According to Avery Faigenbaum, an associate professor of exercise science at the University of Massachusetts, the pressures placed upon kids in competitive sports can cause kids to quit sports completely (Stenson, 2004). An issue that has recently been under intense scrutiny is whether or not the pressures put upon kids by competitive sports are beneficial for the youth of our nation. Some stand strong behind the belief that these pressures and competitive sports have a positive our children and help them grow into better adults. They believe that these pressures give kids motivation and teach them how to deal with pressure. But, when one looks at the evidence it is clear to see that there are too many negative pressures on kids involved …show more content…
Stefan Fatsis went into the Denver Broncos training camp, and later wrote a book about his experiences called “A Few Seconds of Panic: A 5-Foot-8, 170-Pound, 43-Year-Old Sportswriter Plays in the NFL.” During a video interview, Stefan remarked that “we tend to think of football players as not terribly smart, it’s an incredibly complicated sport. You cannot be a dummy and make it at any position in the N.F.L,” (Parker-Pope, 2017). Since the majority of people according to Fatsis “tend to think of football players as not terribly smart,” (Parker-Pope, 2017), no one is pressuring football players to be geniuses. Most people aren’t completely aware that you need to be intelligent to play football, so no one is raving about how football players need to be smarter. Because no outside force is pressuring players to be smart, that leaves the players to pressure themselves, because as Fatsis said, you have to be smart to play the game. Another example of self pressure in competitive sports is a study fone at UCLA by Dr. Tara Scanlan and Dr. Michael Passer (Frank, 2017). They asked about how anxious kids were before and after soccer games, and found that multiple children had a lot of anxiety after games that they had lost (Frank, 2017). Seeing as the study was taken after the game, we can see that this anxiety was not a result of performance …show more content…
Everyone knows that feeling you get deep in your stomach before something important, like a job interview. That feeling in nervousness; you are nervous about whether or not you will perform well. That is the pressure that is put on kids before every game. A professor of sports management at George Washington University, Mark Hyman, says “the {competitive sports} system is now designed to meet the needs of the most talented kids. We no longer value participation. We value excellence,” (Rosenwald, 2015). This piece of dialogue reveals to us that no is satisfied with a simple participation award. Since no one feels as if participating is enough, the pressure for kids to perform well is very high. The only way they feel as if they have done well is if they perform utmost perfection, instead of them just trying their best. When reflecting upon her experiences as a competitive swimmer, Sophie Siegel remarked “I felt like nothing I did was ever good enough; I would never be the best, nor would I ever reach the unattainable goals pushed on me.” You can see here a prime example of the previous point. Siegel didn’t feel like her best was enough, nor did she believe that it would be enough. She thought that she would never be the best, and everyone who has ever contemplated that can agree that it is not a good thought to have. How can one strive to be better when the pressure to be perfect is pushing
Every day in our lives, we desire to be perfect to please others. No matter how hard we try, if we do not achieve the concept of being perfect, then we will feel like failure. For example, every year at the Olympics, a newly crowned Olympic champion receiving a gold medal persuades young athletes to worry about winning a medal in every competition they compete. If they do not win a medal in a certain competition, then all their hopes are vanished for the next competition. This action shows how if we do not strive to emulate other people’s achievements, then we will not stand out from the rest of our population.
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.
Many outside the sports world never will know about the “real” things involved in sports. Sports are not just competitions between two opponents trying to claim they are more supreme than the other. There is more of a psychological aspect that most people miss all together sometimes. It is clearly evident with the information given that there is some sort of psychological aspect behind sports. Whether it may be the pre-game jitters the athletes may experience, the relationship each of them has with the stadium crowd, and the toll each match has on the their bodies. Sports psychology in general can be a difficult concept for many to understand. Before you diverge into that world however, one simple question remains “Are you tough enough to handle it?”
“Show me a good loser and I'll show you a loser,” Vince Lombardi once said. This saying could be the unsung anthem of American sports for children and teenagers. Everyone loves to win. In sports there is always competition. Is there too much emphasis on “the win” for kids and teens? This issue is important because it essentially develops the way children and teenagers think and react; it will affect them later on in life. Too much emphasis on winning is a problem because there is extensive pressure from parents and coaches, and the consequences can be severe.
