Parents are extremely important in youth sport, as they provide children with support that enables them to participate and progress (Horn & Horn, 2007; Wuerth, Lee & Alfermann, 2004). Parent’s involvement can often result in a feeling of entitlement meaning that taking over and forcing the child to play a sport that the parents enjoy therefore this can lead to parental interference and negative experience from the child’s perspective. Parental involvement is probably the main reason why most athletes originally participate in organised sport great example would be Andy Murray and Tiger Woods. Therefore by introducing their children to the sport they tend to teach them their first steps referring to sport skills and many young athletes emphasizes the supportive influences of their parents during their career (Wuerth, Lee & Alfermann, 2004). Also Parents support for their children to be physical active which has been a big connection with children’s physical activity behaviour (Trost, Sallis, Pate, Freedson, Taylor and Dowda 2003).
Parents are a big impact in their children’s lives, which they provide support; financial and emotional support therefore they have to make sacrifices to ensure their children are happy and enjoying the sport that they participate in for instance: Parents being supportive can be through financing their children’s involvement, transporting children to training and competition, as well as comforting when they have lost or are injured and also providing children with information about future careers, schooling options and their sporting performance (Cote, 1999; Fraser – Thomas, Cote, & Deakin, 2008; Holt & Dunn, 2004; Morgan & Giacobbi 2006; Wolfenden & Holt, 2005). Wuerth, Lee & Alfermann, (2004) agrees w...
... middle of paper ...
...t (2013) 'The Sport Psychologist ', Strategies used and assistance required to facilitate children's involvement in Tennis: Parents' perspectives, 27(), pp. 281 - 291.
Stewart G. Trost, PhD, James F. Sallis PhD Russell T Pate PhD, Patty S Freedson PhD, Wendell G. Taylor PhD Marsha Dowda DrPh (2003) 'American Journal of Preventive medicine ', Evaluating a model of parental influence on youth physical activity , 25(), pp. 277 - 282.
S. Wuerth, M.J. Lee, D. Alfermann (2002) 'Psychology of Sport and Exercise ', Parental involvement and athletes career in youth sport, 5(), pp. 21 - 33.
Jennifer C. Anderson, Jeanne B. Funk, Robert Elliott, Peg Hull Smith (2003) 'Applied Developmental Psychology ', Parental support and pressure and children's extracurricular activities: relationship with amount of involvement and affective experience of participation , 24(), pp. 241 - 257.
Athletes in times of difficulty can be important role models.” This shows that sports are in fact helpful because they can grow children into being important role models for the rest of society. Studies have shown time and time again that playing sports can be beneficial to children and we also believe this to be true. Many people still think that sports cause “too many injuries”, or coaches “are not fair enough”, but adolescents will experience these things all throughout their lives because injury can happen anywhere and they will not always be the best at what they are doing. Sports are beneficial to the youth because they can teach children and teens important life skills, help them maintain a fit and healthy lifestyle, all while improving their mental health.
pp. 58-59. Kidman, Lynn, McKenzie, Alex, and Brigid. The nature of target parents' comments during youth sport competitions. Journal of Sport Behavior 98:1 (March 1999): 54-68.
Every year there are a number of children who withdraw from participating in youth sports. While countless leave sports to pursue other interests, a significant number detest their experience in sport. From the intense practices to pressure-filled competitions, young athletes can feel a considerable amount of stress. If this stress remains for an extended period of time, children experience “burnout” and lose their desire to continue playing. There are two ways parents can avoid youth sports burnout for their children: making sure the children have a healthy balance in their lives and giving the children input into decisions. While sports require dedication in order to achieve a high level
Youth sports parenting can be very impactful for children depending on the parenting style. In the article of “Why Kids Quit Sports” the author discusses the major roles that parents play in their kid’s youth sports life. He discusses a personal experience that he had before with a young player from his little league discussing a conversation with one of his team players. He says that a young athlete had told him that she did not want to do sports anymore because her dad kept on coaching her in the car and sidelines of each game. She stated, “I can’t play when he is around, and he insists on coming to every game, every road trip, you name it. It’s like it’s more important to him than it is to me” (“Why Kids Quit Sports”). Parents are the main
Mintel. (2010). Family ties key for children’s sport . Available: http://academic.mintel.com.atlas.worc.ac.uk/display/552523/?highlight. Last accessed 2nd January 2014.
Looking back at Statskys essay she noted that children quits sports mostly “apart from their change in interest” but also because of “…lack of playing time, failure and fear of failure, disapproval by significant others and psychological stress ” (3) one will agree with me that teenagers are influenced by the parents, coaches and their friends. This group of people are considered as outside forces in every sport thereby making them loose interest in sports and not the sport discouraging the children from indulging. I do not agree that competitive sport is derailing Children advantage to partake in sporting competitions; rather it tends to develop their skills, needs and abilities.
