The Importance Of Youth Sports

Great Essays
Register to read the introduction… “According to the University of Florida, students of all ages who regularly participate in sports are able to cope better with competition in other areas of their lives.” (synonym) The social interaction that is gained through sports teaches teens and youth to work within a team, solve interpersonal strife and to learn to communicate with others in an effective and well-organized manner. “There’s a lot more to sport than the idea of winning and losing and developing physical skills. Under the right conditions, youth sport can help children develop transferable personal and social skills – citizenship qualities that they’ll retain throughout their lives,” (Côté) Social development is a fundamental skill that is fostered in youth sports. Teaching youth how to handle various situations is an essential skill that youth will carry through high school and onwards into adulthood. Being able to overcome adversity in a positive manner is a key skill that both youth and teens need to develop. “At the most fundamental level, well-designed sport activities that incorporate the best values of sport – self-discipline, respect for one’s opponent, fair play, teamwork, and adherence to mutually agree upon rules – help individuals to build the values and communication skills necessary to prevent and resolve conflict in their own lives.” (UN) The social skills that are taught through youth and teen sports are skills that participants can apply to all aspects of everyday life. Participants will carry these skills with them into …show more content…
Students that participate in sports have reduced behavior problems. They are given discipline in drills, practices and routines. These drills and routines are used to reinforce structure in the participant. They are given the responsibility to perform those tasks correctly, whether it is a basketball play, a football play or a baseball signal. When students perform tasks correctly they are awarded for their behavior and they take pride in their accomplishments. Because of the pride they achieve, they gain better self respect, self esteem, and self confidence. “Participation in school activities, especially athletics, leads to higher self esteem and enhanced status among peers, which some argue is deterrent to antisocial behavior.” (Brown) Between the ages of 12 and 17 is when kids learn to make their own decisions and control their own behavior. This is a critical time for students to be in extracurricular activities such as sports because they are under supervision, guidance, and they are in engaging and enriching learning

Related Documents

  • Great Essays

    “Competition is a virtue and everybody is so busy competing, they have no time for compassion” (Major Owens). In today’s day and age kids do not have the time to play outside with their friends or play kickball with their neighbors. Instead, they are traveling and spending most of their nights practicing with their club teams. Youth sports have put a strain on kids to the point where the sport has become a job rather than a hobby or passion.…

    • 1653 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In addition to boosting children's life skills, sports can also extend program…

    • 624 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Sarah Davis tells us the facts that are “According to the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, youth sports can help deter negative behavior, such as joining a gang, because competitive sports provide an outlet for expression, friendship and controlled aggression” (“What Are the Benefits of Competitive Sport for Youth,” 2014). President’s Council means that if children or teens go out for sports or stay in sports they will have a better reputation at school and out in public. They also prove that children will have better friendships. As well as the quote from Sarah Davis’s quote, The Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry explains how sports affect families and children. The author shows that sports are good for Children by saying “Sports help children develop physical skills, get exercise, make friends, have fun, learn to play as a member of a team, learn to play fair, and improve self-esteem” (“Fact for Families Children and Sports,” 2005).…

    • 1037 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “If you don 't allow them the time to hang out, they don 't have as much time to get in trouble," Hawley said (qtd. in Degnan). Hawley’s study gives us an idea that sports are very much needed to keep kids out of trouble. Also, sports give a person the ability to let out expression and controlled aggression. By letting these emotions out of your body during sports, a person may seem less stressed out at home or school. The teenage years are the hardest on a human.…

    • 1077 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Sports in schools definitely can help students by enhancing their social interaction with other students. Sports is considered as a physical activity and it helps students to stay strong, healthy, and focused. In the article, “Have Sports Teams Brought Down America’s Schools?” Elizabeth Kolbert says that schools should not have sports mainly because sports have can distract students with their education. It is often said that sports can take over a lot of a student's part.…

