Advantage for Kids Play Competitive Sports

Advantage for Kids Play Competitive Sports

There is no doubt that if one wants to make a career in a specific area, he needs to give the heart and soul to each and every step of the process, and most important, take the first step as early as possible, Only in this way can one really had time to understand what he is doing and how to do it better. When talking about sports, we all know that the most important things for an athlete are the solid basic skills and the fast, flexible response capability. In order to meet those requirements, the athlete needs to begin the practice no later than 12 years old. Those practices and competitions will give the young athletes more benefits to succeed in the future.

Although it may leads to some negative effects for the kids who play competitive sports, I still believe that kids can gain more while they are playing competitive sports compared to the harmful effects. One easily understood reason is that there would not be so many parents encourage their kids to participate in the competitive sports if they see more negative results than the positive ones.

One reason why children should play sports is the friendships that develop through the process of playing sports. Growing up playing sports helps them to meet many new and different people, which helps them to learn how to adapt and get to know new people more quickly. Playing competitive sports, kids will meet people with the same interests and they can develop long lasting friendships. Children learn to participate as a team, not just as an individual; this will be needed throughout someone's life through jobs, relationships, and much more. Children should keep in mind that their opponents are just like them, in other words, they can have fun together. It is said that the true spirit of sports is through friendships and there is no other bond like one a player develops with his teammates (Micheli 29-30). Along with the friendships comes teamwork, which teaches them to relate in positive and cooperative ways to others. Teamwork is something that a person deals with when they are young and old (Sundberg 72). Team sports teach children to work together and encourage one another. Playing together creates a special relationship and bond amongst teammates that is hard to break.

Along with developing friendships and teams, sports also develop the mind. There have been many studies done which prove that students who are in shape physically have better academic standings and do better in school (Micheli 26). Sports help children bring out their academic interests and capabilities, which help them to raise their own cognitive ability and also can help them to build a stronger personality.

Jessica Statsky, the author of "Children Need to Play, Not Compete", writes, one reason she objects to competitive sports for children is they are highly selective, which means there will be only a small amount of children satisfied with the standard to be a player of the team, so this selection will leave the rest of the kids, who are of the large percent, to be screened out and discouraged from trying out again. (Statsky 390)

Despite what Statsky indicates, parents