Why Do Children Play Sports

Athletics tend to be a major component of American culture. It has become common for parents to push their children to be great in sports. Americans tend to focus on the word “push.” Saying parents should push their children to play sports implies force; therefore, parents should encourage their child to play sports or participate in an extra-curricular activity.
For many years, America has been considered an obese nation. Efforts to lower the obesity level have been made such as increasing pay on unhealthy foods and decreasing serving sizes nationwide. In a world where “obesity has increased by more than 50% among America’s children and teens since 1976,” rather than drastically change what is being eaten, children should be encouraged to
Regardless of proven benefits when children play sports, parents still seem to think otherwise. Many people believe having children play sports at a young age can lead to self-esteem issues, resentment, and burnout. According to Baldwin Ellis, writer for Livestrong.com, many parents fail to realize their child’s talent level, blinding them from the truth that is their child is not gifted in sports. Not fully realizing, the parents push harder and subject their child to embarrassment, resulting in self-esteem issues. The self-esteem issues can easily result in resentment from the child due to constant pressure, especially if the parent chooses to ignore the child’s wishes (Ellis para 2+). Finally, is the occurrence of burnout. Often times parents push their children too hard and try to be involved in every sport there is. The overload of activities can cause a burnout in their child meaning the child becomes stressed and no longer enjoys the activities. According to Alvin Rosenfeld, a child psychiatrist, overscheduling children is a nationwide problem and has become a way to parent (Elkins 64-70). Rather than pushing their children to participate in sports, parents should encourage. Encouraging allows the child to decide for themselves what sport they want to play, to try out different sports, or to decide sports are not for them. If sports are not for them, there are many other things they can be involved in such as music and the arts. However, with the proven benefits, children should be strongly encouraged, in a healthy way, to participate in