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Mental and physical benefits of youth sports
Sports participation helps with character development
Effects of sport on academic performance
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With television, movies, computers, video games and mobile devices becoming more and more prevalent in the everyday lives of youth and teens; living an active lifestyle is now much more important now than it has ever been before. With more and more youth and teens being sucked into the world of technology, the importance that is being placed on extracurricular activities; especially those of the athletic spectrum has declined substantially in the last few years. Sports are often used as a ‘hook’, and are used to recruit youth and teens into health and education programs. The outer physical benefits of an active lifestyle in youth and teens such as a fit figure and are obvious, and the health benefits of sports youth and teenagers are often easy to see, but the positive effects of youth and teenage athletics have a much greater reach than just an active lifestyle and lean figure. "Our study demonstrates the benefits of youth sports participation on self-rated health and life satisfaction among young youth at a critical juncture in adolescent development. Our findings suggest that sports team participation may enhance school connectedness, social support and bonding among friends and teammates." (Zullig/White) Athletic extracurricular activities help to promote physical activity; such programs have also been proven to increase academic performance in students. Participating on a sports team has many positive mental effects on teens and youth including their self-esteem, self-confidence, behavior and social growth that persist well past graduation and into adulthood. Participating in sports helps to develop a healthy sense of competition within a friendly, team-oriented atmosphere. “According to the University of Florida, students... ... middle of paper ... ...een shown to help increase academic performance Works Cited Brown, M. D. (2000). Science or soccer? -- how important are extracurricular activities? Retrieved November 10, 2013, from Education World website: http://www.educationworld.com/_curr/.shtml Côté, PhD (2010) Kids Learn Social Skills Through Sports Retrieved November 10, 2013, from Softpedia website: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Kids-Learn-Social-Skills-Through-Sports-213039.shtml Springer Science+Business Media “Young teens who play sports feel healthier and happier about life” ScienceDaily Retrieved November 11, 2013 from ScienceDaily website: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100922082330.htm United Nations. Sport to Promote Social Inclusion and Diversity Retrieved November 8, 2013, from United Nations website: http://www.un.org/wcm/content/site/sport/home/unplayers/memberstates/pid/16005
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.
High school sports are approached with clashing opinions. Some of these opinions are positive, and supportive of athletics. “Athleticism, among many activities, offers teens a physical outlet to exert their troubles, anger, emotions, and other feelings” (Chen 1). This can be observed in nearly all of the football players in Friday Night Lights. This can also be noticed in the world today. “Athletics help high school students understand their own abilities and talents” (Chen 1). This piece of evidence is very accurate when describing high school athletes. Sports can make a high school student humble. As can be seen by the preceding information, high school athletics can have a positive impact on a student’s life.
Students who participate in sports remain physically active. Student athletes have practice and must keep “in shape” to compete against other high school teams. Researchers have said the younger population has grown obese. Students who remain in high school sports have a lower risk of becoming obese. Obesity is growing rapidly in the nation and having kids participate in sports will help the nation’s obesity rate decrease. The reason students stay healthy is because the practice may involve running, weight training, and flexibility to help stay in “shape”. Students involved in sports are also encouraged to eat better to ensure the best body to perform at top level. Athletes have a desire to win and be the best. This forces an athlete to live a healthier
"The Benefits of Exercise and Sports Participation for Kids." EDietStar. Web. 15 Feb. 2010. .
Gould writes that “Leading youth development experts contend that one of the potential benefits of sports participation is the development of initiative or the ability to set and go after goals.” High school sports help kids to learn how to set and go after goals; an important lesson for every stage in their lives. Gould also states that the “National Federation of State High School Activity Associations indicates that [high school sports] promote ‘participation and sportsmanship’” (Are High School Sports Good For Kids?). In addition to setting and achieving goals, school sports develop participation and sportsmanship and positively build character in children. Overall, along with helping kids become more sociable, high school sports promote goal setting, participation, and sportsmanship in
The journal article, “What does sport mean to you? Fun and other preferences for adolescents’ sport participation” claims that fun, social aspects, masculinity, and identity are the main reasons youth participate in sports (Skille and Østera˚ s, 360). Oftentimes, athletes forget they are on the same team, and they start to form cliques or groups based around who has the best bench press or 40 meter dash time. As a result, teammates start to compete with each other instead of working towards the same goal. For instance, one coaching journal article claims that “moral reasoning” in youth is determined through “collective norms” or group behaviors that the coach has a hand in influencing (Shields, LaVoi, Bredemeier, Power, 748-749). A proper coaching environment should therefore revolve around a fun, supportive, and collective environment where success is encouraged through the full support of the team. This support can further be developed through proper positive mindfulness and code of conduct guidelines set forth by the coach; for instance, hazing should be discouraged and proper communication and helpfulness among teammates should be
