Discussion 5 Value of Sports
One major current issue in youth sports is "early sport specialization," which refers to
children's intense and detailed focus on one sport (Green, 2019). "This matter is fueled by the
belief that going to concentrate on one sport while isolating others will improve the chances of
athletic victory. There is still a big worry that getting involved in a year-round, intense program
in a major sport can abuse both emotional wellbeing" (Green, 2019). Due to various feminism's
elevated due consideration for successful players in terms of earning "scholarships,
endorsements, and/or financial reward for vying at a high level (Green, 2019)," children who
specialize in one sport at such a young age are also quitting sports at a younger age. Simply
being "burned.”
The parents, guardians, and/or coaches of the young children will, in the end, be the ones
to implement the most changes to solve this issue. Those two persons will have the biggest
impact on bringing about change. Parents will need to be more conscious that having their
children specialize in one sport at such a young age could have a detrimental effect on the child,
and coaches will need to be more aware of when a child may be pushed to their limits at such a
young age. "Teachers and coaches who "identify" youngsters as talented in a sport from a young
age are driving a child's desire for an athletic career" (Green, 2019). Parents sometimes "label"
their children in the same way that educators and trainers do, and this is where we all come in as
meaningful thought leaders. If we can stop classifying "identifiers" to these young children at
such a young age based on their talent, perhaps kids probably wouldn't feel that "try and force" to
be fruitful at such a tender age. Allowing a child to engage in one profession at such a young age
is not letting a child be a kid; if they want to participate in sports, then that's OK. Heck, they
might simply be participating in the activity because a friend is. Who are we as adults to place so
much pressure on our kids to excel in a single sport at such a young age—say, let's 7 or 8 years
old—when we all need to improve as a society? Sport, I suppose, adds many ethnic, ideological,
and liberal views to humanity. However, some of the attributes that I suspect sport adds to
humanity are for personal enjoyment. Sport allows you to cultivate and assert ethics, qualities
and vices. Sport is also an educator and recognising the role for the beliefs of commitment,
perseverance, authenticity, and strength of character. Sport is an excellent learning opportunity
and teacher for many repercussions such as the ones listed above and several others. When it
comes to sports, you should also develop a sense of protagonist.
Resources:
Green, T. (2019). Early Sport Specialization. Science For Sport. Article retrieved from:
https://www.scienceforsport.com/early-sports-specialisation/
