Response to “Children Need Play not Compete”

In her essay Jessica Statsky wrote about children’s competitive sports. A few things came interesting to me. First, that the children’s fear of getting injured is one of the seven reasons that children don’t want to play certain sports. It surprised me because as a child I was in soccer from ages five to nine, and if we got hurt the coach would just tell us that getting injured was just part of the game. Second, I agree with her when she stated that some children are excluded from certain sports before they are even ready to show their talents. I think that is unfair. All children deserve a chance to play regardless if they are “good” or not. That affects the child’s self-esteem. When the kids see that they are not “good” they get disheartened. The children’s parents shouldn’t have their child on a team if the coach won’t let him/her play.

Third, there should be more programs for children in whom they do not have to compete for a win or loss. I liked how she mentioned alternatives to competitive sports. Young children shouldn’t have the stress of needing to win they should just be able to have fun and enjoy their childhood. Last, I was shocked to learn that children who play contact sports have a higher risk of having joint and muscle complications as they age. I think that children under 10 should not be permitted to play hard contact sports. Are we teaching children that some are better than others and the other kids are “losers”? Why do we sometimes see children who do not participate in sports as fragile and impotent?