Participation in sports has proven to increase self-discipline and self-esteem, and can teach athletes to learn from their mistakes and move on (Issitt). Athletes playing team sports also develop the ability to work well with others and use teamwork in their everyday lives. Teammates form relationships that are strengthened over a common passion and goal. These relationships can last long after high school is over (Chen). These social skills translate into better communication used with an athlete’s family, peers, and in the community. Likewise, “A 2006 study in Maryland found that student athletes are 15 percent more likely than non athletes to be involved in their communities and to take the time for civic engagements, including participating in voting and volunteer activities” (Issitt). The same study also concluded that athletes are far more likely to be comfortable with public speaking than non-athletes. This study provides concrete evidence that high school sports can help to gain mental and social skills that will be used later in life
Many children that are actively involved in sports are looking to have fun and ensure a sense of belonging with peers. The youth of a community are able to gain new friendships in an exciting and pleasurable atmosphere, in the mean time improving skills and enjoying an active lifestyle. Children have the need to feel wanted and appreciated by others, whether it being a teammate, a coach, a friend, or family members. A positive atmosphere is needed for a child have a successful experience in a sport or activity. Without all these attributes a child may feel neglected and believe they have little or no value to a team. Over a course of time children drop out of an activity because there is no excitement left in the sport. This is because sports now focus on competition and winning rather than enjoyment of an activity. “[Throughout] childhood, boys overwhelmingly identify athletic ability as a determinant of social status among their peers, while girls tend to focus on appearance for peer acceptance.” (Adler, Kless, & Adler, 1992, p.170) The sport then becomes more stressful and uninteresting to youth members, as there is now pressure to be the best. Youth find it easier to give up on a sport rather than to try. The negativity that a sport projects can cause a child to no longer resume participating in other dynamic activities, children will feel unsuccessful and incompetent with all other activities. The majority of children and youth drop out of active sports and recreation because of a loss of fun, lack of success and/or excessive pressure from parents and coaches.
It is evident that throughout history, economic and social values constructed the athletes, which collectively determined the characteristics, ideals, etc., of the team, leading to also be a reflection of society today. Thus, it is fair to say that sports have an extremely significant influence. In current day, as mentioned prior, we are highly competitive by nature. It is something that has grown on us over time. Humanity is generally obsessed with winning and competing. But it is much more than just about promoting physical activity and achieving personal physical goals; it is also about watching someone else's efforts fall short.
Sports are an important aspect of society. They help people to strive to reach certain goals and join people together, but they also can divide people and turn a fun game into the main purpose of someone’s life. Taking sports games too seriously can be harmful to both the athlete and the spectator. The attitude of always winning at any cost in sports has managed to distract us from other important parts of our lives, such as health and education. This importance of the value of sports can heavily influence the way that we see ourselves as both the spectator and the athlete by creating a positive self image and distilling confidence and discipline within the player, or by embedding self doubt and inversion.
Sports programs have been an integral part of all schools. They support the academics of the school and therefore foster success in life. These programs are educational and help produce productive citizenship. They help students experience and build skills that may help them in their future, like interpersonal and time management skills. Education may kindle the light of knowledge, but sports help to maintain the proper physique. Sports are also an important means of entertainment and a use for energy after long hours of study. Sports increase a student’s performance not only in the classroom but also in their life.
With correct leadership,the benefits of participation begin to show in childhood and continually appear in adulthood. During adolescents, organized sports enable individuals to exude superior sportsmanship, self-discipline, social skills, teamwork abilities, along with improving health initiatives( Ireland,2015 ). These skills are key components in the development of character and the ability to socially function in society as an adult. For instance, when a child can control their emotions, exuding positive sportsmanship, it gives insight into how they will cope with situations later in life. Athletes require self-discipline physically and emotionally. As adults, there will not be a single day that an individual isn’t compelled to implement self-discipline whether it be in what they eat or the words they choose to speak. Organized sports can be a major impact in a child’s life, but it 's imperative to be paired with positive parenting to reach its maximum potential. Parents have lost sight of the positive lifelong journey that sports can have on their young athlete. Rather, they have shifted their focus on training their future stars with long practices, extensive travel, and constant
Also containing leadership characteristics helps athletes with their social skills. Worsnop, Richard L. points out “there is a general agreement that the nation’s high schools have performed well as the farm system for college sports programs”. In other words team sports presents valuable life lessons and experiences within a group setting. There are endless situations that could take place between the teammates or with the opponents during the game. The fans or known as the community displays a huge part in the sports world and how they distribute their insight on it. Statistics have shown that “ High school teams command legions of devoted fans locally and nationally” (Worsnop). As shown the community is devoted to all types of sports and they see athletes representation and how they react in certain situations. For example the sports that involve physical contact like football and basketball could get out of
"Do Sports Keep Teens Out of Trouble?" LIVESTRONG.COM. LIVESTRONG.COM, 21 Oct. 2013. Web. 01 May 2014.
The main goals behind Sport Education are to help students become knowledgeable about different sports and activities to the point where they can participate in these outside of the classroom to stay active. Also it teaches execution and strategies and encourages competitiveness. It is important for kids to be competitive because they will have to be in life and it will teach the importance of winning and losing the right way. “Sports offer kids a great chance to work cooperatively toward a common goal. And working coope...