The pressure was said to come from parents, coaches, and the young athletes themselves (“Journal of Physical Education,” n.d.). Which seems to be very typical in today’s youth sport world. It is not uncommon for the parents and the children to observe how each other acts towards a certain sport, how much encouragement they get, or how much they enjoy a single sport in general. The people who are connected to the school sports, including coaches, principals, athletic directors, etc. are not the only ones voicing their concerns (“Journal of Physical Education,” n.d.). “Journalists and sport scientists have also become worried that young athletes are becoming specialized too early and that this early sport specialization can lead to a number of undesirable effects.
The maxim “trying is the important thing” will only lead to laziness and complacency in life. Trying is very important in being successful, but there are many more important things that are necessary for success. Parents try to boost their children’s self-esteem and make their children happy by giving them participation medals, but this is actually counter-productive. Larger and larger amounts of medals and trophies are given for increasingly smaller achievements, and this “everybody’s a winner” mentality can make children grow up to expect success and recognition for a mediocre performance. Children may be led to underachieve and not try their best, which may lead to idleness and lack of achievement in the truly competitive environment of
Sports are a popular pastime among all ages and types of people. People not only participate in them for fun, but also for money, physical fitness, rush of competition, and for many other personal reasons. Playing sports is especially common among young people in schools. Athletics are great and enjoyable for many reasons, but there can be a point where sports participation can go too far and become negative for children and adults. Sports specialization for young people is an increasing trend that results in sports having a negative impact on individuals and society.
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...
Youth sports are a staple in nearly every American’s childhood as highlighted in “Children Need to Play, Not Compete” by Jessica Statsky. Statsky makes two contentions in favor of this argument: first, that the participants of youth sports are not physically and psychologically ready, and second, that the mentality of win or lose is more harmful than helpful during the formative years of a child’s development. I agree with Statsky that children’s sports are too often over competitive, but some competition is beneficial to their development.
If we are pushed to our limits in high school on and off the field by our coaches and our families to be better than our opponent in our games or matches then I can’t even imagine how hard professional athletes are pushed to succeed. It comes down to the point where you will do anything to win and anything that your coach tells you to do even if you know its wrong. The professional football team
Our society, in terms of world sports, has grown increasingly impressive. Most professional athletes have been playing their specialized sport since grade school, and although impressive, the people we are rooting for are wearing out quickly. Although youth sports programs are a health benefit to society, they also pose disadvantages to a young person’s growth and development.
According to statistics gathered by youth sports organizations, “Up to 50 million kids play youth sports in America, and 73 percent who begin playing a sport quit before they turn 13” (Binns). The children could have quit because they did not like the disappointment of losing, or because they are exhausted from their parents pushing them too hard. But parents have their reasons for pushing their children into sports. “Studies show that kids who play sports are less likely to become obese, abuse drugs or alcohol or to perform poorly in school” (McCormick). If children are not active, then they will most likely become overweight, and if they have nothing to do in their pastime, they may turn to drugs and alcohol, which usually leads to a decrease of grades in school. A parent putting his/her child in sports gives the child something to do and keeps them fit. Parents also put their child in a sport hoping that he/she will get success out of it “Eager to nurture the next A-Rod or Michelle Kwan, parents enroll their 5- or 6-year-olds in a competitive sports league or program” (Stenson). While not all parents are pushing for future Olympians, the fight for a sports college scholarship is competitive and parents may feel that their child will have a better chance of gaining one if he/she starts competitive sports early. Parents push their children to succeed, and children--not wanting to disappoint their parents--push themselves, sometimes harder than they should. If done right, pushing a child into sports can have a positive effect on the child’s interaction with other children while teaching them commitment and healthy competition. However, focusing on winning and earning a scholarship versus having fun may backfire, because the cons...
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 student athletes enjoy the thrill of winning a soccer game against a long-time rival, or the strong friendships they develop with their team through months of basketball. But imagine a young child coming home after a football game. Time and time again, he is told that he’s “destined” for the NFL. With encouragement from teammates, coaches, friends, and family, he feels unstoppable. While confidence is important to excel in athletics, it can do more harm than good for children to place their sights too far in the future.
In the sporting world of professionalism, Sports psychology is taking a larger part in the development of athletes and teams. One area that has a potential benefit from integrating applied sports psychology into everyday preparation and development is managing goals, planning, preparation, and problem-solving. These areas can help athletes and the team improve in all aspects from training to game day situations, with professionalism paying huge amounts of money to young adults that haven’t had the time or resources to develop into the high level of playing and fame that comes with it. An example of this is the one and done a scenario where a college athlete only completes one year of their education then move on to a professional team, they