Youth Sports: Fun or Forced? More than 26 million children ages 6 to 17 played team sports in 2014, down nearly 4 percent from 2009, according to a widely cited survey by the Sports and Fitness Industry Association. Sports have become a very common activity amongst kids of various ages over the years. It is not uncommon for a young child, a girl for example, to prefer to go outside and swing a plastic bat against a soft ball than sit inside and play with barbies. There are many factors out there that motivate kids to play sports, a big one being scholarships for college. The idea that a student athlete’s college could be entirely paid for just by playing a sport “well” is crazy, right? This idea is sometimes more exciting for the parent, rather
…show more content…
Sure, children hear about, or see sports being played at school, or with their friends, but it also is not hard to turn on the TV, and see a sporting event, or a commercial about sports. For those teens who are big sports fanatics, they have a favorite team, and a favorite player as well. Most kids would say they consider their favorite a player to be one of their role models, they look up to them and want to be able to play like they do. That’s when the problem begins. The children start talking more and more about this player, and how good they are. The kids then want to start practicing this sport, and being like their role model. The parents think it’s cute when they’re little, but now the kid is 16 years old, and playing their favorite sport on more than one team. The parents are traveling more and more, giving up more and more time for their child’s passion for this sport. Sounds like a good parent right, just drop everything to satisfy your child. But, is that really a good thing? As Glenn Heinzmann, associate director of the Youth Sports Research Council at Rutgers University, said “You see kids less and less in control of the games they play, less and less involved with who plays when, less and less involved with their athletic destinies” (Heinzmann). Heinzmann is stating here that parents are taking over what children started. The …show more content…
Youth sports are not only beginning at a much younger age, they are also becoming more competitive at a much younger age as well. Kids starting these activities while they are young can lead to several situations. One situation being the child is greatly interested in the sport, and the younger age means starting earlier, which also means more practice. However, starting at a younger age also means they are more prone to injuries. Kate Carr stated “one in five kids who go to ERs for treatment of an injury is there for sports injuries” (Healy). Several injuries can not be avoided, however if parents were not pushing the kids so much, or so hard in these activities, the numbers would most certainly go down. Youth sports injuries are on the rise. Sport related injuries can range anywhere from a bruise or scratch, to a concussion and possible fatality. Kids can be very stubborn, especially regarding an activity they find much interest in. For example, when a kid’s ankle is hurting, they usually only mention it to get comfort from a parent, coach, or peer. Most likely, the athlete’s intention is not to get removed from the game because of the pain. Lyle Micheli, the director of the Division of Sports Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital, was asked why sports
Sure, children hear about, or see sports being played at school, or with their friends, but it also is not hard to turn on the TV, and see a sporting event, or a commercial about sports. For those teens who are big sports fanatics, they have a favorite team, and a favorite player as well. Most kids would say they consider their favorite a player to be one of their role models, they look up to them and want to be able to play like they do. That’s when the problem begins. The children start talking more and more about this player, and how good they are. The kids then want to start practicing this sport, and being like their role model. The parents think it’s cute when they’re little, but now the kid is 16 years old, and playing their favorite sport on more than one team. The parents are traveling more and more, giving up more and more time for their child’s passion for this sport. Sounds like a good parent right, just drop everything to satisfy your child. But, is that really a good thing? As Glenn Heinzmann, associate director of the Youth Sports Research Council at Rutgers University, said “You see kids less and less in control of the games they play, less and less involved with who plays when, less and less involved with their athletic destinies” (Heinzmann). Heinzmann is stating here that parents are taking over what children started. The …show more content…
Youth sports are not only beginning at a much younger age, they are also becoming more competitive at a much younger age as well. Kids starting these activities while they are young can lead to several situations. One situation being the child is greatly interested in the sport, and the younger age means starting earlier, which also means more practice. However, starting at a younger age also means they are more prone to injuries. Kate Carr stated “one in five kids who go to ERs for treatment of an injury is there for sports injuries” (Healy). Several injuries can not be avoided, however if parents were not pushing the kids so much, or so hard in these activities, the numbers would most certainly go down. Youth sports injuries are on the rise. Sport related injuries can range anywhere from a bruise or scratch, to a concussion and possible fatality. Kids can be very stubborn, especially regarding an activity they find much interest in. For example, when a kid’s ankle is hurting, they usually only mention it to get comfort from a parent, coach, or peer. Most likely, the athlete’s intention is not to get removed from the game because of the pain. Lyle Micheli, the director of the Division of Sports Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital, was asked why sports