psychological benefits. In some instances, these impacts may be true, however families with a child athlete opted for fast food, ready-made meals more than those of families who did not have a child athlete. Also, while competitive sports provide some psychological benefits, it has also been proven that they can cause stress, anxiety, and ultimately, attrition for the young athlete. Children being vulnerable to harmful situations, such as the ones listed above, is one of the main reasons that the total number of children participating in competitive sports has been diminishing over the last few

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

Being on a team teaches the student some valuable life lessons. For example, being able to do tasks together, not alone, standing up for each other, and have fun while you can. Later on in life you don't want to have that feeling of regret from not playing sports when you had the chances to

Competitive youth sports have many benefits for kids and teens. However, many other people are convinced that sports can have a negative impact for children. But, there are still more positive effects in competitive sports. I believe that sports are beneficial for kids because they develop long-term life skills, improve physical well-being and health, and help expand their social skills.

In “Children Need to Play, Not Compete,” the author has described sports as one of the ways that enhance mental and physical heath. It is a great way to develop the lifestyle of a child. Sports in my opinion shapes the

The first reason that kids should participate in competitive sports is that sports teach kids valuable morals. By learning these morals and life lessons from an early age, they are more likely to start using them in the future

Sports may seem alarming at first glance, but digging deeper, it is present that sports aid children in their present and future endeavors. Not everyone lives the same lives. Some people use sports to get away from stressful situations. In the article Pro/Con: Academic eligibility requirements, author Phillip Allen states, ” What if, hypothetically speaking, a student suffers from abuse at home and cannot focus in school? Sports may be one of the few constructive outlets for this student. But then again, how can they be expected to consistently maintain their grades in such a hostile circumstance?”(Allen 2). In a classroom, children sit all day and don't get exercise. Dr. Frank L. Smoll states, “All children and youth need vigorous physical activity as part of their daily lives, and sports provide the benefits of exercise and the potential for acquiring a sense of accomplishment.” (Smoll 1/2).

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.