In the articles, “The secret life of Tiger Woods” by Wright Thompson, and “Are parents ruining youth sports? Fewer kids play amid pressure” by Michael S. Rosenwald, there is a very similar occuring theme that is portrayed. It is if becoming an “elite athlete” is worth making big sacrifices like friends, family, and a normal childhood. I believe that the quest to become an elite athlete, is ultimately not worth the sacrifices it requires. One of the effects of being an “elite athlete” is that you will probably not learn the basic ways of how to live life. One time Tiger Woods was with the navy SEAL’s that he did fun things with like shoot guns, and jump out of airplanes, but one time they went out to eat, and when the waiter brought the
Jessica Statsky, in her essay, “Children need to Play, Not Compete” attempts to refute the common belief that organized sports are good for children. She sees organized sports not as healthy pass-times for children, but as onerous tasks that children do not truly enjoy. She also notes that not only are organized sports not enjoyable for children, they may cause irreparable harm to the children, both emotionally and physically. In her thesis statement, Statsky states, “When overzealous parents and coaches impose adult standards on children's sports, the result can be activities that are neither satisfying nor beneficial to children” (627). While this statement is strong, her defense of it is weak.
Everyone agrees that parent involvement is a good thing. But when the parent behaves inappropriately, it creates a poor environment for the children to learn and enjoy themselves. "Sideline rage" with parents behaving badly at youth sports events is such an epidemic, that 76% of respondents from 60 high school athletic associations said increased spectator interference is causing many officials to quit (Associated Press, 6/3/01). Parents are supposed to be role models, and the lessons they teach will determine their values and actions in the future. These days violence in children's sports is not limited to the playing field; overbearing parents are creating dangerous situations on the field.
As Miller and Wilson revealed, athleticism is not always analogous with success. Willy regarded Biff highly because he observed Biff’s presence and athleticism, and he believed these qualities would result in immediate success. Today many parents associate sports with success and therefore pressure their children to excel in sports. In today’s society it is very rare that fears of discrimination would cause children to not pursue a lucrative career in sports. Both Miller and Wilson knew the impact of sports on family dynamics, and how sports have evolved from a leisure time activity to a full-time commitment. Clearly, many of the qualitative aspects of sports--competition, teamwork and physical dexterity can contribute to being a success in almost any career.
Each year, parents are spending thousand of dollars on team fees alone not including all the extras like coaching, equipment, and uniforms. Parents are spending all this extra money to one-up each other and to have the better kid. Rosenwald acknowledges, “Parents now start their kids in sports as toddler, jockey to get them on elite teams, and spend small fortunes on private coaching, expensive equipment, sway and travel to tournaments” (Rosenwald). It is like a game for the parents now too. One parent will spend this much money and then the next parent will go spend even more money and it just keeps going. The public refers to these youth sports as the new keeping up with the Joneses. Parents are spending big bucks now to believe the more money they spend now, the more likely their kid will get a college scholarship later on. The article reveals, “The number of children playing a team sport is falling, with experts blaming a parent-driven focus on elite travel clubs, specialization in one sport, and pursuit of scholarships for hurting the country’s youth sports leagues” (Rosenwald). Although this money spending train has made youth sports a large industry, many children are starting to hate sports because of the amount of pressure their parents put on them. The author adds, “Many of the adults trying to fix the problem remember a simpler, less expensive time in youth sports. There was no travel
Youth sports are a very important part of a child’s development. Youth sports allows kids to grow as a people and to learn important life lessons. Youth sports also allow kids to interact with people as well as work together with others as a unit to achieve a goal. However, kids are being forced, and pushed in sports at too young of an age by their parents. The number of kids who play youth sports is at an all time low in the country, and parents are a major cause of the problem. In the U.S. by age 15, 80 percent of children who play a sport quit the sport (Atkinson). Kids are being pushed too hard at a young age; children are also being forced by their parents to “specialize” in a single sport in a hope for the child to become a professional
Children today are under a huge amount of pressure when it comes to sports. From score rankings, grades to play, parents yelling and coaches saying the play. Madison, a ten-year-old girl on my sister’s basketball team, complains that, “I hate when parents tell us to do the exact opposite of what the coach says.” The child has to decide whether they are going to listen to the coach or their parents because the parents will be mad if they didn’t do what they said. Nevertheless, the coach could be always have the child sit out because they didn’t listen to what he or she was saying. Another girl on the basketball team states that “Sometimes parents try to coach when they are not trained as a coach or walk off the court with a lot of drama and
These days, there is too much pressure on children who participate in organized sports because of the unnecessary parental involvement they experience. A growing concern amongst those involved in youth sports is that certain aspects of parental involvement become detrimental to the development and experiences of young athletes. Early emphasis on winning, making money, and the disruption of education can exceedingly affect ones desire to further participate in a sport later on in his/her life.
Many parents put their children into sports for the wrong reason. They try to live their past dreams of sports glory through their kid. They can push and dem...