Sports have played an integral part of my life from as early as I can remember to the present day. I remember playing “laundryball” in my bedroom; this was a game created by my parents to trick me into putting away my dirty clothes. My laundry bin sat under a basketball hoop which caught all my dirty rolled up tops and bottoms as I made a three pointer. And although basketball was not my favorite sport, I enjoyed throwing my clothes across the room. I know I was as young as five years old when this invented game began. Moments like these transitioned seamlessly to my first experiences with pseudo organized athletics – neighbor girls in the yard, meeting friends at the park, playing like the unsupervised can play. From there, the step to “real” …show more content…
This holds true for all athletes whether they compete in individual and/or team sports and activities. These benefits center on concepts such as cooperation, teamwork, and friendships. Under cooperation, gaining a solid understanding of group dynamics and its role in the success and/or failure of a team is a common experience to all sports participants. Learning how to cooperate in a manner that is best for all and that enhances the chances of accomplishment is of great value that goes way beyond the athletic field. Bucher states "a child gains in his capacity for corporation and teamwork […] Cooperation involves that learning of certain techniques and skills; and there can best be learned in group situations” (15). Athletics provide a natural opportunity to achieve this dual objective, for students are “competitive by nature and cooperative by necessity” (Bucher 14). An individual must first compete with other members of the team for a position; then he must cooperate with his teammates as they compete with another team. This leads to the development of sportsmanship. In a YouTube video with footage taken by Sue William, a parent at a softball game, members from the opposing team showed an act of kindness and great sportsmanship when a young woman hits her first ever college home run and tears a ligament in her knee while running …show more content…
In a society where obesity has become a major health issue, the physical fitness advantages simply cannot be denied. Between TV viewing, Internet use, video games and cell phones, adolescents spend roughly seven hours per day tethered to an electronic device. Youth sports offer an alternative to fight the ill-effects, such as obesity, of too much screen time. Bucher states that “the potential value of athletics in creating the desire for further activity is important in maintaining physical fitness and preventing a variety of degenerative disease states which are caused by a lack of exercise” (13). Rates of obesity have increased dramatically in recent decades for Americans of all ages including adolescents and although adolescents have fewer weight-related health problems than adults, overweight adolescents are at high risk of becoming overweight adults and are prone to a number of health problems. Obesity can weaken physical health and well-being, resulting in a shortened life expectancy; it can also lead to social disabilities and unhappiness, which may cause stress and heighten risk of mental illness. In Story’s scholarly journal titled “Schools and Obesity Prevention,” she states that “longitudinal data have shown that for each weekday that normal weight adolescents participated in
Exercise, food, technology, and money all play a role in causing childhood obesity. Lack of exercise among adolescents has been proven to be the leading cause of childhood obesity. According to a May 2012 Institute of Medicine report, only half of America’s children and one in four teens get enough activity to meet current guidelines (Doheny and Noonman 1). The recommendations call for children to participate in at least 60 minutes of vigorous to moderate physical activity every day (Hendrick 1). “Only four percent of elementary schools, eight percent of middle schools, and two percent of high schools provide daily physical ...
When I go to a gymnastics meet and do really good, so I get that 1st place medal or trophy. It feels amazing, I mean the sport gymnastics is competitive and I sure do love competitive sports. The competitiveness gets you that rush of excitement. You feel nervous, but excited to get in there and try your hardest. Kids make better choices and have committed when they have the drawbacks of participating in competitive youth sports.
Participating in a sport at an early age can be essential to the overall growth process during a child’s upbringing. Whether the participation is through some sort of organized league or just getting together amongst friends and playing, the lessons learned from this can help teach these kids and provide a positive message to them as they develop. There is a certain point, however, when organized sports can hinder progress, which is when adults get too involved and forget about the underlying reason to why they are helping. While adult involvement is necessary, adult involvement can sometimes send the wrong message to children when they try to make participation become more than just about fun and learning. According to Coakley (2009), “organized sports are worth the effort put forth by adults, as long as they do what is in the best interest of their children and put that thought ahead of their own agenda” (Coakley, p. 151). This is a valid argument because once adults put themselves in front of the children and their values, it needs to be re-evaluated as to why they first got involved in the beginning. Partaking in organized sport and activity from a young age can be beneficial to the overall development of children, as long as decisions actions are made in the best interest of the children and not stemming from ulterior motives of adults.
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
Recently, there have been many active video games that have become popular amongst children that can encourage exercise. Video games such as the Wii and the Xbox connect engage children in a whole new way in which the whole body is actively involved. The scientific journal JAMA Pediatrics conducted a study to evaluate the effects of active video gaming on the physical activity and weight loss in children. The research group conducted a 16-week study on seventy five overweight or obese children that were enrolled into a community-based weight management program. The average age of the participants was 10 years old, the average BMI score was 2.15 and the percent of overweight form the median BMI was 64.3 percent. The participants were broken down into two groups to assess the effects that active video gaming could have on weight loss; however both groups received the family-based pediatric weight management program Join for Me. The participants in the program and active gaming group received a game console and motion capture device and one active game at their second treatment session. They also received a second game in week nine of the program. Participants in the program only group were handed the hardware items and two games at the completion of the 16-week program. The results of the study concluded that the participants in the program and active gaming group exhibited a great increase in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity but the program only group saw a decline or no change in their physical activity levels. In both groups, participants exhibited significant reductions in percentage overweight and BMI scores but the program and active gaming group exhibited a significantly greater amount (JAMA Pediatrics, 2014, p.1). This...
