The Spirit of Sports

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“The Spirit of Sports: The spirit of sports gives each of us who participates an opportunity to be creative. Sports know no sex, age, race, or religion. Sports give us all the ability to test ourselves mentally, physically and emotionally in a way other aspects of life can’t. For many of us who struggle with ‘fitting in’ or our identity - sports gives us our first face of confidence. That first bit of confidence can be a gateway to many other great things!”
-Dan O’Brien, Olympic gold medalist.
Every year an estimated 35 million kids participate in some form of sports in America. Many people, parents included, do not realize the full benefit of playing sports as a child. When 20,000 kids were surveyed, 65 percent of them showed results that they only joined sports to spend time with friends; a meager 20 percent were actually interested in improving their skills ( ). Everyone knows that sports cultivate physical development, but very few comprehend the fact that sports can also help kids excel in their academic skills. In some cases, grades have dropped due to sports, but the overall effect they have on a child’s education is favorable seeing as one of the major lessons they teach is responsibility. There are certain dangers that come with the involvement of sports, but in the long run the beneficial aspects overrule the negative to make true that everyone should participate in at least one sport during their adolescent years.
An estimated 1.9 million deaths worldwide were associated to lack of physical activity during 2000 ( ). In schools 1 out of every 4 students no longer sign up for physical education classes and at home only 1 out of 4 children get 20 minutes of exercise daily. All of this has resulted in the obesity rate in yo...

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... the day. These abilities are the reason why kids who play sports during the school year have better grades. They are able to incorporate different kinds of information at one time and studies show kids who do sports have a higher education and job-related outcome ( ).
Many parents are afraid to let their children do sports because they think it takes up time that should be used for friends, family, and school. In sports, lasting friendships are built because they are set on foundations where trust is essential to succeed and move forward as a team. When it comes to spending time with the family, a parent’s firm word on the matter will settle any disputes there are. In all schools a certain grade level is required to be able to continue in a sport. This and the fact that sports help develop time management skills all come together to excel kids in all that they do.

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