
People are very interested in the question of youth should participate in athletics although that question has been circulating, almost under the radar, for a while now. However, as more and more information comes out in regards to concussions and other sports-related injuries, parents are beginning to wonder if they should allow their children to play sports. It is very important, if not crucial that children begin playing team sports from a very young age. This topic affects the values of many people as it is becoming increasingly frowned upon to force one’s child to do anything. In reality, this is why people feel that the new generation of children are less disciplined and more uncontrollable than ever. Enforcement from the parent should start early and help the child in the long run, especially involving athletics, given that the probable benefits of children participating in youth athletics outweighs the possible negative outcomes such that parents should force their children to play sports.

Today, there are many arguments about whether or not children should participate in sports. However, as Steelers linebacker James Harrison puts it, “’We’re at a place now where we have a better understanding of safety concerns, including concussions and dealing with and trying to protect against them.” (Harrison). Being an all-pro football player in the National Football League, Harrison would know what he is talking about and one would think his opinion is very well-informed. Harrison, and other leading athletes that dominate ESPN and the cover of Sports Illustrated, do, in fact, put their children in sports. However, this debate still becomes more and more current as the possibility of injury comes into the light. Parents are becoming increasingly worried about their child participating in sports, especially contact sports, as injuries such as breaks, sprains, and concussions are becoming more and more prominent in contact sports such as football, rugby, and hockey. However, parents should insist that their children play sports anyway. Parents should especially emphasize that once their child joins a team that they should not quit that team. Sports are good for children in many ways. They encourage teamwork and teach children that sometimes things go wrong and that they still have to push through, not to mention how they teach that a child should not quit at the first sign of hardship.

 The counterargument of this, given by Bennet Omalu, expert in CTE and related problems, is that, given the potential for injury, children should not play contact sports (Omalu). He demonstrates this when he asks the question, “Why, then, do we continue to intentionally expose our children to this risk?” (Omalu). It is now a commonly accepted fact that football and other contact sports are directly related to brain problems such as CTE. CTE stands for chronic traumatic encephalopathy and is a serious degenerative brain disease caused by repeated brain trauma such as the type of hits one gets playing football or other contact sports (Babay). In addition to this, it is becomingly clear that multiple concussions directly leads to CTE (Babay). A common attitude among people who feel this way is that we should treat the playing of these sports the same way we treat smoking (Omalu). This means that, in the event that an adult chooses to participate in contact sports, knowing the risks, then it is within his or her right to do so. However, like smoking, children do not have the capacity to, nor should they be allowed to, make a decision revolving their mental health, i.e. playing sports. However, what the people behind this counterargument fail to understand is that these possible yet unlikely consequences pale in comparison to the good things that children will gain from participating in youth athletics. From competing in these athletics, children gain a sense of unity from being part of a team. On that note, they gain the knowledge with reference to how to work together with others to get things done, whether they like them or not. Today, many adults lack that ‘plays well with others’ skillset. Between these skills and the aforementioned skills that children learn about overcoming adversity, it becomes glaringly obvious that children desperately need athletics to gain certain skills. It becomes the responsibility of their parents to give a child every opportunity at every skillset they can, and that requires that parent to force their kid to participate in sports from a young age. However, Omalu still feels very strongly about this. He demonstrates his authority in writing this piece and the authority of his opinion by means of stating, again and again, that he is an expert in this field (Omalu). He uses facts, and backs them by saying that he is, as a matter of fact, the one who ran the tests and conducted the experiments (Omalu). He writes to parents who would put their children into sports such as football. However, he does this from just that one side. He never speaks to the goods of sports and stays hard to his one side, as it is evident he has done all through his research. This article is written in the New York Times (Omalu). This means two things. First of all, it means that the subject has been thoroughly researched, as the New York Times does not let just anything be published. However, the New York Times also has a pretty hard political slant so the article must be taken with a grain of salt. What can be gained from this article is simply how real these injuries can be. It gives one a real look into the damage that may be inflicted upon young children. However, in reality, this does nothing to deter from the fact that, while there are risks involved in allowing children to participate in sports, the benefits heavily outweigh these risks. Instead of convincingly arguing that children should not play sports, Omalu instead makes parents aware of the possible injuries and other risks and informs them how they should be careful when putting their children in sports. 

There is, however, the exception that should not be forgotten nor overlooked. A simple fact is that many children cannot participate in sports. Whether for financial or physical reasons, many children are excluded. Perhaps it is put best in the fact that “participation in team sports fell to 50 percent, from 54 percent” for ages six to seventeen simply from 2011 to 2012 (Holl). To be clear, while it does make a difference, it is not crippling to a child to not compete in sports. They make it up in other ways and they fall right in line. However, children who are able to compete in athletics, should.

  As one concerned parent writes, through trial and error with her own children, about her experiences throughout all the issues revolving around this debate (Stoian). She claims to know what she is talking about based on her success with her own children (Stoian). She evidently believes that it is necessary for children to play sports and acted in accordance with that belief. However, she never discusses the cons of putting a child in sports, which leads one to believe that she might not be well-rounded in this subject (Stoian). However, as a parent, taking her opinion into account is interesting. Although she is not an expert, seeing how actual parents feel and realizing that many feel that their child should be involved in sports despite possible injuries is quite essential to the argument that children have to play sports.

