In the article titled “Children Need to Play, Not Compete,” Jessica Statsky stresses that parents
should not force their children to participate in structured competitive sports. In her opinion, the
aggressive and cut-throat nature of competitive sports can cause lasting damage to the mental
and physical health of children. Moreover, children can sustain long-lasting injuries and feel
burdened by the weight of pressures and expectations associated with such games, she asserts.
Statsky further emphasizes that such sports can often yield counterproductive results when
children decide to quit sports because of the immense challenges it poses to them. She explains
that children develop personality problems as they begin to fear injuries and failure. In addition
to this, Statsky expresses that when children are playing games, they should not have any stress
or worries surrounding them and they should only have fun. She criticizes parents and coaches
for putting unnecessary pressure on children for winning. She thinks that in doing so, these adults
are trying to fulfill their own dream and desires. In the end, Statsky suggests to parents and
coaches to avoid encouraging an over-competitive spirit in their children and to let them have
wholesome fun when they play any sport.
(Words: 200)
, Strong Response:
I believe every point Jessica Statsky expresses in “Children Need to Play, Not Compete” is true.
Childhood is the time when children should have fun without any pressures surrounding them,
therefore, they should not be put into any structured competitive sport, which is both demanding
and challenging for them. It is evident that competitive sports can result in lasting psychological
and physical problems in children because they become fearful of getting wounded or losing the
games. Parents should recognize and take notice of the harmful effects of competitive sports
rather than pushing their children into them. If it is their own wish to see their children
competing in such sports, they should not force it upon their children. Thus, the parents should
put their personal desires aside when it comes to the welfare of their children.
To begin with, it is not a surprising fact that most of the children decide to quit sports even
before they begin playing them simply because the criteria for selection is too tough. I can vouch
for the fact that many children do not even participate in the trials because of the fear of failure.
A lot of the children show up for selection trials, resulting in many children failing, getting
rejected and finding out that they are not good enough. This causes a lot of them to quit sports
forever even before they get mature enough to actually compete. Also, imagine what it can do to
the rejected children’s self-worth. Children are not mature enough to handle this rejection at such
an early age. Moreover, the coaches maintain an unpleasant behavior most of the time and ignore
the children with less talent.
Moreover, it is true that contact sports can cause injuries. Therefore, children who fear getting
wounded are reluctant to participate in them but are forced to do so because of their parents. The
parents must understand that fear of getting injured is a natural response and must not be ignored.
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