Losing is a Part of Life
Throughout adult life, and even teenage life, everyone has to deal with competition in one way or another. Finding a girlfriend, getting a job, buying a used car, gaining admission to college, earning college scholarships, participating in sports, band, and chorus: all of these involve competition. There is no escape, and only one way to overcome competition's negative aspects: embrace them. The easiest mind to influence is the one that is still growing and does not yet have biases. The easiest way for someone to be able to understand competition and its negative and positive effects is to learn about it while their mind is still expanding. The easiest time for this to take place is when they are a child. Experiencing competition is necessary for kids to be able to deal with the world around them; therefore, children should continue to take part in organized sports during their childhood. In her Children Need to Play, Not Compete, author Jessica Statsky writes that "competitive sports pose psychological dangers for children" (The St. Martin's 256). Without being understood fully, competition can be very destructive. If it is understood as an essential part of life and if the outcomes are demystified, it is not nearly
For many youngsters, competitive sports are tamer than other activities they pursue. There are some dangers that should be avoided in sports like baseball. Why? Because it was dangerous: gliding down an ice-covered mountain at high speeds with only a few inches of wood, vividly colored plastic, and two quarter-inch strips of metal keeping me in contact with the snow and away from trees and rocks. Winning does make sports more fun, but the number of adults who decide that victory is more important than enjoyment is too high (The St. A lot of kids will do things that they know will possibly hurt them, for the simple fact that they are thrilling. Competitive sports do not entice children into physical actions that are bad for their bodies. "Children are easily influenced, and when they sense that their competence and worth are based on their ability to live up to their parents' and coaches' high expectations-and on their ability to win-they can become discouraged and depressed" (The St. To some extent this is a good idea, but if the fundamentals of a game are altered too much, like lowering the rim of a basketball several feet, this will be teaching the kids the improper way of playing the game. She claims that children should not play some competitive sports because "they entice children into physical actions that are bad for growing bodies" (The St. Logically, her argument makes sense to those who already feel the same as she does, but there are parts of her argument that appear illogical to those who believe children benefit from competitive sports. This statistic is not solely due to the aspect of competition. Statsky presents some solutions to the problem as she sees it. She does not provide enough evidence to persuade those who feel differently.
Common topics in this essay:
St Martin's,
Play Compete,
,
University Illinois,
Jose University,
competitive sports,
Jessica Statsky,
st martin's,
st martin's 256,
St Martins,
children play,
martin's 256,
individual performance,
Glyn Roberts,
play competitive sports,
organized sports,
play competitive,
children play competitive,
Children Play,
physical actions bad,
claims children,
sports entice,
children play compete,
team sports,
|
Acceptance Essays
