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Youth
Sports: More than Touchdowns and Home Runs
By Eliza
Gibbons
March 1, 2003
Fun
in sports is foremost on kids’ minds, and according to experts,
that’s just how it should be.
And while they’re having a good time, kids are also learning
to share the ball, the spotlight, playing time, and the disappointments
and triumphs of losing and winning. They acquire self-confidence
as game skills improve and their bodies become coordinated and strong.
More importantly, kids gain self-esteem with which to measure their
own capabilities on and off the field.
Benefits Extend Beyond the Obvious
Studies show that exercise and participating in team sports play
an important role in kids’ psychological development as well
the obvious benefit of increased fitness.
Educators have suggested that low self-esteem is one of the most
prominent barriers to being a successful student. Sports give children
an environment in which to excel, and success on the playing field
is likely to lead to the same self-perception in the classroom,
experts say.
Research has also shown that the coach’s role is critical,
as their feedback--or lack thereof--will help shape a child’s
self-view. According to Sport Psychologist Marty Ewing, a coach
can explain to a child that a mistake is not a failure, but rather
an opportunity to practice skills or change strategies.
Go girl! |
Dr.
Ewing further points out that children who perceive themselves as
athletically competent are perceived more favorably by their teachers,
creating a mutual respect that will help kids to resist the lure
of gangs and drugs, and give them a reason to stay in school.
Girls and Team Sports
Involvement in sports may be particularly important for girls, who,
beginning in junior high, have a higher drop-off rate from sports
teams. Girls tend to leave sports more than boys, experts say, because
they simply do not get as much positive reinforcement.
Hannah Storm, sportscaster and author of Go girl!
states that athletic girls not only have higher levels of self-esteem
and confidence, but they also experience lower levels of depression
and are less likely to get pregnant than non-athletic girls.
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