Statsky Contact Sports

Improved Essays
Summary
In “children need to play not compete” Jessica Statsky affirms to the negative impacts of the competitive sports for children. She takes children from six to twelve years into consideration and logically proves that these kids suffer more than they get benefitted by the competitive nature of sports. Another aspect that she mentions is that the coaches and parents always focus only on winning. They don’t consider that the sports are also meant to let them relax and have fun. She claims it to be a job-like activity for the little body and mind. Furthermore, she explains that the painstaking process of selection in these sports arouse the fear of losing in the child’s mind. It is unbelievably selective and most of the kids never get past the trials. This is highly discouraging for the kids. Another trauma that he faces is the fear of getting hit in the field by fellow opponents. This notion not only affects his psychological health but also has an influence on his physical health. The author states that the contact sports can cause lifelong injuries as well. She concludes by saying that children sports can be improved by removing adult standards from them. (200 words)

Response
In the essay Statsky provides with much evidence to believe that the competitive sports are not as beneficial for the children as they are thought to be. I am completely convinced by her argument regarding this idea. She has backed up her claims with strong and to the point examples. Her authenticated quotes reveal her carefully done analysis of the problem. I have come to an agreement with the author that these sports have been applied with “adult standards” which make them so hard to be fully enjoyed. There are harsh training periods and constant practice sessions. It becomes exhausting for the kids health and fitness. It reminded me of a childhood incident when during a training session I fainted in the field. It was a hot sunny day and I got dehydrated. It affected my health for a few days, I felt weak. I was also mentally disturbed as I knew that I had to skip the practice sessions. This memory made me agree with the author that such adult standards can also cause psychological disturbance. The author has also seen this matter very rationally as she agrees that the competing needs to be taught to the children as it would help them later in the adult life but she also counterclaims that the there is so much more to be taught to the kids than just this. The competitive environment can be
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The writer has rightly put this idea with valid reasons of avoiding such games. I think that she has made it compelling that the contact sports like peewee ball can overwhelm the children with the fear of getting hit in the field. The idea of little children violently crashing into one another for the sake of winning or losing is an insane idea. The children must be taught not to harm one another. I can agree to this as I have seen my fellow players aggressively hitting one another in the field. Most of the children were afraid of the ones that were more powerful in this regard. In other words this was used as one of the ways to bully the weak

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