children need to play not compete

Amine Mena
10/27/14
“Children Need to Play, Not Compete”

Sports in general are a way to have fun and a way for kids to be more active. Especially in this generation where technology took over our minds. There are many types of sports programs, and each one is directed to specific groups, and it all depends on the physic and the background of the player, some sports are dangerous and stressful for some individuals, but others are a great match. Competitive Sports like football and baseball or Lacrosse are often very risky on children and even adults, and because the rules of the game are the same, and the same game plans and actions are used in both local games and even nationals, it makes the game more competitive than friendly, which mostly results in major physical and psychological injuries. Statsky stated in her article “ Highly organized competitive sports such as Peewee Football and Little League Baseball are too often played to adult standards, which are developmentally inappropriate for children and can be both physically and psychologically harmful “. From my own experience of playing Lacrosse in freshman high school, I developed more cons than pros, which was the opposite of I thought of sports. During my first season I was a beginner that wanted to learn more, and in my mind I figured that the games wouldn’t be advanced, but then I got surprised of how vicious the other team played, and it resulted in many major injuries that made the game less exciting and more freighting. Winning became a goal that everyone wanted to reach no matter what the consequences. And families and coaches play a big role on controlling the mind of the players and forcing them to even injure others in order to win, and that losing is shameful, like what Statsky said “because they emphasize competition and winning, they unfortunately provide occasions for some parents and coaches to place their own fantasies and needs ahead of children's welfare”. After all I really think that authorities including families and coaches or even sports managers should put the kid’s needs and safety ahead of anything else, because the number one reason why kids join teams is to have fun and make great memories, not to be victims of severe injuries .