If you took a poll of students across the United States, about 50 percent would admit to playing some type of sport during their academic years. TV dramas that take place during the adolescent years almost always have a main character that has their life committed to a career in sports. Most kids will even name their hero as some athletic phenomena over a fireman, police officer, and even military personnel. As a country, we continue to idolize and pursue this idea that in order to have lived a life of meaning and worth, we must have some sort of athletic prowess during our younger years. That, as we grow older, having trophy cases full of athletic accomplishments means more than a trophy case full of degrees and diplomas. In truth, sports are a important lifestyle benefit to our youth. It allows of adolescents to keep them active and healthy, allowing them the chance to meet and make friends, as well as learn skills that will help them to excel down the road in life, past their academic careers. Although sports provide so many benefits to students, our sports of the day leave one problem: where’s the variety? Everywhere you look, it is the same few sports: football, basketball, soccer, and maybe tennis if you are lucky. In actuality, there are so many other sports out there, like ice hockey, volleyball, and lacrosse to name a few. Today’s youth has begun to realize slinging a football into the end zone is not the only way you can be considered athletically inclined. Sometimes, you can be just as athletic as someone who runs a marathon, but in your own way with another sport that fits you. And now, students have been working hard to hone their reflexes to hit a small white ball across a table, and this can be just as competitive as shooting a ball from a three line. With the spike in interests in more than just your average sports, it only makes sense for schools to pursue the options of larger sports departments. Expanding the boundaries on the types of sports provided in schools will help to break down the ideas that only certain sports can be considered actual sports, allow them to find an activity that fits who they are, as well as allow students other health and social benefits not previously noticed.  

Youth sports are a phenomena that has grown so large over its time in the social spotlight that expert can’t even pin a finger to just how many adolescents actually participate in them. Between the ages of 6 and 17, data from SFIA, or the Sports and Fitness Industry Association from 2011 shows that over 21 million kids between this age range were involved in sports, and the numbers are expected to have increased since (Carchia and Kelly). Students often started between the ages of 6 and 8, with almost half of all the boys and girls participating easily admitting that they consider sports to be a big part of their life and have a profound impact on the person they are developing themselves to be. Not surprisingly, the most played sports by boys are football, with over 40% of the male youth participating in it (Carchia and Kelly). But this growth does not come without its costs. According to ESPN, 3.5 million kids have been left behind with this drastic growth in sports, causing for a need of reform and more inclusion of students. However, states such as North Dakota see as much as a 104% increase in the amount of children who come out to participate, showing that sports are skill growing and learning to thrive, not without a great deal of benefits. 

A major, and perhaps most noted, benefit of sports for the student is that they provide a large sum of health benefits that many do not realize. Children who are involved in some sort of sport or activity help increase the health of their heart by increasing the organ’s elasticity. By becoming more active, the heart is required to pump out more oxygen-rich blood to the tissues and muscles within the body to allow the person to perform the tasks required to keep up with the sport, allowing the heart to be worked as well (“9 Surprising Benefits of Playing Sports”). Another health benefit that is rarely talked about is the ability of sports to prevent diabetes. Today’s food, especially in America tend to be high in both sugars, salts, and synthetic products that do no good for the body except keep the costs of foods low. Because of the drastic shift of food preparation, children are at a higher risk of developing issues later on in life such as diabetes. By staying active, it allows for the body to use the insulin produced to the best of its ability, not to mention help diabetics make the most of the insulin they can naturally produce. Another issue of today’s increase in health issues of youth is the constant issue of being overweight. Kids today have begun to seek solace on the couch in front of a TV instead of outside running in the sun. With the easy access to computers, gaming consoles, and different portable devices such as iPhones and iPads, it allows for easier access to the Internet and cyberspace, taking away precious time in the sun. By incorporating a sport into a child’s life, it allows for exercise to also occur, thus fighting the overweight stigma and allowing for some control of weight, along with a more balanced diet (opening up another argument for another day). A study completed in Australia in 2014 found that areas with higher rates of athletic participation in their youth community was followed by higher health ratings, basically explaining that higher amounts of activity help to keep children on a much more healthy life track, and ridding them of health risks that could potentially harm them greatly in the future. A child involved in sports also benefits from lower health risks when considering issues such as: high cholesterol issues, poor blood circulation, weak immunity and more time spent sick, lower muscle tone and weak bones, which can cause for more bodily injury and broken bones. Problems such as these, studies have suggested, can be much less of a worry for parents if they just take the time to involve their child in some type of sport. But the question still remains: what other benefits can more sports in schools help do? Having more sports in schools allows for students to also play multiple sports at a time due to different season schedules, thus allowing them to avoid injury by working more parts of their body. Student athletes who play one sport are less likely to suffer injuries that can be promoted by one-sport athletes. Experts say that “account for 50% of overuse injuries” alone (O’Sullivan). Author John O’Sullivan even goes onto explain that “athletes in the study were 70% to 93% more likely to be injured than children who played multiple sports!”. Even so, O’Sullivan goes on to explain that athletes who were involved in only one sport reported high rates of adult inactivity later one in life. Different sports cause for obviously different muscles to work during practice, games and so forth, so by participating in multiple, diverse sports it allows for different parts of the body to work, and in doing so, help to give the athlete perhaps a stronger foundation as they work in each of their different realms of athletics.

