A Study on The Impact of Strong Competition in Youth Athletics

“Being the best you can be” is truly an important motto to store in your hypothetical wardrobe; however, this idea stresses one of youth sports’ greatest weaknesses – hyper-competitiveness. Although this is an important idea to remember, the benefits of society are contributed to smaller, less complex ideas. Keeping that in mind, negative connotation in regards to participation trophies has taken the country by storm. A large percentage of parents whose children are involved in sports are taking a stand against these awards because ‘they promote being a loser’ or ‘they aren’t real trophies.’ These stances have become usual due to the cause of hyper-competitiveness in today’s sports. Society promotes the idea that only the best will succeed and individuals have to strive to become the best of a certain area. Although striving to become the best you can be is crucial to becoming a successful individual, the little steps in not only sports but life help further the mental and physical growth of children. In other words, hyper-competitiveness in sports has tampered with the values of childhood activity. As an athlete who has grown up in the age of hyper-competitiveness, our children have been wronged by severe hyper-competitiveness in youth sports today.

To begin, the demands of youth sports today are irrational and inefficient for the personal lives of child athletes. Although practice is key to maintaining success, it is important to note that these children are playing sports, most of which were created for recreation, and not holding onto these activities like a job. When children begin to view their respective sport as a job and not a getaway, they also begin to lose interest. For example, I played basketball for thirteen years with practices five days a week for multiple hours, not to mention further summer practices needed to maintain development. I slowly started to lose interest after years of crazy practice schedules, for I also began to look at the sport I once loved as a downfall.

Moreover, overbearing demands may lead to stress and anxiety. Newsflash: these children are still student-athletes. Allowing a child only a small amount of time to work on his studies is quite unwise to do. According to the US Youth Soccer website, children shouldn’t train for more than 18-20 hours per week. Still, this amount of time spent training – roughly three hours a night - can cause kids to lose track of education and other necessary areas. At such a young age, it is unfair to put their personal lives through so much turmoil, as these years can be the most crucial in their development as a human being. Stress and anxiety levels have risen in recent years, and we aren’t helping by enforcing stricter practice schedules on them.

Hyper-competitive atmospheres not only have effects on the personal lives of children, but their own bodies as well. According to Dr. Anne Murray of “Sports Medicine,” with the grinding schedules and limitless strains of the human body, sports injuries are second highest cause of emergency room visits. Physical activity is necessary for normal growth in children. However, when the activity level becomes “too intense or too excessive” in a short period of time, “tissue breakdown and injury can occur.” The single biggest factor contributing to the dramatic increase in injuries in young athletes is the focus of more intense, repetitive, and specialized training at much younger ages. These injuries are seen in all types of sports leagues, from entry level ages to adult, but injuries occurring to our youth are much more dangerous. Serious injuries can severely damage their still-growing bodies. Instances in which children injure their growth plate can have a serious impact on their ability to fully establish their body. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, athletes who spend more than twice as much time in organized sports than in free play, whatever their age or sport, are more likely to be injured and have serious overuse injuries. Development in their bodies occur mainly around middle school years, in which is the most important time to keep a healthy, well-rounded physique. In the end, demanding schedules increase the chances of damaging their bodies in the most important years of their lives.

Finally, by focusing on keep sports hyper-competitive, we are losing sense of the mental and physical benefits in which come along with emphasizing participation in the sport. In fact, 55% of Harvard researchers noted that encouraging participation dramatically sharpens skills to help in a future career. The biggest success factor may actually result from solely participating, not the intense practice schedules. Brandy Zadrozny, a journalist for The Daily Beast, noted that the act of not acknowledging participation doesn’t help children learn the lesson of losing, but it teaches them that there’s no value in the attempt. Furthermore, the science suggests that we need to praise our kids on process rather than results. Kids who are praised for their effort rather than their ability tend to strive harder, enjoy activities more, and deal with failure in a more resilient way. Harvard researchers debated over the effects of discipline and dedication as well as teaching kids to get along with one another – 81% of researchers positively viewed the effects of dedication while 78% believe these awards teach kids how to get along with one another. The feeling of gratification after receiving a participation trophy will keep their minds focused on their sport. To kids, those trophies truly have an impact. ESPN writer Dan Shanoff claims that by depleting the effects of participation, we are “losing sense of making the youth experience fun, therefore losing the want to participate in sporting events.” Why should children want to participate in something they don’t see to be fun? The hyper-competitiveness of youth sports has been taken to brutal lengths. If participation sparks interest in children to stay active, and we as a society want to take away those incentives, we would be the reason in which our children continue to stay drained in their own hyper-competitive world.

In conclusion, hyper-competitiveness is a far cry from what sports ought to be. Although competitiveness is important to have in the youth atmosphere, there is a difference between competing and punishing. The effort we put our youth through today is strenuous on their bodies, their minds, and their personal lives. If we continue pursuing the path in which current youth sports is taking, it would be difficult to maintain our children in respect to keeping them the healthy, idealistic individuals we want them to be. Until then, parents must reach out to their children, give them a hug, and keep in mind what is best for them. If all else fails, listen to them. Only they truly know what best pleases them.