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| Words of Wisdom: | "In the past I have learned not to dwell upon the past." - Ray Collins |
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How Do Sports Affect America’s Youth? Over the last two decades the growth of youth sports has reflected the popularity of professional sports in our society. Sporting events and news are available to the public twenty-four hours a day on television and radio: sports are an enormous industry. The outstanding popularity of the sports industry has profoundly affected youth sports organizations. An estimated twenty-five million children age six through eighteen participate in at least one school or community based athletic program. These numbers increase exponentially as the age of boys and girls entering sports keeps falling. In order to supervise, teach and manage these athletes about 2.5 million coaches spend an average of eighty hours a season with them. The majority of these coaches volunteer for programs organized by the community, religious organizations, and recreational facilities. Without a national agency to coordinate sports programs, there exists great variation in the manner in which sponsoring agencies organize their teams, thus leaving plenty of opportunity for too much parental and coach control. Agencies have quickly moved American youth from unstructured play to highly organized competition. This infrastructure (or over structure) of organized youth sports is the backbone for criticism and praise by professional athletes, physicians, and psychologists. There are many that feel organized sports can be very beneficial. Lyle Micheli, associate professor at Harvard Medical School, strongly supports organized sports for youth. He claims that sports aid in the development of social and interpersonal skills, health fitness and psychological well-being. The more evident benefits involve individual skill development, greater physical fitness, and higher self esteem. Other benefits include development of group cooperation teamwork and friendship-making skills. Many feel that self-esteem and self-image can be greatly improved through sports. Psychologists around the country stress a need for an active life style to develop healthy self-images. Eric Margenau, a psychologist and author, feels that early and frequent exposure to sports is the key to personal growth. Sports introduce children to healthy competition. A child’s failure in competition helps them learn to win gracefully and lose with honor. It teaches youngsters that through perseverance and determination they can win next time. These lessons that children learn will stay with them throughout their lifetime. Some skeptics criticize the very premise of competition is hazardous to a child’s psychological and emotional well-being. The critics of sports emphasize the detrimental affects of competition and the negative influence of untrained coaches and pushy parents. There are a huge number of children playing sports, but due to burnout, stress, psychological trauma, and lowered self-esteem as many as seventy-three percent quit sports by the age of thirteen. Rick Wolff, a former professional baseball player and coach, claims there are several factors contributing to this phenomenon such as: parents and coaches putting excessive pressure on children, specialization in one sport, over competitiveness, anxiety and loss of interest. This lack of interest may stem from the fact that they are cut from a team, injured, or receive little playing time. Another reason for high dropout rates is the structure of the programs. The sports programs are set up by adults, run by adults, and maintained by adults with a precise date and time. Spontaneous play and creativity are taken out of the equation. Coaches are choosing who plays and who doesn’t in an effort to win. A study found that 90% of all children would rather be on a losing team if they got to play. Alfie Kohn, author of “No Contest”, claims that competition is the downfall of sports. It is the very core of sports to produce a winner and a loser. Competition forces children to rely on external sources to feel good about themselves. It also causes youth to view others as obstacles to their personal success. Winners’ gloat and losers sulk, or quit. The majority will end up losers and this fosters self-doubt, thus a decrease in esteem. Those that do win often rely on competing to define their self worth .It is stressed that children love to compete, but research tells a different story. Dr Orlick found that an astounding 95% of children preferred to participate in noncompetitive activities than structured competition. Dr. Orlick is a huge advocate of noncompetitive play. He wants the stress to be on group cooperation striving toward a common goal. An example of this is musical chairs. However, the game is structured so that children try to get all players on the fewest amount of chairs. Children are still learning skills and strategies, but there are no losers-only winners. Many other critics of the emphasis of sports in American youth are concerned not only with the structure of sports, but the negative stereotypes that many professional athletes portray. Professional athletes directly affect other sports programs. Many professional athletes are perfect examples of the influence and dangers of competition. Many professionals walk around with an aura of superiority. Their self-centeredness and egos derived from competition force them into a win–at-all-cost mentality. Mike Tyson bit an ear of an opponent, while John Macenroe screams, cusses, and is disrespectful of the linesman at every point. If sports teach children to lose gracefully, what message do these actions send? Karl Malone warns professional athletes that they are in the spot light whether they like it or not. They need to understand that their behavior influences youth a great deal. Parents also need to teach children the difference between respecting and idolizing an individual for his/her athletic ability. Athletes like Charles Barkley beg not to be a role model. He understands that children may view the grandiosity of fame as a ticket to do as they please. Athletes are engaging in more criminal behavior off the field and more violence and aggression on the field. Fred Engh, the president of the National Alliance for Youth Sports, feels that poor role models in professional sports are making child athletes more aggressive and violent. 