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According to Open Access Journal of Sports Medicine, around 45 million children in the United States play in an organized sport. This could have been a good figure; however, by the time these children reach 15 years old, 80 percent of them quit (Atkinson). There are many possible reasons why these children decide to stop participating in sports. One of these is the wrong perspective that parents hold about sports. For instance, there are parents who believe that winning is the main goal of sports (Atkinson). When their children do not succeed, they will either tell them to quit because a particular sport is not for them or the children will decide to quit because they are discouraged about losing. However, participating in a sport is more than winning. Because of the psychological and emotional advances it provides, there is no doubt that children will greatly benefit from playing sports.
Psychological Benefits of Participating in Sports
Sports Participation Helps Fulfill the Need to Belong
During 1970’s, psychologist Abraham Maslow formulated the hierarchy of needs that help explain the psychological mechanism of human motivation. One of the needs identified by Maslow is the need to belong which motivates people to seek a sense of affiliation or belonging (Plotnik and Kouyoumdjian 332). Fulfilling this need helps in maintaining good psychological health and well-being (Plotnik and Kouyoumdjian 332). This is one of the benefits that children can get from participating in sports. When they become part of an organized sports group or a team of players, they become exposed to their peers who have the same interest and passion. In addition, they share the same vision of being good at what they do in their chosen sports field, and this makes them feel that they belong to a certain entity aside from their family. In 2012, a systematic review was conducted to investigate the health benefits of participating in sports. The findings showed that people, including children, feel a sense of belonging due to sports participation, especially with club-based or team-based sports “due to the social nature of the participation” (Eime at al.). Therefore, sports participation is significant for children because it helps fulfill one of their needs as human beings.
Sports Participation Improves Children’s Self-esteem
Low self-esteem or the low value given to one’s self is also one of the issues being faced many children. Suzanne Lachmann, a psychologist, identifies several possible causes of low self-esteem, and most of these stem from childhood. One of these is disapproving figures or receiving excessive criticism from children’s authorities, such as parents, teachers, and older siblings (Lachmann). Another possible source is preoccupied caregivers (Lachmann). When parents are too busy to notice children’s works or achievements, they will feel unrecognized and unworthy. Also, bullying with unsupportive parents is another source of low self-esteem (Lachmann). Unsupportive parents make children feel unsafe and create a sense of being abandoned and hopeless, damaging the self-esteem in the process. Academic challenges without caregiver or parental support also damages self-esteem (Lachmann). Children who face academic challenges and experience lack of parental or caregiver support often feel stupid. They often doubt their capacity to learn, and this translate to low self-esteem. Now, being involved in sports can help children combat these sources of low self-esteem. For instance, in sports team, players are often recognized for their accomplishments, and their coaches pay careful attention to what they do in order to make sure that they are performing well to their best ability. In addition, sports players also receive motivation from the coach and from other team players, and this adds to their feelings of hopefulness in what they do. In fact, in a meta-analysis and meta-regression conducted by Liu, Wu and Ming in 2015, they found out that being involved in physical activities, such as sports, causes and increased level of self-concept and self-worth on both children and adolescence. Therefore, through sports participation, children receive a sense of recognition and feelings of being worthy of one’s attention.
Sports Participation Improves Children’s Focus and Concentration
In order to maximize learning and achieve good academic performance, children must have the ability to focus in class. However, many children get easily distracted with different stimuli, and this can create a serious issue when it comes to these children’s learning process. This is why participating in sports can be beneficial to children because it can help develop their concentration. In a study conducted in 2008, researchers Trudeau and Shephard explored on the link between school sports and academic performance. In particular, they review the relationships that exist among physical education, school sports, school physical activity and academic performance (Trudeau and Shephard). After careful analysis of quasi-experimental data, the researchers found out that physical activity “has positive influences on concentration, memory and classroom behavior” (Trudeau and Shephard). This means that although sports are not directly related to academic activities, it can actually aid in academic learning through improved concentration.