Sports also provide for an increase in the mental health of a child. Based on a report published in 2014 by Jurgen Beckmann and Ann-Marie Elbe, studies how found sports have a great deal of impact on how a child sees themselves in the world in which they live based on their experience in the sports they play. Sports have a profoundly positive impact on a child, allowing for them to grow and mature mentally as they develop self-esteem, positive energy, respect, and discipline (Beckmann and Elbe). Sports also allow for the child to learn how to set goals for themselves as they work and strive to overcome the challenges each sport places in their way. Above all, sports allow for children to learn social skills and interactions with others of their age group, giving them the opportunity for them to develop communication skills and teamwork. Sports also provide an outlet for a child to get out any emotions in a healthy manner. Studies have shown things such as running and other moving activities help to cut the amount of emotion, namely aggression, a child may feel after a highly emotional situation. Sports can help both physical and mental health in a child’s life, even after they finish their participation in such. 

The main issue with the sports offered in schools is that they really do not give kids much of options. They don’t allow for students to grow and express themselves. Not everyone can catch, nor can everyone run like the wind. So why are these sports the only ones that we present to today’s youth? By not opening up the sports we offer, we are single-handedly undermining this whole idea of helping a child find out what they really enjoy in life. Athleticism comes in so many different shapes and forms, and that’s something as a culture we need to celebrate more. As a country for example, we tend to dominate at the Olympics. Our medal counts are usually through the roof. However, our medal counts are only so because we win in the most popular events, the ones everyone knows about. But we may have the next Olympic Handball team (the only sport we do not compete in), right under our very noses. We could very well never know unless we begin offering more sports, thus expanding the boundaries and allowing for growth. For example, the sport of lacrosse is seeing a drastic growth across the United States but schools outside the west coast and northeast rarely see any type of encouragement or involvement in the relatively young sport (Rattey). Since the sports national league funding, it has seen a slow growth that, over the past years has begun to explode as the league begins to target areas such as the south and Midwest, both places where football keeps a strong foothold. 

Sports also provide a solid foundation for students as the move into a much more professional setting, like their future career. Adolescent sports provide the perfect setting in which a child can learn quite early on the ability of time management, social skills, and other facets that make up a model employee. In fact, studies have shown that jobs prefer to higher those with some type of athletic background during their high school years. Sports are no longer in the days of just football and basketball, so our schools must evolve to treat them as such (Kniffin). Student athletes tend to have more self-confidence, self-respect, and leadership skills, all needed for a person looking to work in a high position of a company. Companies, especially ones with a great deal of money and reputation, want to higher people who they know will represent their name and their brand well, not to mention help lead their employees in a direction that will help to positively impact their brand. School sports help to supplement and provide a field for students to put to use the life skills their teachers are presenting to them in a setting where they must interact with others their age, and not so much controlled by the adults around them.

