Morgan Vest

4-1-17
English 102
Professor Padgett

America and (Not So) Youth Sports: Problems and Solutions to Americas Youth Sports

Crisis

I want you to close your eyes and think back to your early childhood memories.

What are they? For me theyre filled with days on the football fields with my best buds,

on the baseball diamond, or in the basketball gym, and I imagine your memories may be

fairly similar. After all, over 36 million kids (ages 8-18) participate in youth sports every

year. A childs experiences in youth sports, positive or negative, greatly influence their

future and will carry with them for the rest of their lives. So whats the problem?

Unfortunately youth sports are not what they used to be, they are not doing what their

designed purpose is, and that purpose is too provide valuable life lessons to children

through a fun, supportive and active environment in sports. But that just isnt the case

anymore. Youth sports have become corrupted and negative and the victims are the kids.

I argue for the change of youth sports in the values it teaches, who is allowed to teach

them, the importance of youth sports, and to provide kids who participate the best

environment to thrive in for their future.

Jon Millsaps 4/6/2017 1:31 PM
Comment [1]: Thesis is worded a little
Youth sports should always be a positive light for young kids. If its not then its
weird. Also, your thesis should be a glimpse
of your entire argument, which you did, but
being taught correctly. Youth sports are able to provide a healthy context for positive try and present one of the main
counterarguments that you will oppose in
your thesis as well.
youth development. Young people report that they are more highly motivated and

engaged in sports than in many other contexts, (Larson & Kleiber, 1993; Weiss, 2008),

and these conditions often create rich environments for personal and interpersonal
Jon Millsaps 4/6/2017 1:33 PM
Comment [2]: Try and integrate your
development (Larson, 2000). Of course the most common benefits of youth sports are quote a little more smoothly. Kind of hard to
read. Good citation of texts.
physical benefits. Participating in many sports maximizes physical development among

young people, growing bodies are predisposed to non-specialized physical activities;

therefore, physical development and success in sports are enhanced by playing in

multiple sports. Along with physical benefits sports are also a way to develop

psychological benefits. Research indicates that participating in youth sport offers a

unique variety of psychological and affective benefits. When a positive environment is

created, children can receive psychological and emotional benefits. An example as such

is an instance in sports where stressful, intense situations are created or a high level of

performance is required which provides context where young kids experience strong

emotions like anger or anxiety and therefore youths report gaining insight into how to

manage these emotions (Hansen, Larson, & Dworkin, 2003; Light, 2010).
Jon Millsaps 4/6/2017 1:35 PM
Comment [3]: Again, try and integrate
Some of the most common, yet most forgotten, benefits of youth sports are social the quote a little better instead of just
dropping it into the middle of a sentence.
and intellectual benefits. Involvement in sport activities has been related to better

cognitive functioning in children and greater outcomes academically, including higher

grades, test scores, engagement/satisfaction with school, aspirations for attending college,

as well as lower dropout rates (Fredricks & Eccles, 2005). The social benefits that come

with participating in youth sport depend on how youth sports are organized and the kind

of relationships that are created. When playing a sport expands a youths experiences and

relationships, social benefits increase. When young youth are limited to new experiences
Jon Millsaps 4/6/2017 1:37 PM
Comment [4]: Confusing word play,
and relationships, social benefits decrease. Even though there are many positive benefits could probably just go with the youth.

that come with playing youth sports, there are many negative outcomes that we must

consider as well.

Negatives
 Works Cited

Anderson-Butcher, Dawn, et al. "Maximizing Youth Experiences in Community Sport

Settings: The Design and Impact of the Life Sports Camp." Journal of Sport
Management, vol. 28, no. 2, Mar. 2014, pp. 236-249. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1123/jsm.2012-
0237.

"Benefits Of Sports To A Child's Mind And Heart All Part Of The Game." NPR. NPR,
n.d. Web. 06 Feb. 2017.

Drape, Joe. "In Youth Sports, a Bigger Picture." New York Times, vol. 160, no. 55413, 22
May 2011, p. 11. EBSCOhost,
login.pallas2.tcl.sc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db
=a9h&AN=60724430&site=ehost-live.

Matz, Eddie. "The kids are alright." ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures, 21 Feb. 2014. Web.
06 Feb. 2017.

"Maximizing the Benefits of Youth Sport." JOPERD: The Journal of Physical

Education, Recreation & Dance, vol. 84, no. 7, Sept. 2013, pp. 8-13. EBSCOhost,
doi:10.1080/07303084.2013.820112.

Merkel, Donna L. "Youth sport: positive and negative impact on young athletes." Open
Access Journal of Sports Medicine. Dove Medical Press, 2013. Web. 06 Feb. 2017.

Simon, Robert, and Simon Jenkins. "The Ethics of Coaching Sports: Moral, Social, and
Legal Issues." International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching 9.1 (2014): 247-54. Jon Millsaps 4/6/2017 1:38 PM
Comment [5]: Dont forget the hanging
Web. indent after the first line of each source.
However, playing sports during childhood does not automatically produce benefits. Research shows that
positive outcomes depend on: 1. The manner in which sports are organized. 2. What occurs in a young
persons relationships with parents, peers, and coaches. 3. The meaning that a young person gives to sport
experiences. 4. The way a young person integrates sport experiences into other spheres of life