Young people who are playing competitive sports can have a wonderful experience because they enjoy the game and want to be on the field. However, if they are associated with coaches who want to win or if their parents pressure them to perform better on the field, the experience may turn into a nightmare. Sports gives a chance for children to get exercise and that's important; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) points out that childhood obesity tripled from 1978 through 2008.
Enjoyment
Playing competitive sports can be a productive experience for a youngster. Not only does he get to play a sport he enjoys participating in with his schoolmates, he gets to wear a uniform, practice, improve his skills in a healthy environment and become friends with other members of the team.
Function
One of the best things about participating in sports is learning how to do your best. While winning and losing should not be the key factors in the experience, learning how to do your best is a lesson that can help a young person throughout her life. Understanding what it takes to come through when a game is on the line can make an athlete feel more confident about herself.
Considerations
The ability and motivation of the adults leading the competitive sports team are probably the most important aspects in determining whether the experience is a positive or negative one for the young athlete. A good coach is interested in making the experience enjoyable and helping young people learn and improve. However, coaches who are more concerned with winning than with mentoring and encouraging the young people on their teams can turn the experience into a painful one for young players.
Misconceptions
Players should not be ashamed because they made an error, and they should not think they are better than others because of their success. Having outstanding leadership from parents and coaches makes many competitive sports situations opportunities to learn. This is essential at the youth level where the written and spoken emphasis is not on winning.
As children get older and advance up the competitive sports ladder, it is tougher to emphasize this because winning matters more at each level. However, youth coaches have the opportunity to teach valuable lessons about effort, teamwork and sportsmanship that may be much harder to teach when athletes get older.
Expert Insight
Parents of young people who play competitive sports should realize that their children deserve an opportunity to have fun, learn their sport and get a little bit better. If coaches are involved for their own ego gratification, parents must remove children from those situations. Many leagues insist that all coaches, players and parents sign ethics statements before the season starts. Those ethics statement emphasize sportsmanship, effort and improvement and also look at the negativity that comes with outside pressure.
Potential
Many youngsters who play sports may harbor dreams of becoming a great professional athlete. There is nothing wrong with having those aspirations and taking the sport seriously enough to put in the effort to become a great player, but all athletes should have alternative plans. Hall of Fame baseball player Hank Aaron finished his career with 755 home runs and beat the legendary Babe Ruth's career home run total. He had few career options as a youngster in Mobile, Alabama, but he encourages youngsters to think education first and then sports. "You can go after your dreams and pursue sports but you must pursue your education and make that your priority," Aaron told the Major League Baseball Network.
