Should Kids Play Competitive Sports

Today, many kids are told at a young age by their parents, teachers, and coaches that they should join a specialized competitive sport. The costs of competitive sports, though, are outrageous. Families pay large amounts of money for their child to be part of a team, not to mention the equipment costs. Recreational sports give children the chance to focus on school as they are under less stress, they promote teamwork and good sportsmanship, there is less risk of serious injury, and the costs are significantly lower. As stated by Project Play in the article “Michelle Obama: All Kids Should Play Sports, Not Just Those Who Can Afford It,” “In 2015, only 38 percent of kids from homes with $25,000 or less in income played team sports, compared

When kids play competitive sports, there is less of a team atmosphere. From the variety of athletes in competitive sports that I’ve spoken to, it seems that the coaches put in the children that will make the team win, while benching those who may need more practice but still pay the same outrageous amount of money as those who get all of the playing time. Coaches should not be there to decide who is good enough and who isn’t, they should be there to teach teamwork. Of course, the whole team feels overjoyed when they win a game or come in first place at their meet, but the kids sitting on the bench won’t get any practice. In recreational sports, the coaches don’t put as much pressure on the kids to win because there isn’t the pressure of winning a big trophy or a district title and as a culture, we need to learn that it’s okay to not get a trophy or have a letterman jacket that says “State Champions” on it. Without that pressure, kids are more likely to be happy playing sports and be friendly toward the other team and their

The primary focus of a student should be school work, not winning the big game friday night. Many competitive teams travel all around the country, even during the school year. Sure, many student athletes are told to keep a certain GPA or be enrolled in a certain amount of classes to play but many times the stress of maintaining that GPA and practicing everyday while having games out of state can be too much for many of them, causing their schoolwork to be their last priority. Many recreational leagues have practice a few times a week and a game or two close to home giving kids the time to be students first before being athletes, which should be the primary goal to begin