Children in Competitive Sports Essay

As more pargonnts enroll their children into free-enterprise(a) sports resembling footb totally game, gymnastics, and naiant to name a few, the contr everyplacesy whether this type of matched participation is beneficial or non surfaceride to grow. Supporters for war-ridden sports propose line of productss interchangeable it encourages physical activity and educatees inviolable character eyepatch opponents claim that sports argon no longer sport for the children and promote an inappropriate win-at-all cost mentality. The best compromise would be to liberty chit a low- tweet childs range environment from the double-deckeres and p bents that emphasize that children take for an enjoyable time.The main supporting argument to allow children to play sports is because it offers a wellnessy avenue for physical activity. A study had linked a sedentary lifestyle with the development of cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus and obesity in adults with their origins rooted in their childhood (Massin ). notwithstanding more, mevery of todays children do not get enough physical activity, spending around 20 hours a week in front of a television, making it the most time spent on any one activity besides sleeping (Boyse and Song Television).As a result, nearly a quarter of all children in America are considered obese according to Boyse (Obesity and Overweight). nonpareil reason is probably due to the lack of physical activity todays children engage in. An voiced way to prevent children from becoming obese is to encourage them to play a sport which requires them to stay physically active. Also, according to the results of a research done by a group on the cardiorespiratory organization of children, they recommended controlled physical competitive activity in children because of its benefits on cardiorespiratory sportswomanction and the absence of adverse effectuate (Caballero 371).Children to a fault learn many sizable values from participating in sports and from winning and losing games. Sheehy learned the value of working hard and persevering through difficult times. Many times he wanted to relinquish because he wasnt good enough for the team, but he was encouraged by his don to inhabit practicing and as an end result of his hard work, he made his high school varsity hoops team (Sheehy 19-21). In addition, Sheehy believes losing is a great way to t distributively many measurable lessons to children like commanding their emotions and finding positive aspects in a bad situation.Furthermore, Sheehy believes that a team has much more fashion for improvement after experiencing a loss than a win (70-73). Finally, winning is a good affaire also. It gives children a goal to work hard towards and the feeling of victory is a great reward for an broad(a) seasons worth of hard work and workout (Sundberg 71). In addition, participation in competitive sports is a great way to teach children many important lessons that mickle be applied afterwards in life.A study comprise that children who participated in sports generally scored higher for competitiveness. However, in the same study, they comprise that children who didnt play sports exhibited higher signs of impatience and aggression ( Kanda). This was probably because the children who participated in sports had developed a meliorate character through compete sports. Furthermore, according to Heckler, some form of competition in young children is a good thing because it is one of the main motivational factors behind success in the real arena beyond sports.If a person lacks a competitive drive to succeed and puts no effort into anything they do, and then they will never get anywhere in life (Heckler). Also, most sports require some point in time of teamwork and cooperation in order to be successful. Therefore, teamwork can teach children from an early age that it is necessary to work unneurotic and relate with one another in order to succeed (Sun dberg 72). In addition, it is possible for children to know who they rightfully are and their own physical and mental limits through sports.They will be able to find out what their strengths and weaknesses are and can improve their own character by participating in sports (Sundberg 71) However, there are many reasons why children quit competitive sports the number one being because it was no longer delight (Engh 132). According to the National Alliance for Sports, 70 percent of children quit competitive sports by the age of 13 and never return to play competitively again (Kendrick). Most of the time, these children quit because their private instructores and parents began to emphasize other things like winning instead of having fun.The coach might not give everyone equal playacting time, only place out his best players for games and not giving some of the lesser skilled players any time at all (Engh 85). Furthermore, according to a poll of 26,000 children, the number one reason why they played sports was for fun (Team Sports). Children usually set about fun in sports because there is little pressure to excel and they enjoy acquisition the basic skills and fundamentals of a game. However, making kids concentrate on one sport often takes the fun out of it (Senay 239).When parents start forcing their children to attend practice against their will, the children begin to perceive it as work and not as fun and that is when they want to quit. The number two reason why children quit competitive sports was that there was too much pressure on winning (Engh 132). Many childrens enthusiasm for the sport declines as the coach begins to emphasize winning. In the same poll asking 26,000 children why they played sports, winning came in one-tenth after improving skills and staying in shape (Team Sports).Obviously, winning means much more to the parents and coaches than to the actual participants themselves. It is important to remember that these games are supposed to b e for the children and not a way for parents to live their hopes and dreams or last(prenominal) regrets and failures through their children. Parents and coaches should keep in mind that the participants of these competitive sports are children who are looking for a fun time, not professional athletes whose only job is to win. Another argument that opponents cite is that it is not safe(p) for the children.An overwhelming majority of volunteer coaches are not properly trained for safely pedagogy children how to play sports (Engh 81). Many of these volunteer coaches are usually fathers who have volunteered for the position because no one else was willing to do it. Therefore, many of them have not gone through basic training to give lessons properly and safely. make up worse, sometimes even the properly trained coaches whitethorn disregard warning symptoms of exhaustion, kindlestroke, or pain by forcing the children to tough it out and have a macho attitude during practice and igno re any excitation they might experience.However this no pain, no gain mentality whitethorn have unforeseen consequences by causing serious sport injuries instead of making the children stronger and tougher athletes (Senay 242). Also, some coaches may utilize unsafe practices so they can have an advantage over the competition. mavin written report went like this. A mother came to practice early to pick up her son and found him in the coachs car with the heat turned on high while wrapped in plastic bags. The