Sports Participation Reduces Stress on Children
Stress is defined as a “response to any situation or factor that creates a negative emotional or physical change or both” (U.S. National Library of Medicine). Every person experiences stress at one point or another, including children. Different stressors that may affect them include family issues, academic challenges, and peer-related problems. Stressful situations may result to physical symptoms, such as decreased appetite, headache, nightmares, stuttering, and upset stomach. Being stress may also create emotional symptoms on children, which includes worries, anxiety, anger, crying, and aggressiveness (U.S. National Library of Medicine). There are four ways in which sports can help reduce stress on children. First, most sports involved physical activities, which means that children release sweat in the process. In turn, endorphins, also known as mood-boosting hormones, are released (Schindly). This causes a sense of happiness and optimism. Second, participating in sports help children relax their blood vessels, and as a result, their heart rates and blood pressure are reduced (Schindly). These conditions are often associated with the physical symptoms of stress. Third, sports can serve as a diversion for children. For instance, when family or academic challenges present stressful situations, children become more stressed when they focus on these factors. Encouraging them to participate in sports is a good way of diverting their attention. In fact, research has shown that sports help reduce stress and distress (Eime at al).
Sports Participation Reduces Depression and Anxiety on Children
Depression and anxiety almost always go hand in hand. Anxiety is a normal response when a person is stressed, and it can actually be beneficial in warning a person that a certain threat is present. However, excessive, persistent, and uncontrollable anxiety is harmful because it can affect a person’s ability to function properly (“Understanding the Facts”). Depression, on the other hand, “is a condition in which a person feels discouraged, sad, hopeless, unmotivated, or disinterested in life in general,” which lasts for more than three weeks (“Understanding the Facts”). Being hopeless and sad is actually normal, but it can be a symptom of depression when it already affects a person’s life. Now, many would think that anxiety and depression are only encountered by adults. However, even children suffer from these psychological conditions. For instance, based on a report by Merikangas et al., around 25 percent of children ages 13 to 18 years suffer from anxiety (National Institutes of Health). Childhood anxiety comes in many forms. It may be generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, separation anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, selective mutism, or any kind of phobias. Most of the time, children with anxiety issues also suffer from depression. In fact, half of the children who are diagnosed with depression are also found to be anxious (“Anxiety and Depression”). When children are depressed, they experience terrible symptoms. For instance, their eating habits may change. They may also become irritable and moody. Worse, they may develop the tendency to commit suicide (“Anxiety and Depression”). In order to help reduce the risk of developing anxiety and depression, children may participate in sports. One of the reasons behind this still relates to the increased level of endorphins associated with being physically active, also known as endorphin hypothesis. This hypothesis predicts that depression may be reduced when endorphins are released because this hormone is related to “positive mood and an overall enhanced sense of well-being” (Craft and Perna 107). When it comes to anxiety, sports participation also plays a significant role. Based on thermogenic hypothesis, the increase in body temperature caused by physical activities also increases the temperature in certain regions of the brain. In turn, in leads to relaxation and reduced muscle tension especially for those who feel anxious (Craft and Perna 107). Through sports, children can be protected against anxiety and depression, and they also become mentally healthy in the process.
Sports Participation Improves Children’s Cognitive Abilities
A healthy and ideal development for children is characterized by having well-developed cognitive abilities. These abilities refer to brain-based skills that are used to perform just about anything in life. Specifically, cognitive abilities include “long- and short-term memory, auditory processing, visual processing, processing speed, and logic & reasoning” (“Cognitive Skills”). Although there are many ways to improve children’s cognitive abilities, such as reading, writing, and other academic related activities, there are also many factors that can affect its development. For instance, many children nowadays spend many hours sitting in front of the TV or just sitting to use gadgets. This too much screen time is also associated with physical inactivity. Many researchers found out that these factors result to brain atrophy where the gray matter in the brain shrinks in volume (Dunckley). It is within this gray matter that cognitive processing occurs, which means that the more children become inactive due to increase screen time, the more their cognitive abilities are negatively affected. When children become involved in sports, they are given the opportunity to improve their cognitive functions. In a study by Felfe et al. it was revealed that “active sport club participation leads to improvements in children's cognitive and non-cognitive skills” (qtd. in Felfe, Lechner, Steinmayr). One of the reasons behind this link is that children who are involved in sports are less likely to become obese, a condition that is associated with lower cognitive abilities. Indeed, childhood obesity has become a national epidemic. In a research conducted by Kamijo et al., the link between childhood obesity and cognitive control was investigated. It was revealed that “childhood obesity is associated with a decreased ability to modulate the cognitive control network, involving the prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex, which supports action monitoring.” Based on these researchers, there is only one major conclusion that can be made; engaging children in sports can make them smarter.
