benefits of youth sports

42 percent polled say it is appropriate for children to begin playing tackle football younger than age 14. Parents are starting to hold their kids out of football and other sports which is keeping them from learning the game and learning social skills early in life. Youth sports have been a part of many kids’ lives for as long as the sports have existed. Youth sports keep kids active and helps them get out of the house. Youth sports help kids develop social skills at a young age and they gain a better understanding of the game. As a result, youth sports are important parts in kids’ lives because they help kids develop social skills and they help them get a better understanding of the game, even though there are some safety issues.

Development of children who are in their early stages of life is critical not only for themselves, but the future roles they play later in their lives. In fact, one of the most crucial parts of a child’s growth can stem from youth sports. Taking a look at youth sports as a whole it has become nearly encoded within our modern society to have our kids participate in some sort of recreational or club type atmosphere. Alison Prichard a top physical educator stated that “There is little doubt that the world is infatuated by sports. People watch them, analyze them, argue about them, spend money on them, and encourage their children to play them. Not surprisingly, youth sport is the most popular structured activity in the United States, with an estimated 45 million American children enrolled in an organized program or team in 2005” (Prichard, 2015).

Sports are a popular pastime among all ages and types of people. People not only participate in them for fun, but also for money, physical fitness, rush of competition, and for many other personal reasons. Playing sports is especially common among young people in schools. Athletics are great and enjoyable for many reasons, but there can be a point where sports participation can go too far and become negative for children and adults. Sports specialization for young people is an increasing trend that results in sports having a negative impact on individuals and society.

Each year in the United States, more than 36 million school-aged children participate in an “organized sport” (“Youth Sports Statistics”). Especially over the past few years, many studies have proved or disproved the idea that sports are beneficial for young kids. Those studies have found that youth sports have both positive and negative effects on young children, and research shows parents and coaches have the greatest effect on a child’s experience.

Youth sports are important for a variety of reason. They provide students with physical, psychological, academic, and social benefits. Some psychological benefits of sport include gaining self-esteem from intrinsic motivation, developing social skills, leadership skills, and teamwork. Another important psychological benefit includes avenues for young people to take initiative, meaning that they can commit energy to a goal over time. This can transfer over many areas including school, work, and sport. There are also academic benefits. These benefits include but are not limited to ties with physical activity and a higher

Sports are embedded in many American schools in a way they are not anywhere else. One element of our educational system consistently surprises them, “Sports are a huge deal in American schools,” says Earl Smith of the New York Times. The positives have always outweighed the negatives in the case against high school sports. As Sato Kai state, “The benefits of sports as part of the education process are abundant and sometimes beyond quantifications,” According to many academic specialists, sports offer formative and life long lessons such as: discipline, responsibility, self confidence, and accountability. These skills can furthermore excel your later life and give you a greater chance of being employed in a high level job. Participation in high school sports helps your later development as an adult and teaches you life long skills that can't be taught elsewhere.

Students can learn teamwork and goal setting skills. Students in school may be taught how to work with team members on a school project, but working meticulously with your basketball team attempting to win a game against an exceptionally good rival team brings a whole new perspective to learning to work with others. Additionally, sports are a good way to teach because they are fun. In order to effectively teach young adults, you have to spike their interest levels; sports do so, and students have more interest than a regular classroom. Are High School Sports Good For Kids? by Daniel Gould, Ph.D. says sports assist in "maximizing the achievement of educational goals." Sports are definitely one of the most efficient ways to learn what reasonable and effective goals are, how to work towards them, and how to achieve them.

This study deals with high school athletics and their long-term effect in the lives of those who participate; it also deals with the positive and negative aspects of athletics during high school, and the treatment of those who participate. This study was conducted with qualitative data obtained from five personal interviews with previous high school athletes. These five people come from a range of places, ages, and experience. Conclusions are that participation in high school athletics is a contributor to a better social life and experience during high school. Good friends and influences are obtained through the pursuit of high school athletics. The long-term effects

Children who participate in sports are developing rapidly in sports skills, sportsmanship, and psychologically, but does this come from organized sports are just nature’s process. Children develop emotional and social benefits from participating in sports. Children experience character and leadership development through peer relations leading to an increase in self-esteem and a decrease in anxiety levels. Children will get opportunities to experience positive and negative emotions throughout their practice and games trials. It is important for the coach to understand the “psychology of youth sports and physical activity participation” (Weinberg & Gould, 2011 p.516).

“Sports keep kids really involved in a good place,”- Darby Hector. Athletics for children are very important in society. For a long time, it was very common for children to play sports. Recently, these numbers are declining. The athletic world is becoming very competitive. This is causing coaches to not seek out participation and seek out only excellence. This leads to unfair playing time, self esteem issues, and much more. This needs to change. It is true that sociologically, youth athletics are important because children are social, society affects children, and children affect society.

Do you remember when you were a kid? Playing ball in the yard with your friends or playing baseball with your dad? Or even being on a sports team? How did that effect you in your adulthood? What if you would have missed out on those building blocks? The question at hand is "Does playing sports have a more positive or more negative effect on children and teens?" Let's explore all the reasons why it does have a positive impact.

Today there is an ever growing debate on whether competitive sports are beneficial or harmful to children. While many people believe that they can be harmful, in this article I will show you some of the many ways they can be helpful to kids. There are three reasons I decided to outline here; there are life lessons can be learned, sports help improve health and they help to build self-esteem and confidence.

One thing that is a positive outcome in sports is the overflowing happiness people get when they participate in competitive sports. One example is that “children who were involved in sports were more assertive, had greater confidence in their skills and physical appearance, and reported more positive feelings than those who didn’t participate. (Merkal, Donna, Youth sport: positive and negative impact on young athletes, 201, May 31).” If children hold an extreme love for the sport they play, most children use that sport as an escape. Playing sports blows off steam and helps people relax. “Physical activity stimulates various brain chemicals that may leave you feeling happier and more relaxed. (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research ,Exercise: 7 benefits of regular physical activity, 1998).” Playing sports can help bring families or other kids together to build strong bonds. “It appears that US children are healthy and happy as they engage in this traditional pastime, and families report higher levels of satisfaction if their children participate. (Macdonald, Brian, Kids in Sports, Part 5: Can sports help shy kids to make friends?, 2009).” A pat on the back from a parental figure is enough to keep kids going and doing their best. Because sports make children happier, they are more prone to keep playing which all in all makes children happier and it teaches kids to do what makes them happy. With suicide being the second biggest fatality for adolescents doing what makes them happy can be a life or death situation.

Many youth sports are part of community organized after-school programs. There are many different types of these programs such as T-Ball, Little League Baseball, Pop Warner Football, soccer, martial arts, cheerleading, and so forth. “There are over 40 million youth participating in organized sports, and both girls and boys have a dazzling array of choices and can play a sport year round” (Le Menestrel and Perkins 13). Communities use youth sport as an outlet to encourage social activity, a healthy lifestyle, and skill development for that particular sport. For example, “Participation in organized sports can provide opportunities for youth to learn more about specific skills and exercises associated with a particular sport” (Perkins and Noam 76). These programs offer opportunities to boost skills and connect positively with others. Without these activities, parents will have to find another developmental setting that may not give similar or beneficial outcomes as those of organized youth sport. Studies found that, “Sports

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.