Why Kids Should Not Play Competitive Sports

Every year, 3.5 million children ages 14 and under get hurt playing competitive sports, according to www.alfiekohn.org’s article “The Case Against Competition”. Even though some people believe that competitive sports allow children to build confidence, that is not true. Competitive sports cause injury and pressure. It would be better if competitive sports were removed from the life of children so it does not cause more harm.

A point of disagreement among the people whose youth play in competitive sports, is that some think they are too dangerous because the youth can get many injuries that can change their life forever. But on the other hand people think that it is a way to learn life skills and have great confidence, because they will need to know those simple key skills when they are out in the real world and have a job. Research shows, however, that competitive sports are good for youth because the children are meeting new people and they are building up their self-esteem.

Any child who participates in sports only raises the likelihood that they will suffer one of these injuries. The most deadly and life altering injury children can are concussions. Concussions are a part of all sports and are unavoidable. Many children are young and may not be able to recognize if they have suffered a concussion or not. This is extremely dangerous because any physical activity is unhealthy when trying to heal the brain and if they get another concussion, it can have be life changing for the child “A second concussion soon after the first one does not have to be very strong for its effects to be permanently disabling or deadly.”(“concussion”). Because of how easily a concussion could go unnoticed in young children it leads as the most deadly injury from sports. Some children may even lie about how they feel knowing that if they do have a concussion they won't be able to play their sport for a few weeks at least. For how dangerous and deadly of an injury, concussion are they are very prevalent in contact sports “the likelihood of suffering a concussion while playing a contact sport is estimated to be as high as 19 percent per year of play”(“concussion”). That means if your child participates in a contact sport for more than 5 years they will most likely suffer at least one concussion if not more. Concussions are a huge danger to any child participating in sports and no sport will be able to give back what a conclusion could take away from your child's

You are sitting in the bleachers of your son's baseball game, squished in between all the loud ruckuss of parent cheering and yelling. It’s the 9th inning and there is one strike left. You watch as your son lifts his leg, wind his arm back and throws the ball with all his strength. You hear a loud crack followed with a scream. Your heart starts pounding and your feet ache to run towards him, but all you can do is sit there and watch as the whole team rush over to him trying to cheer him up but before you know it your son is in the hospital. You sit there only watching his shoulder being wrapped around forming a big cast. Children ages 5 to 14 account for nearly 40 percent of all sports-related injuries treated in hospitals. With the rising

David McCullough once said, “If everyone is special, then no one is. If everyone gets a trophy, trophies become meaningless.” Participation trophies were introduced to society in the early 1920s to reward kids not for ability but merely for participation in sports. Over time, participation trophies have been found to have positive and negative effects on children. Today, the world is in a debate over whether or not kids should receive these trophies.

Everyone who has competed in a sport has had to deal with the emotions of both winning and losing, going home with a winner’s trophy, or leaving empty handed. What is worth more to a kid playing in little league: winning, or getting a trophy for just being on the team and not worrying about wins and losses? What is more beneficial to the kids as they grow up, knowing that they participated, or knowing what it feels like to compete, and being rewarded for their success? Being taught valuable life lessons, knowing the difference between winning and losing, and receiving placement awards, is more beneficial to kids than just being acknowledged no matter how much effort is put forth, not worrying about losing, and receiving participation awards.

Many people think that competitive sports are bad for kids because of injuries like mc l tear, ac l tear, dislocated knee cap or even concussions also they say kids get worse grades in school.

Would athletes want to get a big fat shiny golden athletics trophy, but receive it for doing absolutely nothing but participating in your team’s activities? Personally, I wouldn’t want a trophy for prancing about, fooling around, and not even paying attention to why I joined the Basketball in the first place. Kids should have a passion for a sport. The can’t just sign-up for a sport, just to get the trophy at the end of the season. This controversy has been on the uprising throughout the years.

One reason that competitive sports are negative for children is the risk of injury when participating in sports. As said by Bruce Keller, contributing author of “hey data, data, -- swing!” “The No. 1 fear of sports parents is seeing their child injured on the field. And due to the United States' growing population and sports participation, that's now more common. According to the

We think kids should not play competitive sports because of physical injuries, negative effects on life, and cost. Body 1: One reason that kids should not play competitive sports is because of injuries happening way too often. For example, an article by Jacqueline Stenson states, “One of the most comprehensive surveys to date, by the Centers

Do you play competitive sports? Do you personally think of all of the many risks that can happen while you're playing your sport. Some think, that being in a competitive sport can make you more tough and brave. But others think, that competitive sports aren't okay for others to play because of all the things that can happen. To make it clear overall, i think that competitive sports should not be able to be played.

Competitive children sports used to be community sports like Little League and AYSO with fun practices and trips to the snack shack, but now they have been taken over by competitive club sports, private lessons and far away tournaments. In the past 5 years the kids sports industry has increased from a 5 billion dollar industry to a 15 billion dollar industry. Many people think that the growth of children’s sports is benefiting their child for their future, but I believe that children should not play competitive club sports because of time loss, cost, and children being forced to play a single sport. Competitive sports take time away time from family, friends, community activities, and school.

Another thing to consider is the cost of athletics all together. According to How much is it? “The sports fee can differ...This fee can be anywhere from $50 to $150 per sport per person. The national average is $100 per sport per person.” These cost come from students having to get physicals, uniforms, transportation, and many more things. (http://www.howmuchisit.org/how-much-do-high-school-sports-cost/)

Not everyone believes competitive sports are good for kids. Some people believe competitive sports are harmful to kids. Competitive sports are good because they improve overall health, teach life lessons, and positively impact kids lives.

The first reason that kids should not play competitive sports is that they are stressful. Kids who play competitive sports often experience stress from wanting the recognition involved with winning. According to LiveStrong, “The mounting pressure to play well can increase stress and make children feel bad and lose confidence should they make mistakes or lose” (Huggins 2017). This shows that kids want to win and be the best player on the team, which can result in stress or pressure. When kids are put on the bench or the team loses, the players may experience low self-esteem. Also, participating in a competitive sport also takes up time because of the intense training schedule that is demanded. Because of that, kids may stress about schoolwork or other activities. This can develop failing grades or other consequences. Time.com states, “Student-athletes tend to take easier classes and get lower grades than non-athletes” (Square 2015). This is important to notice because the intense schedules that the athletes have may not allow enough time for schoolwork. The schoolwork may not be completed or fully understood, which can lead to lower academic excellence and poor grades. Competitive sports are unhealthy to kids’ minds. They can cause stress and pressure, and may lead to poor grades and other academic issues.