Youth Sports Research Paper

Youth sports programs have become the focal point of many family-oriented communities nationwide. Little League, sponsored sports programs and T-ball, are just three programs among thousands available for families and their children. The increased national interest in sports over the past two decades has promoted the increased endorsement of these programs, as well as developed interest on the part of families to encourage partaking by their children. Many of the programs developed to encourage healthy levels of competitive and cooperative behavior, help children develop a sense of fair play, and help children find self-esteem by rewarding physical activities. Programs like Little League have been recognized as a stepping stone in the development
Children who have been pressured by their parents in youth sports activities often display increased amounts of anxiety along with an increased level of awareness about the importance of the game (Weider, 1993). In other words, one child may be able to perceive the game as simply a game, but another child, under increased pressure from his parents, may only be able to relate to the game in terms of the amount of pressure created. This pits children against each other; the children most likely to succeed and win the game are those who are least prepared to deal with any other option. This creates a scary reality for those children who perceive that they are unbeatable, but also are beaten by anther team. When children 's self perceptions are directly related to their ability to win, there is clearly evidence that their inabilities then feed their lowered self-perceptions (Kantrowitz,
It is clear that with over a million children participating in a wide variety of programs, that the success cannot only be attributed to the enthusiasm of parents. Children, too, must perceive benefits of the programs in order for retention levels to be as high as they are (Rumpf 1992). Children, who can compete fairly, congratulate the winners with sincerity and accept victory with grace benefit from the structure and the healthy competition created within these programs (Rumpf, 1992). The most significant problems occur not because of the structure of the games, the programs developed or the basic ideals behind youth sports programs. Instead, it is clear that the disastrous effects of youth sports programs come as a result of the interaction between children, parents and coaches (Rumpf, 1992).

The literature studies supports the thesis that youth sports programs can negatively impact the development of children in respect to self-esteem, self-perceptions and emotional health, though it is also clear that the impact has a direct relationship to adult interactions. Though the programs developed often support fair play and healthy competitiveness, the expectations of parents, coaches and spectators often transform seemingly friendly games into competitive battles with little respect for teammates and other