Jordan Hobbs

Prof. Hellmers

English Composition 1201

29 March 2020

Youth Sports… Good or Bad?

Many benefits and risks come with playing sports, and the question that parents

tend to ask is: Do the benefits of sports exceed the risks? Parents tend to feel two ways

about sports. The first is that youth sports are fantastic for the development of children.

The other way is, there are many risks accompanying youth sports, and getting injured

isn’t worth it. I have grown up playing on different sports teams since I was 4 years old. I

have played soccer, hockey, baseball, and basketball. Most of these sports are contact

sports and I have not received a serious injury from any of them. Furthermore, I have

learned the value of competition and numerous skills that will benefit me for the rest of

my life. I would not be the same person that I am today without all of the lessons that

sports have taught me. The advantages of sports largely outweigh the risks as kids

learn invaluable skills such as determination, discipline, and mental toughness, they

benefit physically, and they create lifelong memories.

Although injuries are a major worry for parents and athletes, there aren’t as many

injuries as people think there are. To show this,” In the United States, there are roughly

30 million kids and teenagers that partake in some type of organized sport. Out of these

kids, more than 3.5 million of these kids get injured each year. The most common of

these injuries are sprains and strains (Default - Stanford Children’s Health).” This data

shows that a little over 10% of kids face some type of injury each year. Although this is
a high percentage of athletes, most of these injuries are small sprains and strains that

take a short amount of time to recover from. A normal sprain or strain only takes around

6 weeks to completely heal. Nonetheless, many athletes can play with this injury before

the recommended full recovery length. On the other hand, there are many health

benefits that come when playing sports. These benefits include,” healthy weight, motor

skills development, social skills development, self-confidence, sportsmanship, fun

(Default - Stanford Children’s Health),” and many other very valuable skills.

Many people agree that the benefits of sports are much greater than the risks.

One source writes,” The benefits of organized contact sport on child and teenage

development outweigh the risks, especially with the medical data that is now available

(Maroon).” They prove this statement by showing statistics of how many people have

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, better known as CTE. CTE is a deteriorating

disease that is found in people who have encountered a lot of head trauma. They state,

”In the last 10 years, a total of 63 players were diagnosed with CTE, almost all of them

being professional athletes, out of approximately 44 million players (Maroon).” This

shows that cases of CTE are very uncommon and the chance of a kid developing this

disease is nearly impossible. The same source also writes,” Research shows that

retired NFL players are living at least as long as their peers and have lower rates of

cancer and heart disease (Maroon).” There is a big stereotype around NFL players. It is

the idea that NFL players die earlier because of all the head trauma that they face which

is true with a small number of them, but the average retired NFL player lives as long as

the average person. It is also top priority of organizations to keep the athletes safe and

healthy. With that being said, these sports organizations are also constantly adjusting
rules to make the sport safer, and companies continue to create new equipment to

ensure that the athletes are at low risk for injury.

One of the most important skills that can be learned through sports is mental

toughness. Mental toughness is the ability to overcome adversity or anything that does

not allow someone to succeed. This is one of the most important skills that can be

acquired through sports. It can be very useful throughout adults' careers and many

people that do not have the skill, struggle when they face adversity. As an athlete, it can

take a lot of time and grit to learn how to deal with adversity but when they learn how to

do it, they have developed mental toughness, and will most likely be very successful

throughout the rest of their life.

Sports are a fundamental way in which kids can learn to develop mental

toughness. It can be learned when they are in a slump in their sport, when their coach is

yelling at them, or even when their parents are yelling at them from the sidelines. Mental

toughness is such an essential skill because it teaches kids to persevere through

adversity and persist when situations aren’t going in their favor. Although mental

toughness is crucial to becoming a great athlete, it is also necessary for life. For

example, if one gets fired from their job, has a bad relationship with their boss, or fights

with their spouse, they are dealing with adversity which means that they will need

mental toughness.

One component of mental toughness is the type of mindset that one has. People

can either have a growth mindset, or a fixed mindset. Someone with a growth mindset

believes that they can always get better. They trust that dedication along with hard work

can take them far in life and allow them to achieve whatever they want. On the other
hand, someone with a fixed mindset believes that they are as good at their job or sport

as they will ever be and there is nothing they can do to change that. Sports teach kids to

live their life with a growth mindset. Those who have a growth mindset will be much

more successful in life because they continue to work harder than the people around

them. Those who train their brain to become a growth mindset will never give up and

they will invite failure into their lives because it allows them to grow.