    • 552 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Paul Caccamo, a Harvard graduate, explains that “sports are more than a game; they are a set of life lessons. Kids growing up without them are really disadvantaged.” Numerous life skills are taught, including time management and understanding that sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. There are countless benfits with the participation of youth sports that can be put into these catgories; social, physical, phycological, and edjucational benfits. These skills are learned through various activities and will carry on through…

    • 1298 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Statsky Contact Sports

    • 893 Words
    • 4 Pages

    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.…

    • 893 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The evidence throughout this paper explains how high school sports and activities teach valuable lessons dealing with prioritizing, communicating, and learning. Playing a high school sport is not meant to be just about winning a title or two in a high school career. They teach skills beyond a field, they give students’ many opportunities in life. Student-athletes shouldto recognize the deeper aspects of what they do on a daily…

    • 1111 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In recent years, many youth athletic organizations have decided that trophies should be given out for participation, rather than athletic ability. This policy is supposed to promote skill building and equality among all adolescent athletes. While the players may be building skills on an equal playing field, they are also being allowed to believe that they deserve to be recognized for giving their best effort, when in reality that is not the case. Although initiated with good intentions, the policy teaches children that simply participating and showing up is enough, no real effort is needed to be rewarded. While the University of Denver’s developmental psychology professor, Susan Harter, does understand how these trophies can be beneficial,…

    • 1411 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    According to Dr. Catherine Sabiston the longer a person actively participates in a sport in their youth the least likely they are to show symptoms of depression as an adult. There was a study conducted at D’Youville College in 2005 that proved that the involvement in sports minimized the risks of suicide or drug abuse amongst teens. There are also studies that show that teen girls who participate in sports are up to eighty percent less likely to become pregnant. Overall the participation in sports positively impacts both the mental and physical health of teen’s when they are young which therefore leads to a much better health status for them in the future. These various studies result in my conclusion, that the effects of sports on teens benefit them now, and set them up for future success in both their professional and personal…

    • 930 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Sports takes away that extra time that the teenager could be getting into trouble and instead gives them a chance to make lifetime friends, raising their self esteem or focus more on their academics. Organized sports can give teenagers a chance to be involved in something and to feel included. 1. Context and Assumption of the Dispute a. After reading many articles about the subject of sports and how they keep teenagers out of trouble, I begin to see both sides of the argument.…

    • 1585 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    These risks are involved in many aspects of life and can be seen anywhere from work to school and do not solely occur in sports. Without youth sports, how else would children acquire certain skills obtained through participation? Certainly, youth can engage in free-play with fellow peers and will obtain certain skills, but they will not receive all the fundamental skills associated with well-regulated organized sports. Nonetheless, research has proven youth sports is an excellent way for children to learn fundamental life skills, appreciation of fitness and a strong motive to participate in social interaction. The question that must be addressed is: Will these fundamental skills developed through sports improve youth development and enhance other aspects of life?…

    • 1289 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Children and teens of today's society are getting less exercise and physical activity than ever before. The solution to this epidemic is joining competitive sports, they are not just good for the child’s health they are also good for various other things. Of course, there are risks involved in competitive sports such as getting injured and sometimes seriously injured and competitive sports may get heated and can become all about the winning but they need to take the risk in order to see the many benefits competitive sports have. Competitive sports numerous benefits but here are a few, competitive sports have social benefits.…

    • 1876 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    They allow a person to be more mentally capable than they would have been. Sports teach kids about self-confidence, allowing a person to be comfortable showing off their capabilities on the playing field. They also teach focus and determination by pushing the student through tough times and seeing them succeed. This focus can be derived from the fact that sports develop a person’s patience, persistence, and practice. Athletics also teaches an individual the importance of time management and how to balance different parts of your life.…

    • 1042 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Essay On Youth Sports

    • 954 Words
    • 4 Pages

    “Sports provide an endless amount of teachable moments” says Jim Thompson. , he also says that “youth sports should be seen as a development zone with a motto of better athletes better people”. Sports isn't just about making better people but preparing them for life. Sports can help you deal with things under pressure. Youth sports can even help you work better with other and be more open about yourself.…

    • 954 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays

Related Topics