Motivation Paper
Youth sports have become a major part of our daily lives. Millions of children are actively participating in youth sports today and because unstructured play has turned into organized play many researchers are concerned about the benefits and or risks associated with youth sports participation. With the wide variety of sports offered and the levels at which a child can compete, children as young as four and five years old are involved in some type of structured youth sport activity. Parents seem to support their children’s involvement in a variety of both team sports and individual sports, ranging from basketball, soccer, tennis and golf; and because of the growing popularity, it is important that the parent, coach, and administrators realize their potential influences over youths in sports and how it can affect the child’s social, emotional, and intellectual development. Smith and Smoll (1996) stated, “Most parents are unaware of the responsibilities they take on when their child becomes involved in a sport. How the parents choose to deal with this responsibility directly influences the child’s growth as an athlete, as a student, and as a person” (p 42). This paper will include facts about the positive and negative attributes that can affect the young athlete physically, emotionally, and socially. Other topics covered will be sportspersonship development, growth and maturation development and placement considerations, and demands and expectations placed on children by parents and coaches. Children that are active in youth sports have the opportunity to increase their physical activity, as well as, develop physical and social skills as long as society changes their outlook on the “win at all costs” philosophy. Whether children should participate in organized sports or be left alone to organize their own activities has become a hot topic among Americans in favor of participation and those who oppose organized sports. Parents, coaches, and administrators, are interested in the positive as well as the negative effects sports participation can have on young children. Those in favor of organized sports say that these programs provide the child with coping skills, cooperation skills, and self-assertiveness. Another point made is that when a child participates in youth sports, he or she is establishing lifelong patterns of physical activity that promotes health and fitness concepts later in life. Advocates of children involved in youth sports say that excessive physical and psychological demands are placed on the children by the coaches, parents, and society due to our societies need to place so much emphasis on winning at all costs. Also, when parents and coaches become to involved in the child’s activities, the children can not express themselves by engaging in free play where they can learn the rules or modify the game to fit their maturity levels. Whether a child develops a positive or negative attitude towards sports depends largely on the experience he or she has had and this is why it is imperative that there is quality leadership by coaches, parents, and administrators. With so many children involved in sports programs, Smith and Smoll (1989) have begun to look into the affects sports can have on a child. Participation in organized sports provides an opportunity for young children to increase their physical activity, and develop physical and social skills. Other positive effects are that children learn how to cope with stressful situations that may arise during competitive sports. Self-esteem increases due to the confidence the child has in his or her physical and social skills, and as long as the child has high self-esteem, sports participation is likely to occur. Motivation is another positive attribute that a child can obtain through sport participation. Being involved in sports aids in the child’s ability to learn to make a commitment to obtain goals that are difficult to achieve and through their commitment to sports this commitment will carry over into future aspects of their lives.