In addition to the benefit of mental toughness, kids can benefit from a health

aspect too. Through sports, kids become a lot more active and they are less likely to

acquire diseases that come from being overweight and inactive. The CDC

” recommended that children and adolescents ages 6 to 17 years do 60 minutes or

more of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity daily (CDC).” This shows that kids are

highly recommended to obtain a minimum of one hour of physical activity each day.

When they don’t participate in sports, it is unlikely that they will meet these

recommendations. If children don’t meet these recommendations from the CDC, they

are at a much higher risk to develop different health diseases.

When young kids do not have adequate amounts of physical activity, many

consequences can happen. For example,” Physical inactivity can lead to energy

imbalance, it can increase the risk of becoming overweight or obese, increase the risk

factors for cardiovascular disease, increase the risk for developing type 2 diabetes, and

low bone density, which in turn, leads to osteoporosis(CDC).” These risks can be deadly

to children and many of them will affect these kids for the rest of their lives. Registering

children to an organized sport is a simple solution to wipe out these risks.

activity a day, “...the CDC estimates that just 22 percent of children between six and

nineteen years old engage in recommended sixty minutes of physical activity on at least

five days each week (Youth Sports).” These statistics show that young kids and

teenagers are not getting enough physical activity to remain healthy. However,” Kids

who grow up playing sports and associate physical activity with fun and more likely to

continue to be active throughout their lives. Organized sports also help children get in a

routine of scheduling and structure which will benefit them as they grow up. (Youth

Sports).” This explains that if one participates in sports as they are growing up, they are

more likely to exercise for the rest of their lives and for the recommended amount of

time. They are also more likely to stay healthy throughout their life.

Figure 1: How Active Kids Do Better In Life.

shown throughout this diagram that explain how being active as a child can benefit

someone tremendously. For example, physically active children are,” 1/10 as likely to be

obese, 15% more likely to go to college, up to 40% higher test scores, and 7-8% higher

annual earnings (Youth Sports Facts).” It is very clearly shown that children who grow

up being physically active have many more benefits. These benefits also aren’t all

physical benefits, but they aid the person in various aspects of their life.

Kids also learn discipline, teamwork, and how to cope with failure. Children learn

discipline through their coaches and teammates. They learn to be accountable for

mistakes they make whether they are on or off the field. One source writes,” The best

coaches still live by a code, and they make no apology for demanding kids to live up to

it (Brooks).” This shows that the good coaches demand a lot from their athletes which

makes their athletes learn discipline and accountability. For instance, if an athlete

misses a pop fly and the team loses, they will have to accept the defeat and feel

responsible for the loss. A similar source writes, ”In sports, children are required to

follow rules and follow the orders of the coach. Listening to coaches and people around

them will let them learn a valuable skill that will help them throughout their life and

career. (Jessica).” This will apply to their life in the future because they will need to meet

deadlines in their work or school and they will need to understand the consequences of

not turning it in on time.

Additionally, teamwork is a vital tool that athletes and adults use daily. Teamwork

allows people from different cultures and backgrounds to come together and bring their

own valuable assets to reach a common goal. People must learn this skill as early as
possible because it is something that will greatly benefit anyone who learns it. Kids can

learn teamwork in organized sports by learning that winning and losing is a team effort.

One person can not beat an entire opposing team just like one person cannot lose an

entire game for the team. Many coaches use the phrase “We win as a team, we lose as

a team.” This phrase teaches kids that sports are not all about them and it takes a group

effort to win. Learning teamwork can benefit adults and students too. For instance,

teamwork is used in school on group projects and it is used in jobs to bounce ideas off

of each other. In any group setting, one will need teamwork to succeed.

Many adults still do not know how to deal with failure and it generates a lot of

stress and anxiety. Learning to deal with failure is a valuable asset that can separate

those who are good at what they do and those who are great. Kids have two choices,

”They can accept the loss rather than feeling completely defeated (Jessica),” or they

can choose to get upset and quit. Every kid loses at least one game in their life and they

all live through it. Failure brings out the best and the worst in people as some cripple

under it and others work harder and get better. Learning to deal with failure as a child is

much better than as an adult. Adults fail a lot whether it is with their kids or their jobs

and the best way to grow is to accept the failure, learn from it, and move on.

