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Essays on youth sports
Essays on youth sports
Negative effects of competitive youth sports
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Imagine a world without competition, no winners or losers. Would anyone be motivated to work? To some, this sounds ideal, but competition is an essential component to any social structure. When we talk about sports, academics, or the business world, competition is the driving force that keeps us functioning at our best. Competition, in healthy amounts, is known to have several positive effects on children. Competition allows children to learn about their abilities and limitations, set goals, handle loss, and how to work with others. The lessons that children learn through competition stay with them throughout their lives and prove to be beneficial in academics and the workplace.
However, the world is quickly turning its back on the importance of competition. From schools eliminating the Valedictorian Award to the “everyone is a winner” motto used in most youth sports leagues, the diminishing value of competition in today’s world is evident. Some critics suggest that children should not be placed in scenarios that involve competition, as they signal out those who are more intelligent or more athletic than the rest. Critics feel eliminating competition will preserve confidence in youth, which also is essential to a child’s growth. Although the preservation of confidence is important in the development of children, the value of competition cannot be diminished in the process.
The benefits of competition may be most blatantly explained through the development of America. In the wake of World War II, the United States found itself in a struggle with the Soviet Union competing as the two superpowers in the world. The two countries vied for domination over the world’s beliefs as well as their economic policies. The ensuing battle wou...
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...ina State University, n.d. Web. 9 Mar. 2014.
Kohn, Alfie. "The Case Against Competition." The Case Against Competition. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.
Merryman, Ashley. "Losing is Good for You." The New York Times 24 Sept. 2013: A29. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.
O'Brien, Allison. "Competitive Nature and Endorphins: How Do They Effect Us?" Examiner.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.
Patterson, Kort E. "The Dynamics of Competition." The Dynamics of Competition. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.
Richtel, Matt. "The Competing Views on Competition." The New York Times 8 Oct. 2012: D1. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.
Statskey, Jessica. "Children Need to Play, Not Compete." Redwoods, n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2014. .
"The Launch of Sputnik, 1957." The Launch of Sputnik, 1957. U.S. Department of State, n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.
Two best friends are torn apart. A man meticulously plots revenge on the person who got the job he was dying for. A nation is full of rage and fear because another country beat them in the race to walk on the moon. Sadly, all of these situations were caused by one thing, competition. In Alfie Kohn’s essay, “Competition Is Destructive”, he describes competition as having a “toxic effect on our relationships”(11). Although competition has many positive effects in this world, when talking specifically about relationships, whether it be between best friends, two strangers, or even entire nations, it fuels negative feelings and attitudes that transform people into monsters.
There are people who are not as motivated, they are often referred to as the underachievers. However, once they have someone to compete with, they are more likely to become motivated to improve and excel. This is where competition serves as a healthy motivator. There is a friend who was exhausted of being constantly compared to his overachieving older brother. This caused him to start studying and working harder in order to become just as good as his brother. The situation showed how he did not need to bring down his older brother in order to be just as successful. Competition serves its purpose, when one finds themselves competing with themselves instead of their competitor. When one is competing with themselves, they are allowing themselves to grow and improve to become a better person. They do not have to compete with someone else, nor degrade others success in order to make their achievements seem exceptional.
Rosenberg, Shaun. "10 Reasons Why Competition Is A Good Thing." Shaun Rosenberg. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2014.
Statsky also makes another faulty assumption, which is that competition is an adult imposition on the world of children’s play. She says in her article, “The primary goal of a professional athlete – winning – is not appropriate for children” (629). Children compete to win in the same way that adults do, and they do so on their own without any adult pressure. Common playground gam...
The. Chen, Grace. The "Pros and Cons of Sports Competition at the High School Level." Publicschoolreview.com -. Public School Review, n.d. Web.
.In addition young athletes have become more aggressive. Kids that participate in competitive sports are becoming more and more aggressive and competitive the sports have become themselves. Mitchell reveals "traits like bullying and the need to dominate their oppo...
Porter, M. E. (2008). The five competitive forces that shape strategy. Harvard business review, 86(1), 25-40.
There is a misconception that competition is bad, if a child can experience the thrill of winning and the disappointment of losing, they will be well equipped for the reality of life. Competition provides stimulation to achieve a goal; to have determination, to overcome challenges, to understand that hard work and commitment leads to a greater chance of success. Life is full of situations where there are winners and losers; getting a job; a sports game; not getting into a desired college. People need to learn how to cope with disappointment and then to look forward to the next opportunity to try again. Competition also teaches us to dig deep and find abilities we never knew we had. The pressure to win or succeed can often inspire more imaginative thinking and inspire us to develop additional
I found that much of my free time is spent socializing with friends and competing in numerous sports and hobbies. I found that much of my daily life revolves around competition, from playing collegian level soccer to video games with friends. Competition has always interested me from a very young age when I first begin playing soccer. However, I found there is a distinction between healthy competition and unhealthy competition within my own interests. Healthy competition was doing my best in order to advance and develop a skill or process. Conversely, Unhealthy competition was a sole focus on winning and a trap I have fallen into many times. In the work world today healthy competition can be a monumental tool used to engage and motivate employees. In class we have talked about a company called Nucor that has used competition within shifts to advance technology through innovation and increasing production. I believe my interest in competition and my competitive drive when instrumented in the right environment could be a huge motivator in the future
Confucius once said, "he who does not do well is less guilty than he who pushes too hard." People found that competitive sports are often physically straining and it is detrimental to proper emotional development. This blows away the misconception that competitive sports create a healthy and engaging atmosphere for kids. This and an overly strong obsession with winning create a toxic mix for the child’s wellbeing. People have begun to realize the world of competitive may be doing more harm than good for their children. Parents have also begun to notice that competitive sports often injure their children severely and also make the child feel left out, which in turn is detrimental to the child 's emotional health. Therefore, competitive sports
Porter, M. E., 1999. The Five Forces that Shape Competitive Strategy. Harvard business review, p. 80.
Athletic competition does not appear to promote character development; instead, there are some studies that suggest that individuals with athletic experience have poorer attitudes toward fair play. Socially desirable behaviours such as friendliness, generosity and cooperation are inconsistent with physical activities that emphasize winning. However, physical activity may have the potential for personal growth in qualities including persistence, deeper self-reliance, commitment and motivation, and may increase resourcefulness. This is probably truer for noncompetitive physical activities than team competition.
...etition makes it difficult to regard others as potential friends or collaborators; even if one is not a rival today, one could be tomorrow. The first step to achieving of being happy and healthy is recognizing the value of competition is built on myths. Just because forcing children to try to outdo one another is counterproductive doesn't mean they can't keep track of how they're doing. There's no problem with comparing their achievements to an objective standard or to how they did yesterday or last year. But if the people value their children's intellectual development, they need to realize that turning learning into a race simply doesn't work. By definition, not everyone can win a contest. If one child wins, another cannot. This means that each child comes to regard others as obstacles to his or her own success and this is why competition is not good for people.
“Survival of the fittest” is a notion that I firmly advocate. Competition brings out the best in people, and I am a very competitive person. Competitiveness whether with one's self, or with others arouses the desire to succeed. My mother has taught me that competing with yourself is even better than competing with others because you struggle to become the best person you can be, without settling for exceeding the limitations of others.
Humans are naturally competitive and through athletics this competitiveness can be released in a positive and focused way. Competition is a basic function of nature. Those that can best compete with their environment survive. Those who can’t compete die out. Competition is a powerful drive in all humans. We compete as groups, against our selves, and each other. Sports give us a channel to let this out in a safe way.