According to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, “Between 16 and 33 percent of children and adolescents are obese” (American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry). That number is beyond outrageous. Steps must be taken to prevent this from continuing. Our children are our future; without them we won’t even have one. In a country where there is a vast amount of information available, many parents are ignorant to the ramifications or consequences of letting their children eat whatever they want in addition to the long term effect of allowing them to sit in front of a computer or television, as well as allowing them to play video games all day. Eight to 18-year old adolescents spend an average of 7.5 hours a day using entertainment media, including TV, computers, video games, cell phones and movies, and only one-third ...
Some schools force students to participate in organized school sports. However, I believe that schools should not make this a requirement. Some students may have medical conditions, family situations that don't allow them to participate in organized school sports, or they simply may not have the time.
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
According to the center for disease control, it is reported that 69.2% of Americans age 20 years and over are overweight, of that 35.9 % are considered obese. Center for disease control also reported that 1/3 or children and adolescent are overweight or obese. These statistics contribute to poor nutrition and lack of physical activity. Because of these alarming statistics, there are many programs being implemented promoting physical activity. NFL play 60 is a program designed to tackle childhood obesity through in –school, afterschool and team-based programs. NFL play 60 program encourages kids to be active for 60 minutes a day. These programs are designed to reduce obesity to increasing physical activity. You don’t need to set aside hours a day to reap the be...
By now almost everyone has heard about child obesity in America, but just how high are the rates? The answer might surprise you. According to Nate Whitman, a writer for The Huffington Post, “rates of obesity have doubled in 2- to 5-year-olds, quadrupled in 6- to 11-year-olds, and tripled in 12- to 19-year-olds” (par. 2). This is due to more children staying inside and only doing activities such as video games. They do not interact with anyone besides whomever they are talking to online. These findings are astonishing to say the least. What can we do to combat this? Involvement in organized sports helps children develop their social skills, improve their academic progress, and stay active.
Teens used technology consuming excessive amounts of exercise time throughout the day that caused the physical health problem of obesity. Teens were physically active throughout the day before technology was fully exposed to teens. According to the article, Obesity in Children and Technology, Cespedes (2013) stated “The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that approximately 10 percent of preschool age children and 15 percent of 6- to 19-year olds, can be considered overweight. In addition to eating more processed, high calorie foods, active play has been supplanted by technology” (para.4). Teens would take more time outdoors riding bikes, playing at the parks, walking with friends, and swimming at indoor pools that caused them to burn calories while having fun. Most of technology today was at a sedentary state that replaced many of the outdoor activities with teens playing sport video games, using their smartphones, and browsing the internet on the computer or tablets for coun...
In our society today one of the most difficult problems we are facing is the large numbers of obesity in our children. One of the major factors in that is this; our children have become less physically active. At an early age children start watching TV, learn how to operate a computer, and play video games. Having technological skills is now a necessity in all of our lives because everything has turned “computerized,” but the fact is that our children are relying on these types of entertainment rather than getting up and physically exercising to entertain them selves. This directly affects the large number of obese children in our country today because of the lack of physical exercise. It is not that we want our kids to look a certain way or to be better at sports than everyone else, but it is that we want our kids to be physically fit and to develop a healthy lifestyle. Physical exercise is not only for adults, it is for children as well, so we must understand the importance of our children exercising and the benefits from it. By doing that it will make an impact on that child for the rest of his/her life.
With more technology to feel the gap of physical labor for humans and poor nutrition, obesity is rising and people are not living up to their potential. Children have been spending more time indoors with a screen in their face and a controller in their hand. Lack of physical activity not only causes obesity, but lack of brain power and achievement. Children and their families need to be taught the proper ways of how to be healthy in physical education classes to maintain their health across their life span. By incorporating in more lifelong knowledge about health into our physical education systems, obesity rates will drop and students will do much better in school.
Many life lessons can be taught through sports. Children can learn the importance of work ethic, working with others, perseverance, and the list goes on. There are studies that have shown that kids who are involved in athletics are more successful in the business world. It is only when parents turn the sporting events into an ultra-competitive requirement for their child that it can become detrimental. The lessons that sports teach kids about real life is one of the greatest benefits that can be gained from sports. Because so much can be learned through sports we need to make sure that we put focus on teaching lessons through sports rather than making it all about winning. It is a sad when parents turn a great beneficial thing into something that can be harmful for their children.
Sports, a very popular past time today, have been around since ancient times. Greek Olympic Games featured events from chariot races, javelin throws, to wrestling. In addition, a game similar to soccer was played in China by the second century BC. In England, a violent rugby type game was even played to settle feuds between villages. With the development of the industrial revolution and the creation of the first public schools, sports decreased in violence and were played more recreationally and constructively. Basketball was invented to help the youth in New England spend their energy in the winter months. Since the early 1900’s sports have been a key experience in the United States (“History of Sports”). I have played sports for many years, and the experience has helped me grow significantly as an individual.