Not only do sports allow athletes to learn various life skills, but they also help

them perform well in the classroom. According to the CDC,” Students that participate in

physical activity tend to have better grades, attendance, cognitive performance, and

classroom behavior (CDC).” This quote shows that students who participate in physical

activities are able to have better concentration and memory. It is also shown that they

are more focused in school, they have better attendance, and are more well behaved.
This is one of the most important benefits of sports as many parents think that sports

and physical activity will take time away from studying when in reality, it hinders their

learning and allows them to perform at a high level in their classroom.

Lastly, one very beneficial aspect of youth sports is all the memories that will be

created with parents, young athletes, teams, and coaches. Some of the best moments

of a kid’s childhood are the late nights with their team, the championships, and the road

trips. Children will look back on those moments and they will not remember the hard

times where they learned valuable lessons, instead, they will remember all the

awesome moments that will shape them into who they will become. These memories

will stick with them for the rest of their lives and they will cherish all the fun moments

that they had with their best friends.

On the other hand, some people believe that sports are a huge risk to kids and

they think that the chance of someone getting hurt is so dangerous that all the benefits

that come with sports still isn’t enough. Some also believe that sports are not good for

the mental health of young kids. They believe that kids feel too much pressure to win

and perform well, rather than have fun when they are playing. “Over-competition in

sports can be an issue for a child’s mental health. A small amount of competition is

good to keep them focused, but too much can become a real issue (O’Connell).” Some

kids put an excessive amount of pressure on themselves to play well every game.

There are also many parents who put extra, unnecessary pressure on their children

when they should be cheering their kids on no matter what.

Young athletes are exposed to a lot of competition when they are young,

especially if they are involved in multiple sports. Even when they don’t play sports, kids
will compare themselves to their siblings and they want to be better than their siblings at

everything. Because of this competition and urge to win, there can be a lot of tension

and stress that comes with sports because most kids want to play their best every

game. It can also be very hard on kids’ mental health if a coach yells at them or if they

are in a slump and aren’t playing well. There is also a risk of injury after athletes are

done playing their sport. Many basketball players face knee pain after they are done

playing and baseball players face elbow injuries a lot. There are, in fact, some

drawbacks to sports, but not many.

Although there is a big issue with kids feeling pressure, sports are a great

learning opportunity for athletes to cope with the pressures that they face. Sports show

them that they are able to perform well, even in the face of pressure. The parents that

do yell at their kids, get too wrapped up in the game and they become very selfish.

Every parent needs to learn that the main purpose of sports is to have fun, not to win.

Parents have to understand that their child will not play well every second of every

game and yelling at their kids only makes them perform at a lower level. However, this

pressure that is added from parents can be a good learning experience because it will

allow them to build their mental toughness and help them deal with adversity.

For me, sports have been the greatest blessing. I wouldn’t have been as

motivated when it came to school and I would have been a very lazy child. I have

learned so many lessons from sports that I would have been deprived of had I not

participated in team sports. Although some sports cost parents a lot of money, kids will

have opportunities that they will never forget. I play basketball and I have been able to

travel the country from New Jersey to Nevada. I have developed friendships and
memories that I will cherish for the rest of my life. Even with all the good times that have

come, I have been through a great deal of adversity. I have dealt with my parents yelling

at me, my coach benching me, and being cut from multiple teams. However, I have

thrived as a result of all the adversity I have faced. I am now ready for any challenge

that gets thrown at me. Sports have also provided me with the opportunity to receive a

full-ride scholarship to play basketball at a Division I school in Houston, Texas. Without

sports, I do not know where I would be today and I am so thankful for the challenges I

have faced and for the wonderful memories.

In conclusion, the benefits of sports greatly outweigh the risks. There are many

benefits such as teaching kids determination, discipline, teamwork, and mental

toughness. There are some downfalls to sports such as pressures, and injuries.

However, when kids learn to deal with the pressures that they face, it is one of the

biggest advantages that they will have over their peers, and sports is the best way to do

this. I have played sports for the majority of my life and there have been many highs

and lows. When I look back at all the good and bad memories, I wouldn’t change any of

them because they have shaped me into the person that I am today. I have grown so

much from sports and I would recommend putting kids in sports to any parent.
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