Does Sports Keep Teens Out Of Trouble?

“Sports do not build character. They reveal it” said John Wooden, Legendary UCLA Basketball Coach. Sports have become very popular over past years and it seems like nobody really joins the sport knowing the true benefits coming from these sports. After all, most people do watch sports on tv more than reality shows or movies. Many teens join sports in their high school years, and most don’t know that these sports are the things keeping teens out of conflicts. A new disagreement has arisen over whether or not sports can keep teens out of trouble. Participating in sports keeps teens out of trouble because it prevents depression and stress, creates a community, and averts boredom.

Teens have a high risk for depression and stress in their adolescent

“Kids who had lower (athletic) confidence said they were more lonely at school” (Dunn 1). When teens have a higher self esteem, they tend to feel more confident in who they are and what they are doing. Teens who are confident in themselves tend to make friends easier, because they appear to their peers that they are confident in what they are doing and people who are confident appeal more to people then those who are not. “Children and adolescents often make friends with others on their sports teams, or in their activity programs, and these friendships help keep them involved in the activity, and make the activity more fun” (Brehm 258). Furthermore, friends that are made on a sports team result in a strong friendship because teens can have fun with their new friends during practice or games. Some will argue that sports can cause athletes to become more likely to do drugs than students who do not do sports. While this might be the case, sports do in fact keep teens out of trouble because sports provide more opportunities to make new friends. “At some schools, it is cool to be an athlete. And students who are lucky enough to become athletes receive reinforcement from their peers” (Brehm 258). Popularity and making friends in middle school and throughout high school is something most teens struggle with. However, if teens play on

“ 77% of youngsters believe that kids get in trouble when they are left alone with nothing to do” (Rizzolo). Kids often get in trouble when they are bored with nothing to do because they want to do something, but they just don’t know what. This leads to kids doing what their parents normally don’t allow them to do. “Young people ages 12 to 17 who are frequently bored are 50 percent likelier than those not often bored to smoke, drink, get drunk and use illegal drugs” (University 's National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse). When teens are bored, they look for ways to entertain themselves. Most of the time this leads to drug and substance abuse, but sports tend to occupy any free time that teens might be getting into trouble. Those on the other side of the issue may say that sports do keep teens out of trouble is false because it can be argued that violence on the field against a rival can lead to more violence off the field directed toward loved ones. That point might be true, but unimportant because sports help prevent teens from causing trouble when they are bored. “ Boredom is one of the top causes of emotional eating in all age groups” (Better You). When teens are bored, they tend to do things that keep them busy. Eating is a habit that keeps you busy while satisfying one’s tastebuds. If a teen is bored too often, this can lead to major