Broken bones, jammed fingers, sprained ankles, stitches and so much more; these are some of the many effects of playing youth sports. “Two million injuries and 500,000 doctor visits and 30,000 hospitalizations occur each year for high school athletes.” (Lisa Weisenberger, Stop Sports Injuries) Those numbers aren’t just hundreds and thousands but millions of children and teens getting hurt just from playing a sport. Youth sports programs may be fun and enjoyable but can have many negative consequences.
It may be the child of the parents that’s playing the sports but the parents of the child are who pays for all of the equipment and who gives the final decision on if they’ll let you participate in that sport. Parents are a big part of a youth sports program. According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases otherwise known as NIH; “More than 38 million children and adolescents participate in organized sports in the United States every year.” If you think about the parents of those 38 million children and put it as two parents each, that’s 76 million parents total. But that’s also 76 million parents that have to pay the fees for the sport or sports their child chooses to play and gets to make the decision on if they are even allowed to play.
Furthermore, there are more injuries caused by playing youth sports and there are also a lot of participants and parents but the cost of the sport is a main part of the sport too. “An article was written highlighting a woman and her son; she estimated she had spent $50,000 since her son was in the first grade so he could play basketball.” (Monumental Network, article was by Tim Richardson) That cost not only included him playing in basketball clinics and c...
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...es in Youth Sports: A Comparison Between Players' and Parents' Perspectives.". N.P., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. http://quod.lib.umich.edu/j/jsas/6776111.0002.106/--experiences-in-youth-sports-a-comparison-between-players?rgn=main;view "Sports Injuries." Childhood and Their Prevention: A Guide for Parents with Ideas for Kids. National Institution of Arthritis and Muscoskeletal and Skin Diseases, June 2013. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Sports_Injuries/child_sports_injuries.asp Price-Mitchell, Marilyn. "Playing the Game: The Truth About Youth Sports." Roots of Action. N.P., n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2013. http://www.rootsofaction.com/playing-the-game-the-truth-about-youth-sports/ "Youth Sports Injuries Statistics." Statistics. Ed. Lisa Weisenberger. Stop Sports Injuries, 2009. Web. 01 Dec. 2013.
http://www.stopsportsinjuries.org/media/statistics.aspx
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.
Gatz, Margaret, Michael A. Messner, and Sandra Rokeach. Paradoxes of youth and sport. Albany: State University of New York, 2002.. 12-13.
In a CNN article, Kelly Wallace said that more than 3.5 million children younger than fourteen need treatment for sports related injuries (1). Many children are getting hurt in sports, and the benefits , may not be worth the countless concussions. The brains of young children have not fully developed and hard hits to the head can be life-threatening. The Roque News wrote an article on students playing sports, and they said, “In 2009 two high school students died from multiple hits to the head…”(McGough 1). Now innocent teenagers died from a contact sport. The constant jarring of the head finally killed two high schools students providing sports can be extremely dangerous. There are some downsides that make school sports an inadequate decision.
The amount of unnecessary behavior by parents at youth sporting events is increasing rapidly and is ruining the kid's experiences and their passion for the sports. Parents in the United States are becoming more involved in their children's sports than the kids themselves. The reason that so many young American athletes are quitting at such an early age is because their parents are making the sports a joyless experience and are placing too much pressure on the kids to win and to be the best. Parents have become out of control at youth sports and it seems that the kids are showing more civility than the parents these days. Parents need to get back to teaching their kids that sports should be played for fun and not just for showing who's the best.
Kids are deciding by ages 9-10 they want to excel in one sport in order to win a college scholarship. Some are trading the fun and experience of diversifying between basketball, baseball, soccer, etc. for year-round football. As a result, overuse injuries are occurring at an alarming rate among these one-sport wonders.
Many parents will argue about whether kids should be allowed to play sports at such a young age. In my opinion, I think kids shouldn’t be allowed to play sports at a young age. When they grow older, I think that kids should be allowed to play sports. When a young athlete gets injured, coaches may not be trained for an injury and the child can suffer more serious injuries just from that. Kids want to skip practice so they will often fake an injury, serious coaches will use shaming techniques and call athletes “ladies” or man up, and athletes might not have the best protective gear, making them more likely to have a concussion. Worst of all, coaches
Kids get many injuries from sports. Some are more serious than others, like concussions. “Concussions symptoms include short term effects like nausea, dizziness, and trouble concentrating” ( Long term effects of a concussion include brain damage, memory loss, and depression. These symptoms could lower kids academic status, and miss school. Kids 13 years and younger have doubled with the amount of concussions, that are sports related. This is happening because of ball related sports which include, football, soccer, baseball, basketball, volleyball and hockey. Not only can we eliminate stress, but we can also cut down on injuries from the sports that caused them.
Young athletes put in danger by the competition, aggressiveness, and intensity of sports. Kids everyday are being pushed past limits by coaches parents and fans. The intensity of sports has become so high they are causing mental and physical exhaustion. Sports like wrestling has kids eat different to either lose gain weight. Football player, Baseball player, and even cheerleader have to work out in extreme temperatures. Some kids involved in competitive sports have been taking weight lifting classes and even just conditioning. The youth are being put in danger due to how competitive, aggressive, and intense youth sports have become.
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.
Jessica Statsky, in her essay, “Children need to Play, Not Compete” attempts to refute the common belief that organized sports are good for children. She sees organized sports not as healthy pass-times for children, but as onerous tasks that children do not truly enjoy. She also notes that not only are organized sports not enjoyable for children, they may cause irreparable harm to the children, both emotionally and physically. In her thesis statement, Statsky states, “When overzealous parents and coaches impose adult standards on children's sports, the result can be activities that are neither satisfying nor beneficial to children” (627). While this statement is strong, her defense of it is weak.
Stein G., Raedeke T., Glenn S. (1999). Children’s Perception of Parent Sport Involvement: It’s Not How Much, But to What Degree That’s Important. Journal of Sport and Behavior, 22, 591-601.
In the article “Organized sports do not benefit children” John Gerdy writes about youth sports programs no longer being about meeting the educational, developmental, and recreational needs of children but rather to satisfying the ego needs of adults. This topic has been widely argued over. Questions have been ask of parent who choose to have their kids win than to have fun. Gerdy in his writing will talk about De-organizing children’s sports and the adult domination of children sports as well as his opinion on the whole argument.
Rosewater, Ann. "Playing Well - Organized Sports and the Health of Children and Youth." Up2Us - Home. Up2Us, May 2010. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.
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...
It 's been outrageous , how many kids get injured per year playing youth sports for school and organizations. The youth who play sports receive plenty medical attention throughout the year due to injuries cause from actions made occuring in games. Health plays a big part in sports because if your are are not healthy many things can go wrong with the body including dehydration, heart problems , and muscle spasm. Playing a sport can be very hard to juggle with school and also getting talked down by coaches and parents. Dehydration is a high possibility because of outside sports that happen in the spring/summer and playing and practicing in humid conditions that you are not well prepared for can be bad and there will be consequences. Parents and