National Athletic Trainer’s Association reported 50 fatalities due to sports injuries in young athletes in 2010” (Merkel, 14) and lately “an increase in sports-related injuries has been observed, with 2.6 million emergency room visits each year for those aged 5–24 years” (Merkel, 11). It is true that injury is a part of competitive sports whether it’s a heavy contact sport such as football or even a sport with little to no player to player contact such as volleyball. However, these numbers will continue to rise if we do not see that our youth sports coaches don’t receive the proper training required to prepare their players bodies for the rough conditions of play and for them to be able to respond to a situation in a proper manner if a player
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Many organizations have become fully aware of the intensity of the concussion situation and have come up with guidelines and restrictions to help drop the number of concussions in sports. “In an attempt to reduce the rising incidence of concussion in young athletes, 33 states require education for coaches, parents, athletes, and school personnel in the recognition, management, and prevention of concussion in youth sports” (Merkel, 14). It is critical that we continue to dampen the number of concussions that occur every year because as these children affected by concussions may not know the risk of just how bad the impacts of concussions can be and while the drive for competitiveness rises they continue to play and the situation worsens, resulting in long term negative impressions that could ultimately out the child’s life in jeopardy down the …show more content…
Choosing one sport to specialize in has become more and more common for younger athletes in the recent years and at first one might think that this would be a healthy choice and would relieve the stress of multiple sports and seasons throughout the entire year. Merkel prove this theory false however, “Continued participation concentrated on one sport is believed to increase the risk of sport-related injuries, peer isolation, burnout, psychosocial problems, and attrition” (Merkel, 15). This means that when a child chooses to specialize in one sport they increase their risk of injury, they limit the group of people they can interact with and build social skills with, they tend to get sick of the sport before they can peek in their athletic careers, and ultimately these kids are more likely to quit a sport due to stress caused by parents, teammates, and coaches. We all have seen that one parent or coach who takes their little league baseball competition far too seriously and are likely to ruin the experience of one or more children who are there simply to enjoy the chance to be outside and be with their friends. Sports specialization is not always a terrible thing but there is a right age to start to channel your time and skills toward one sport. Merkel explains, “The American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend specialization in sports before
Many organizations have become fully aware of the intensity of the concussion situation and have come up with guidelines and restrictions to help drop the number of concussions in sports. “In an attempt to reduce the rising incidence of concussion in young athletes, 33 states require education for coaches, parents, athletes, and school personnel in the recognition, management, and prevention of concussion in youth sports” (Merkel, 14). It is critical that we continue to dampen the number of concussions that occur every year because as these children affected by concussions may not know the risk of just how bad the impacts of concussions can be and while the drive for competitiveness rises they continue to play and the situation worsens, resulting in long term negative impressions that could ultimately out the child’s life in jeopardy down the …show more content…
Choosing one sport to specialize in has become more and more common for younger athletes in the recent years and at first one might think that this would be a healthy choice and would relieve the stress of multiple sports and seasons throughout the entire year. Merkel prove this theory false however, “Continued participation concentrated on one sport is believed to increase the risk of sport-related injuries, peer isolation, burnout, psychosocial problems, and attrition” (Merkel, 15). This means that when a child chooses to specialize in one sport they increase their risk of injury, they limit the group of people they can interact with and build social skills with, they tend to get sick of the sport before they can peek in their athletic careers, and ultimately these kids are more likely to quit a sport due to stress caused by parents, teammates, and coaches. We all have seen that one parent or coach who takes their little league baseball competition far too seriously and are likely to ruin the experience of one or more children who are there simply to enjoy the chance to be outside and be with their friends. Sports specialization is not always a terrible thing but there is a right age to start to channel your time and skills toward one sport. Merkel explains, “The American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend specialization in sports before