Why Kids Participate in Sport

On February 12 in my American Sport in the 21st Century class we discussed youth sports and the impact that it has on society today. We learned that youth sport was organized in the 20th century and were focused on masculinizing boys. Also, we learned that youth sports were really starting to increase when industrialization had hit the United States. Girls participation in sport was ignored until 1972. In 1972, Title XI was made which had allowed girls to participate in sport and have equal opportunities as boys. The number one reason as to why boys and girls participate in sport is to have fun. Youth sport has four different types of sponsors and those are two public and two private sponsors which breakdown into their own subcategories.

  (Mone Davis)

Youth Reasons to Participate in Sport

Here is a list of some reasons why kids want to participate in sport:

• The number one reason that youth's participate in sport is because they want to have fun
• Want to do something they are good at
• Want to be with friends and make new ones
• Want to get fit and stay in shape
• Want to learn new skills and improve on existing ones
• Want to play and be a part of a team

Reasons Youth Want to Participate in Sport

   (Youth's learning the sport of soccer)

Benefits of Youth Sport

Stated is a list of benefits of youth sport:

• Develops and Maintains Fitness
• Preparation for Adulthood
• Opportunity to Learn Values 
• Teaches Interactive Skills
• Provides Opportunities for Leadership

When I was researching for an article on youth sport, the article I found that caught my eye was a blog that was written on Steve Nash's Youth Basketball Blog. In this blog, a writer named Shelley Boettcher described young students being able to run in the hallways. This can go along with children receiving the correct hand eye coordination that they need in order to play in sport. I tend to think that if a child has great hand eye coordination, they will be more likely to succeed in the sport that they choose. Also, if a child would want to succeed in a sport, they will focus more on the bigger aspects of sport which is for example hand eye coordination and specific techniques. Most youth nowadays play sport to have fun and to benefit from sport. Youth's want to enjoy and explore new things and what better way to do that then through sport? Steve Nash's blog brings out questions and makes the parents think, is this really what I want my child to be doing now or maybe even for the rest of their lives? If you were a parent in a situation like this, having their own kids run around hallways, what would you say? Would things be different for youths if they didn't have a sport to help guide them in the right direction?

Steve Nash Youth Basketball Blog

Julian, An 11 year old Star

This next video that I found was about a youth at the age 11 who is the starting point guard for his high school varsity basketball team. This astounds me and should show youths today a message. This shows that no matter how short you are or your age, if you have a goal or set your mind to things you can do anything. We learned in class that youth sport is a preparation for adulthood and I think this boy learned adulthood pretty fast. He is only 4'5" and is beating high school basketball players who are taller then he is but not all of them are as skilled as he is. This video goes along with what we had talked about in class because it shows that sport can prepare a youth for adulthood and teach skills. If you were this talented at a young age, how would you feel about playing on a varsity team? Would you be proud and brag to others if this was your child?
To learn more about Julian's Story, click here: Julian's Story