Essay Sample on Competitive Sports: When Fun Becomes Forceful

Competitive sports have been around for decades, and have been a cornerstone for the majority of people’s childhood and adolescence. Whether it be baseball, football, or soccer, little leagues have become a part of the typical American life. Though each generation, these sports seem to get pushed onto younger and younger kids, some even just seven years old. But what parents may not be realizing is that these sports can be seriously damaging to their children’s bodies, emotional well-being, and even their childhoods. What was once a fun outlet and a great way to have them exercise, has overtaken young kids' lives. Although it is true competitive sports teach children teamwork, they overwhelm childhood, because they fill it with serious injuries and stress leaving no room for kids to be kids.

Sports can get intense, from the pressure to win, or even the excitement of playing can cause kids to not be aware of the dangers of injury that come with said sports. Youths and adolescents are getting serious injuries from sports that could damage their growing bodies and possibly lead to permanent lasting damage. Stanford statistics found that “More than 3.5 million children ages 14 and younger get hurt annually playing sports or participating in recreational activities. Sports and recreational activities contribute to approximately 21 percent of all traumatic brain injuries among American children.” (Stanford Children’s Health, Sports Injury Statistics).  Imagine that, 3.5 million kids under the age of 14  just annually. Injuries like brain injuries cause permanent damage and sometimes even death in most situations. No parent wants that to happen to their child, especially when they just wanted to have fun and get them to exercise. But it’s not worth it. Competitive sports are too aggressive and hard on the bodies of these kids. Overexertion and strains are too common already in adolescents and now sports like these are doing more harm than good for children.

Even without the dangers of serious injuries, sports can damage a child’s health, not just their physiological health but also their mental health. The pressure put on by parents and teachers and sometimes even peers to succeed in sports can be detrimental to a child’s emotional wellbeing. The Los Angeles Times found that “For young athletes, anxiety and depression were 20% to 45% higher in some cases than those in the age-matched control groups.” (Los Angeles Times, Op-Ed: Are youth sports harming our kids’ mental health?).  The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests, “One contributing factor to overtraining may be parental pressure to compete and succeed.” (American Academy of Pediatrics, Overuse Injuries, Overtraining, and Burnout in Child and Adolescent Athletes). Kids are not built to handle the pressures that competitive sports demand from them. The more they try to meet these unreachable standards, they realize they cannot do so not at their fault but because they are children who can’t be a flawless athlete no matter how much they over-train contrary to what they are consistently told by their coaches and parents. This causes low self-esteem, anxiety, and burnout, or worse pushing themselves to the limits just for a chance at success. Though some might say that sports help kids succeed in the classroom, I disagree. Instead, this pressure contributes to focusing more on sports than school more often than not. If a child is so focused on being the best athlete for themselves, coaches, and their parents, they have no room to think about school or learning. 

In conclusion, competitive sports can have their pros but overall they shouldn't be forced onto young children just to continue traditions and keep them busy. Kids should have the opportunity to have fun and be kids and not ought to live up to impossible sports expectations. Competitive sports do not allow a light-hearted and carefree childhood to occur. Instead, if parents wish their kids to learn valuable lessons and have fun, then they should be the ones to take the time to teach them and create fun memories with their kids instead of putting them in a sport to do it for them.