Youth Sports Research Paper

Words: 1751
Pages: 8

Most people today think sports are great for children based on the fact that it keeps them healthy, confident, and provides valuable life lessons like how to set goals and deal with adversity. Then again, there is always a group that doesn’t see the good in sports; they argue that sports cause injuries, stress, or even anger in extreme cases. The reason people are so negative about youth sports today is because of concussions. Most people have a handful of friends that have had more than two or three concussions and have contemplated giving up sports just for that reason. However, sports, as a whole, have many advantages such as physical development, aids in weight control, improves endurance, builds character, and boosts self esteem out-weigh …show more content…
Young athletes seem to always make the news or pop up somewhere on social media, whether it is for showing great sportsmanship, the classic half-court shot, or the always cool ankle-breaker. These events are all great, but youth sports are trying to send a bigger and better message to kids. The message is that young athletes can develop a great sense of goal setting, communication, dealing with adversity, teamwork, and friendships. These characteristics all have real-life implications, and can benefit the youth tremendously. Goal setting in life plays a huge role, and it should be a part of everyone's life. Setting goals give a person a sense of focus on what must get done to accomplish that goal. Communication skills can be one of the toughest skills to develop as a teenager, but sports are one good way to keep improving. Whether it is communicating with teammates on the court or field, with the coach, or even just asking a teammate for a ride to and from practice, sports make people communicate. Sports have, and always will, benefit participants that way. Dealing with adversity on the field or court has a direct correlation to everyday life. An athlete may have a bad game or even “get in a slump,” but what he does after that is what shows how much of a true competitor and person he is. Youth sports …show more content…
A concussion is a brain injury caused by a blow to the head or body. Research on concussions is still a development in the health world, but some of the beginning advances are bringing out new ways to spot and detect concussions sooner. Baseline tests are now a new thing at Garden City High School in Kansas and there is believed to be great benefits from this testing. The baseline test is a simple test given on a computer that incorporates memorization of shapes, numbers, and colors. The first test is given when the athlete is under quality health and no signs or symptoms of a concussion. After the first test is taken, those results are saved and when the athlete is believed to have suffered a concussion the physician will put the athlete through the same test and see if the athletes score remained the same or declined from the injury. Unlike other injuries, athletes should never play through a concussion. Playing through a concussion at a young age can cause a longer recovery process and can cause permanent damage to the brain. The issue with this is brought to attention in a study done by the Institute of Medicine, the culture of not only sports, but the military is that you always go out and do it for your friends and teammates no matter how much pain you are in. Without proper guidance or supervision from a medical person, most athletes will ignore the signs of a concussion or