coachs visualise was to force the boy to sweat out 7 lumbers so he could make the 98 pound weight limit.Unfortunately, the coachs ignorance and negligence put a childs life at risk just so his team could have an advantage in the upcoming season. Even worse, stories like these can be seen in newspapers across the country on a daily basis (Engh 91). Finally, children may not develop good character because they are surrounded by and learning from poor examples. The theme that c hildren learn by example and not words is even more applicable in competitive sports. Children are surprisingly observant about an adults actions.A study which interviewed youth sports participants for honourable issues they encountered in sports found that there were three main problems they had experienced which were fairness of adults actions, nix game behaviors, and negative team behaviors (Stuart). Also, the activities of unruly parents during sporting events are probably the farthest thing from teaching good character to their children. Some parents can plough overly enthusiastic curiously when their children are playing and may cause disruptive scenes if they believe that there was an unfair ruling against their children.Furthermore, these disruptive scenes may come to the fore into actual physical fights among parents. In one news story, one hockey players father started a fight with another players father on the opposing team over a small disagreement. It ended with on e man killed and the other charged with manslaughter. As the story goes, while one soda was beating on the other man, his son begged for him to break off and tried to pull his dad off while he continued to assault the other man (Hegedus, Sports Rage).Another story made headlines when a brawl started in Los Angeles involving more than 30 adults while they were watching a football game of 14 year olds (Parents Fight. ). Even though these are extreme examples, they are starting to become common occurrences in the bleachers. Finally, I have to ask, is this really the kind of character that parents want to exhibit and teach to their children? In summary, there are strong reasons on both sides why competitive sports should be banned or allowed.Research shows and recommends that playing sports is a great way for children to stay healthy. Also, by playing sports, children can learn how to deal with the realities of life and experience the rewards of hard work. On the contrary though, many children enroll in competitive sports because they originally perceived it to be fun. However, as children grow older and competition becomes more intense, sports may start being seen as work and not play. Furthermore, competitive sports may not be as safe for children as it is currently perceived.Untrained coach volunteers and unsafe practices may lead to permanent blur to children. Finally, because children can be exposed to poor role models like unruly parents and coaches, they may not be able to develop a good moral character if they are to learn from them by example. I think that the best compromise between the two sides would be to offer a low pressure environment that emphasizes having fun in sports. The main reason children participate in sports is so they can have fun so it would be in the childrens best interest to offer them just that.One way to create a low pressure environment is to not keep gain ground or statistics like points made or batting averages. In fact, it may also be beneficial if the scores were not displayed during games too. Instead, points would be marked secretly and quietly so that the parents would not become unruly especially if the game becomes intense. In addition, there should be a fatality by all family members of players to sign a code of conduct that they will uphold a certain standard of behavior and exhibit good sportsmanship as some leagues have already implemented (Hegedus, Silent Saturdays and Oaths).Finally, it may be a good idea to assign people to constantly monitor the parents and stop any disruptive behavior ahead it can get out of control (Engh 158). In addition, all coaches should be properly trained in teaching children and monitoring their health. They should stress maintaining a healthy practice environment like ensuring that their players get decorous water and take necessary breaks if the day is extremely hot or if they experience any behavior of bad pain. Furthermore, volunteers should be required to take some basic classes and have some type of certificate so that they are properly trained in teaching children safely.Also, contrary to belief, a certification requirement would not deter volunteers. A study done by Northern Kentucky University found that people would rather volunteer for a team that required certified volunteers and that a training requirement and fee would not discourage them from volunteering to coach (Engh 160). Finally, coaches should be well aware that every single one of their actions can have an impact, whether positive or negative, on their team. The children are looking up to the coaches as a leader and it is the coachs job to be a good role model for them.In addition to coaches, parents should be well educated about how their actions can impact their children. Coaches should hold regular mandatory meetings with only parents and apologize in detail what the season will entail, how the children are expected to behave, and most importantly, what the role of the parents should be. Also, if the parents are not able to attend these meetings, then the child should not be able to play. According to Engh, he has found this method of forced participation to be very effective in convincing the parents to attend these types of meetings (154).Children should also be informed that it is appropriate if they complain about a certain practice the coach is doing. The children should be encouraged and feel safe to talk about anything and everything with their parents who should in turn listen carefully for any signs of bad practice or abuse. Also, I think that implementing a confidential hotline to report abusive practices for each region could help reduce bad coaching practices. In conclusion, I think that competitive sports are a great way for kids to just have fun and enjoy their youth.However, it is important that sports stays fun for the children and not have overly enthusiastic parents or coaches who are willing to win at all costs ruin their fun. Even though there are many good reasons why competitive sports should be banned, there are equally valid reasons why competitive sports should be allowed. Finally, children originally started playing sports because they wanted a fun and enjoyable time with other kids. It is time that we returned the fun to the children playing sports and stop trying to impose adult standards on them. Cited Sources Boyse, Kyla. Obesity and Overweight. November 2004. University of Michigan Health Systems. 9 June 2005. Boyse, Kyla and Ellen Song. Television. July 2004. University of Michigan health Systems. 9 June 2005. Caballero, Jaraba, et al. Effects of Physical Exercise on the Cardio Respiratory System of Children. An Esp Pediatr April 1999367-372. PubMed. Bellevue Community College subroutine library Media Center. 9 June 2005. Engh, Fred. Why Johhny Hates Sports. New York Avery. 1999 Heckler, Tim. Competition Prepares Players for Life Beyond Sports. February 1999. United States Prof essional Tennis Organization. 3 June 2005.