Taylor Valentine
Centre College
January 25, 2023
Top 10 Reasons Why Sports Are Good For Youth
Great things happen through a series of small steps, and this is why sports are so beneficial for youth athletes. Your mind is a powerful thing. When you fill it with positive thoughts, your life will start to change. Youth athletes will have the opportunity to build life-long friendships that could end up turning into college roommates and even being in their weddings. Youth athletes are mentally strong.
Here is a list of what they’re good at;
- Don’t fear a long time,
- Don’t dwell on the past,
- Don’t feel the world owes you,
- Don’t expect immediate results,
- Don’t worry about pleasing everyone,
- Don’t waste time feeling sorry for yourself,
- Don’t waste energy on things you can’t control,
- Don’t let others influence your emotions,
- Don’t resent on other people’s success,
- Don’t shy away from responsibilities,
- Don’t give up after the first failure, and
- Don’t fear taking a calculated risk
These are all things that adults worry about and struggle with, as youth athletes just want to have fun playing a game they enjoy with their friends.
It’s not unusual for team members to stay in touch with each other even long after they’re done with sports. As a team member, you practice with others all year long. Together you go through hard times and good times, and that kind of bond is hard to break. Your team members become a second family and someone who will always have your back no matter what.
When we talk about reasons why sports are suitable for the youth, I’m going to give you 10 good reasons why they should do it:
1. Teaches Important Lessons
Sports also benefit children by teaching them essential life lessons. Playing sports teaches the importance of hard work, and that no matter who you are, you work hard to be the best you can be. It also teaches you to respect and accept others, including your teammates, your opponents, the officials, your coaches, and everyone involved in the sport.
One of the critical lessons sports teach is teamwork, which is an invaluable life skill. Team sports require all team members to work together towards a common goal - whether that’s winning the championship or winning the next match. Through their regular practices and matches against other teams, kids will learn to encourage each other and to work together in unison to achieve the common goal. This is another skill they will carry with them in adulthood, as most jobs require teamwork skills.
2. Social Benefits
There are also social benefits that kids experience when they play sports. Playing sports, especially when it’s on a team, allows them to meet other kids, bond with others, create new friendships, and actively develop social skills through those interactions. Since they need to communicate with both their teammates and their coaches on a regular basis, your children will inevitably develop and improve their social skills. This will help them through their life as they will learn what’s appropriate and know how to act in any given social situation.
3. Mental Benefits
Other health benefits of children playing sports include mental benefits. Being physically active, and playing team sports especially, have been shown to help improve mental health by decreasing stress, anxiety, and depression, while also improving self-esteem. Additionally, playing sports can help children perform better academically by helping them focus, giving them breaks, and boosting their energy.
Playing a sport is not always sunshine and roses. Your child will inevitably face some adversity, but the good news is that this will also teach them how to deal with it and how to push through it when they feel frustrated or tired. Life is full of adversities, and learning how to deal with them is one of the most valuable skills anyone can possess.
4. Physical Benefits
One of the main benefits of sports for children is its physical benefits. There are many physical benefits of children playing in shorts, including promoting healthy growth and development, strengthening bones and muscles, boosting the immune system, and decreasing the risk of developing certain diseases and illnesses, like cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and obesity.
5. Confidence
Kids benefit from sports through increased confidence and self-esteem. Whether getting through a challenging practice, winning a hard-fought game with your teammates, or performing well individually, positive outcomes from sports provide kids with a sense of accomplishment. But it doesn’t have to be a significant event, either. Recurring physical activity builds strength, agility, endurance, and speed.
6. Time Management
Sports require kids to learn time management skills. A day has only 24 hours. If your budget for a good night’s sleep and a full day of school, there’s limited time to do homework, chores, sports, and outside activities. Playing sports means there’s less time to procrastinate on homework. It means you must make the most out of the free time you have. If a child can balance their sports commitments with other responsibilities, they’ll be more organized, productive, and successful.
7. Responsibility
Participating in sports teaches kids the value of responsibility. If they skip a practice or put in minimal effort, they will see how this impacts their personal outcome and possibly even their team’s performance. If your child’s participation in their sport depends on their grades, they will learn how neglecting their homework and studies may eventually affect more than just themselves when they’re restricted from participating in sports due to poor grades.
8. Leadership
Playing sports provides kids with the opportunity to take on leadership roles. Whether being a team captain or simply taking the initiative to make a big decision in the heat of the moment, kids learn quick thinking, delegating, and respectful interaction with their peers, coaches, and officials through sports.
9. Setting Goals
Players need to work on the individual game to achieve greater heights in the game. This requires them to keep track of their weaknesses and continuously work on those. One of the most essential parts of the plan is setting goals, both short-term and long-term.
10. Calmness
Sports are famous for wild situations in terms of thrill. The pressure of performance on every individual is enormous at times. In such scenarios, players must keep their cool and stay locked in the game. Being calm and staying focused on the plan of the most significant learnings in crunch time in sports.