Jack Perconte, former major league baseball player and expert in these matters, writes a book that is about the proper way to parent and coach young children (Perconte). It speaks of the implications of doing so improperly. He begins by giving a brief version of his history including his journey through major league baseball. Then he goes into the chapter he calls “There Will Be Tears.” In this chapter, the author discusses all the different reasons that people cry around youth sports. He does this by further breaking down the chapter into subheadings. In his first section, before he gets into his series of subheadings, the author speaks in a general overview of tears in sports. He basically sums up the whole situation when he says that “all athletes encounter difficult times” (Perconte). After this general overview, Perconte gets into detail revolving his subject. One of the biggest things he discusses is players crying because they do not play up to expectations, whether their own or their parents’. Perconte simply says that one of the biggest keys in dealing with this is simply “allowing the players to relax” (Perconte). Perconte goes on to speak of players crying because of losses or stress. He makes an earth-shattering statement that sums his whole argument in four words, he says that “success is not easy.”  He is considered an expert with the authority to make the argument he is making because he has been in the situations he has described. Having once been a talented professional baseball player, having been a father to a talented baseball player, and having been a coach to many young, aspiring athletes, he speaks with the authority of a man being a subject matter expert. Perconte writes this book as to help parents and coaches from unintentionally hurting their children in the way they approach athletics and this can give us an invaluable look into an expert’s mind. From reading this book, one can gain insight into how the mind of a parent works and a more outside view than before. It is at this point that one begins to wonder how, in fact, that this point of view backs up the claim that children have to play sports. However, it becomes glaringly obvious with a little thinking and logic. As any adult can say, life is filled with difficult times. As Perconte points out, children will fact difficult times when involved in sports and this will help prepare them for life.  

Until this point, all the experts presenting the argument that children should play sports have used more opinion and experience rather than factual numbers to do so. However, “Youth Sport”, and its source, “Learn the Facts”, gives numbers of obesity and its relationship to childhood sports (Statistic Brain). The article gives detailed numbers of exactly how many calories, how much sugar, and how many fats are taken in. To give these exact numbers, it references the article, “Learn the Facts”, which has government research to back up (Statistic Brain). The original article further references Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign, which is exactly what its source is about. The author further assures the reader of her competence by giving her qualifications. However, not only does she assure the reader that she is a knowledgeable doctor in the subject. She cites her sources in a precise and exact way. They are used well and definite. The author is well-known for writing articles of a similar nature. Therefore, she can be considered, not only an expert but an undisputed one as her facts are pure numbers (Statistic Brain). She gives both sides to the argument, indicating both positive and negative impacts of youth sports, and fully explains both, keeping her personal opinions out. However, if that was not enough, she references sources that are also very credible, such as government websites (Statistic Brain). This article showed more of the health reasons behind urging one’s children to compete in sports while my first couple sources spoke more of the potential future references of youth athletics. If more reasons could possibly be needed to involve children in sports besides the facts that they will be less likely to do drugs in the future and more likely to successfully handle life in the future, here are serious health reasons. This article demonstrates how athletics directly correlate to a healthier child. 

The first sources mentioned simply begin to speak on why parents should force their children to play sports. They identify the positives of doing so such as they are more likely to work better with others later in life. It also hits on certain key points such as the fact that they are less likely to do drugs later in life. The next source is simply statistics based on children playing sports. It gives definite numbers pertaining to how many children play sports. It also goes on to break this down between male and female and even discuss the potentiality of drug use for females rather than males in relation to playing sports. Later, a source was used that focuses more on the possibility of the bad things children could turn to as they get older, the article focusses more on simply broadening children’s horizons and the injustice one does to one’s child were they not to be involved in sports. As a parent trying to make this decision, both of these points should be very important as a parent does not want their kid to be unsuccessful or do drugs. The fact that many parents agree that they do not want their child to turn to drugs or other such harmful addictions later in life, means that those parents become very interested in what these sources have to say, whether in agreement or not. People not in agreement, however, have a harder time taking in the opinion of experts, however, the simple statistics, are much less opinionated. This way, people on either side of the issue can take in the facts without worrying about the writer’s bias and how the writer feels on the issue. However, as the experts in the matter begin to address quality of parent, may parents begin to feel uncomfortable. Many parents feel the need to look to the internet or magazines to determine how good of a parent they are. Many of those people with such confusion would be very interested in it. 

In conclusion, young children may or may not want to participate in athletics. However, in reality their opinion should not matter. They are too young to make a decision that will, inherently, impact the rest of their lives. Because of this, parents should intercede and make the decision for them. Whether they want to participate or not, parents should force their children to play sports in light of the fact that the benefits are invaluable and are a necessity to be successful as they grow older. As they grow older, the youth of today will be tempted with drugs, alcohol, and other things that are detrimental to their health. However, being involved in sports makes them less likely to accept. They cannot be involved in sports at the age to say no if they were not first involved in sports as a mere child. It is at this point in time that the parent will realize their child should have played sports. However, at that point, it will be much too late. Therefore, with as much force is possible, parents should urge their children into youth athletics. There is no alternative.
