Whether or
not kids should play competitive or contact sports has been a recent topic for
debate. Some argue the positive effects, and some argue the negative. Through
research, I found there to be much more negative than positive effects. Sports
put too much pressure on children to push themselves to their breaking point. Additionally,
many children get horribly injured, in some cases even fatally. I believe kids
should not play competitive or contact sports. There is too much pressure and
not enough safety.
Competitive
sports put too much pressure on kids, pressure to be perfect, to keep going and
to win. More often than not, kids are pressured to play even with injuries.
Mark Hyman, author of “Until It Hurts: American’s Obsession with Youth Sports
and How It Harms Our Kids”, says “Every year more than 3.5 million children
under 15 require medical treatment for sports injuries, nearly half of which
are the result of simple overuse.” Young athletes have too much pressure on
them to “push through it”, but pushing through it can lead to worse injuries that
could affect them for the rest of their lives. Whitney Phelps, older sister of
Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps, was a top swimmer until she burnt out her
body. She swam through pain in her back for years. At 14, she found out she had
two bulging spinal discs, two stress fractures and a herniated disc. She pushed
through because of her coach, her mother and her dreams of competition in the
Olympics, but swimming through it is what kept her from accomplishing just
that. Sports put too much pressure which can lead to injury and to early
burn-out.
Even
without the stress, contact sports are very unsafe. In just 2013, 8 high school
football players died, as a direct result of playing. Each year over 173,000
people under 20 are treated for injuries related to sports. Rough sports are much
too dangerous for young children to be playing. Kids get injured when they are
young, and it affects them for the rest of their lives. In “For Children in
Sports, a Breaking Point”, Jane E. Brody writes, “… young athletes are more
prone to certain injuries, especially stress fractures; tendinitis; a degenerative
condition called osteochondrosis; and damage to the growth plates of bones that
can stunt them for life.” Contact sports are not safe enough for young kids to
be playing.
While sports
have many negative effects, some argue that they are a great way to stay healthy and fit.
Herschel Walker, former NFL star, says “…sports helped transform from him from an
overweight kid with a speech impediment into one of the greatest athletes of
his generation.” While this is true, you can still get severely injured at any
time. Almost 40% of all sports related injuries treated in hospitals are from
kids ages 5 -14. 62% of children’s sports injuries happen during practice. Contact and competitive sports are too
unpredictable, kids should not be allowed to play them.
In
conclusion, children should not play highly competitive or contact sports.
While they may be a fun way to stay fit, they are too high-risk for young
children with vulnerable bodies to be playing, and they put too much stress on
kids to do well, added to stress they already have of getting good grades,
getting into college and more. They should not be risking their lives for a
game.