 A big problem in today’s society is a lack of interest in sports. Today, our youth would rather spend their time playing video games then socializing with other children their age. Most of them think that due to the fact that they find no interests in the sports presented to them, that they aren’t good enough to play a sport. In providing more sport choices to our youths, perhaps they will find that in truth they are athletic, just in a non-mainstream way. High schools in Minnesota have found a greater participation of students in sports since the addition of their table tennis team. Over the last few years, teams have begun to crop up all over the state, allowing even for State Championships to occur. Another example can be seen in the exploding growth of lacrosse. Originally focused just in the Northeast, the sport has seen an explosion of growth all over, namely Louisiana, where the participation has increased by 200% (SethLewisTV). Student participation is on the increase in both places, where sports such as football seem to reign supreme. So many sports that are rarely included in schools have begun an ascent in the amount of attention they are receiving from today’s youth. Another example, girl’s high school hockey has begun to take over communities in areas around the South Coast region of Massachusetts, where it was almost obscure. The two school’s involved, BMWORR (a combination of Bourne, Mashpee, Wareham, and Old Rochester) and Bishop Stang had a considerable size increase in the amount of girls playing, growing from 15 and 16 plays to 23 and 24 players in a year (Abhramson). For a program still considered “young”, that’s a pretty big increase in the amount of players in a single year. The coaches of both teams credit this increase in players to the increase in attention all women’s sports are getting. Girls are now beginning to see that they have chances to play in the big leagues, and they can play in sports that are mostly male dominated after high school. 

These sports aren’t the only ones on the rise, either. According to PHIT America, a foundation dedicated to get Americans from all walks of life active and moving, the sports we think are popular, the sports schools offer to students, really aren’t even the ones they want to be involved in. Surprisingly enough, sports such as bowling and jogging were ranked as activities people enjoyed doing more, ultimately beating out much more common sports. Not to mention, sports such as Rugby, which finished in 2nd, Field Hockey, which placed 7th with a 19.2% increase from the year previous, found their way on to the list of sports on the rise (“Top 10 Athletics in the USA”). Both sports are considered fairly new to the United States playing field, and are finding grounds as larger, much more popular institutions such as colleges and national leagues are beginning to form in order to support them on a much larger scale. So the real question is, if these sports are becoming so popular, why can’t we open up our schools to them? 

An expansion of sports will always call upon criticism and backlash from those who are not involved in them. Not everyone can understand the importance of sports and what they really do for those who love to be a part of them. Some people just are just talented in other areas, and they are the ones that will fight against this. Maybe some kids just aren’t athletic, so why should we fund more sports unless we know? By funding a wider variety of sports, we also get the chance to bring in more money for the school. Students in every other sports find so many ways to raise the money needed for equipment and what not, so it really should not be seen as a concern. Another aphrension besides money is finding someone to manage the teams. Like the Minnesota table tennis teams, the students with interest in the sports ultimately became their own coaches, and made out just as well as the teams that had actual teachers as their team leaders and coaches. Time management will not be an issue by adding sports, either. As with every other athletic event, each has a season it fits into, careful not to overlap with others. The same can be found with new sports. Instead of just trying to fit sports into three seasons (Spring, Fall, and Winter), schools could perhaps provide another season in the summer that teachers could be eligible to apply for if they so wish to do so, allowing them the chance to make more money if they wish. Any argument against sports can be easily nipped in the bud with careful consideration and planning by school boards nationwide.

In closing, expanding the sports we provide for our children can only benefit them in the long haul of their lives. Athletes are members of our society that are revered and looked up to, especially by the younger generation. Sports can help a child improve their mental and physical health, not to mention provide them with benefits such as less risks of heart conditions and diabetes. Sports can also help raise a child’s self-esteem and help them with things such as social skills and time management, which will help a child as they go forth into the world. A wider range of sports also gives student a chance to find what sports really suits them, and allows for them to cultivate their talents foe whatever sport really ignites their fancy. No matter how you slice it, sports are an essential part of a child’s development that does more good than allowing for a child to sit on a couch and do nothing, ultimately allowing them to begin to find who they are in the world. 