80% of student athletes felt that intimidation is acceptable in a game. There is report after report of students injuring one another in practice and in games. This introduction of increasing violence in an already questionable structure of youth sports adds even more questions and doubt to critics. The controversies involved in the effects of sports on youth are very important due to the ever-expanding number of participants and programs. It is also important because sports programs are used in community and government projects to deter bad behavior and protect at risk youth. Over three hundred studies have been reviewed that suggest participation in sports produces positive effects to at risk youth. Researchers found an increase in self worth and self esteem, while boredom, delinquent behavior, and hopelessness decreased. However, the effects were short term. A study by Alan Colthart found that at risk youth did participate in fewer recreational activities than non-at-risk-children. One cannot conclude that sports prevent students from being at risk, but that at risk children actually have less opportunity to participate. It actually reiterates the views of the critics of sports and introduces several more factors. Sports programs are expensive and often require transportation to and from fields across town. Many at risk youth have no means of transportation and cannot afford the rates of some leagues. Others simply do not have recreational facilities available to them. Many are not in school. They do not have the opportunity to use the gym, tennis court, or football fields that schools provide. Schools also provide equipment and coaching free of charge. Many at risk youth are surrounded by or engage in criminal activity, drugs, alcohol, and gangs that do not allow for time or energy to be placed into physical activity. The at risk youth also stressed that structured activity was not fun for them. They felt the need for supervision, but wanted to make up their own rules for activity. The number one reason that at risk youth quit an activity was lack of motivation. This again confirms the idea that self-esteem may not be positively influenced. It also brings into question the negative influence of coaches and lack of parental support. Government agencies do not want to promote something that may actually be harmful to youth. The activities should emphasize having fun, be at a location close to public transportation, and not be overly structured. Some at risk youth can identify with many professional athletes. Many at risk youth have no familial structure or models of success in their life. Athletes serve a purpose for them. They gain a sense of hope. Athletes like Karl Malone enjoy this status they receive. He feels that children often stay in school or do not use drugs as a result of their positive perception of a particular athlete. This reiterates the importance of positive role models in sports. However, it is hard to control which athletes these youth look up to. These same at risk youth may identify with Mike Tyson better than Michael Jordan. This would reinforce his/ her bad behavior. The influence of athletes is nonnegotiable-they are in the limelight whether they like it or not. The programs for at risk youth can attempt to bring more attention to the positive professional athletes, but it will be a hard battle to be won if professional athletes do not accept the responsibility of proper behavior. There is a definite need for an increase in research about youth sports and the affects that these deterrence programs have. One must also look harder at the role professionals play to these at risk youth. Individuals can criticize organized sports as an industry and as a part of American youth culture, but it will not stop Little League from happening or NBA teams from playing on National television. Organizations, professionals, and psychologists need to reinforce some changes to the structure of the programs. State legislation has passed laws protecting referees from assault and sports parenting books are hitting the, market. Rick Wolff, an author, has noted that many leagues are requiring parents to take sportsmanship classes and enacting gag orders to the sidelines. It is hoped that by teaching manners and ethics of sportsmanship that this will trickle down to the children. He also agrees with critics and advocates alike that fun is the primary reason that youth participate in sports and should be the main goal of sports organizations. Many other organizations such as Just Let Youth Play are trying to deal with the root of the problem in youth sports-the actual system. This reiterates what Dr. Kohn believes. Competition is healthy in the proper environment and the value of sports to a child cannot be overshadowed by negativity. In my opinion, there is a definite need for reform in youth sports, but one cannot imagine growing up without sports. There are two viewpoints in regard to youth sports and each is correct in their own right Sports can be a wonderful learning experience that results in lifelong friendships. It can be the backbone of good health and physical fitness. Unfortunately, it can also mean constant stress and criticism from parents and/or coaches. There is a “win at all cost” attitude among coaches and fierce competition is wiping the fun out of sports. Critics and advocates alike agree that fun is number one priority. Coaches and parents must remember this. Parents are starting children in organized sports much too soon. Organized sports are beginning at a much earlier age than necessary. Three year olds do not need to be in a soccer league with set games and practice times. Young children need to be engaging in as many different activities that they have available to them. Many professional athletes did not specialize in a sport until they were sixteen, yet the trend is for youngsters to focus on one sport. The more sports a child is taught the more children he/she can interact with and the more skill he/she will learn. The increase in skills will lead to an increase in competence. These assumptions are drawn from several other studies found during the course of this research paper. Dr.Ewing, a sports psychologist, found in her research that sports do promote social and moral development. It was found that sports offer feedback from parents and coaches that allow children to assess their social competences. Dr. Ewing said children also learn to “ take turns with teammates, share playtime, and value rules.” Rules introduce the idea of fairness to children too. Another psychiatrist, Maureen Weiss has demonstrated in over sixty studies that sports raise children’s self esteem and enhance motivation. . These are all very important lessons to a child. There are also answers to the problems that coaches and parents bring. Research noted the importance of trained coaches. Canada and the Netherlands both require their coaches to be CPR certified and to pass a skills test. This should be implemented in the United States too. I also feel that children should have more of a say in the programs. Parents should let their children choose their activities. Kids should have a say in how much training and practice is required of them. The child should set his/her own goals. As said by Lyle Micheli, “Organized sports ca be good or bad. Whether a youngster has a successful experience depends entirely on the quality of the program he is enrolled in. If the quality of adult supervision is high, our kids can achieve all the rewards that sports have to offer.” This essay is only for research purposes. If used, be sure to cite it properly! |
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