Emotional Benefits of Participating in Sports
Sports Participation Reduces Children’s Aggressiveness
For many, being involved in sports entails a certain level of aggressiveness. This is why some parents are concerned that involving their children in sports will encourage aggressive behaviors. However, many studies prove otherwise. For instance, a study was conducted among school-age Israeli students to see how sports would impact them. They were subjected to a 24-week after-school program that focuses on sports. After gathering the results, it was revealed that the students’ self-control improves, and this was interpreted as a reduction in the levels of aggression. The sports activities gave the children a sense of purpose and this decreased their tendency to act out (American Friends of Tel Aviv University). The instinct theory may also help explain how sports participation can reduce aggressive behaviors. This theory suggests that people need to express aggression as a form of cleansing (Jarvis 107). Through sports, this particular form of cleansing out aggression can be done. In 1979, Arms also noted that sports make players less aggressive, perhaps due to the reduction of energy that is involved in the activity (qtd. in Jarvis 107). Therefore, parents must not be concerned that sports will encourage excessive behaviors on children because it can actually do the opposite.
Sports Participation Improves Children’s Resilience
Resilience is important because it enables children to overcome adversities in life. Resilient children do not get down easily when they experience some setbacks in family life, in school, or in their relationships with peers. As a result, they tend to be more optimistic about life and they also tend to be more independent. Being involved in sports is a good training ground to build children’s resilience. With sports, children become more familiar with the feelings of defeat, loss, and failures. At the same time, they are trained on how to handle and respond to these unfavorable outcomes. Because of the frequent exposure to these situations, children become more experience in handling difficult situations, especially those that concern strong emotions, such as anger and frustrations. In fact, in a study about the benefits of sports participation, one of the reported result is the development of resilience (Eime et al.). The more resilient children become, the more prepared they are to face the real world.
Sports Participation Makes Children Happy
An active child is a happy child. This was the result of a study conducted at the West Virginia University in the United States. Researchers investigated 245 middle school students to understand how participating in sports benefit them. Through a survey, it was revealed that both boys and girls feel a sense of life satisfaction when they participate in sports team (Springer Science). Again, this can be attributed to the release of endorphins that happen in physical activities, such as sports (Schindly). In addition, children who participate in sports also meet their need to belong, and this gives a level of satisfaction that also triggers happiness.
Sports Benefits Children in Many Ways
Overall, there is no doubt that sports participation provides many benefits to children, both in the psychological and emotional levels. First, it allows them to be part of a group, which satisfies their human need to belong. Second, it helps boost their self-esteem by knowing that they are valued and they have a worth in the field of sports. Third, it enhances their ability to focus and concentrate. As a result, they become more competent with their academic performance. Fourth, it reduces stress as sports can divert their attention from the stressors around them. Fifth, it reduces depression and anxiety. Ultimately, it saves them from developing the tendency to commit suicide. Sixth, sports participation improves cognitive abilities by enhancing brain development. Seventh, sports can reduce aggression as explained by the instinct theory. Eighth, sports participation improves resilience by serving as a training ground for facing setbacks and bouncing back. Lastly, sports create happiness. All of these benefits show that participating in sports can bring out the most out of children.
Works Cited
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