Psychologists and the medical practitioners on Sports

Psychologists and medical professionals have consistently promoted the participation of young people in sports events. These practitioners have pointed out several advantages that if he/she participates in the athletic activities, one can get. The health benefits of participating in this activity, such as maintaining a healthy weight and reducing the chances of having heart disease, are significant. Importantly, sport helps young people to develop leadership skills, decision-making abilities, and multiple solving abilities that will aid them in their future ventures later on. This has negative implications, aside from the benefits of athletic events. There is a high probability for those who involve in this activity to suffer from internal and external injuries, and register poor academic performance. It is important to note that the skills acquired in sports are able to land  someone his/her dream job. The paper seeks to discuss the benefits and pitfalls of youth engagement in sporting activities. It also explained how the sporting skills could lead to the attainment of a dream job. 

Benefits of Sports

Improvement of the Self-esteem

As mentioned in the introduction, engagement on the sporting activities plays a significant role in the improvement of health and positive psychological development of the growing youths. To begin with, the involvement of youths in sports assists in boosting their self-esteem (Ahmadi, 28). A point to note is that sport is teamwork; therefore, it would give the youths chance to participate and display leadership skills. Through the teamwork, members would be expected to work towards the achievement of its goals. The achievement of targets would make the youths to have confidence in themselves. In this respect, the attainment of the self-confidence would boost their self-esteem. Prevalently, a growing youth need to have a high self-esteem, as this is a vital tool that would give him/her a determinant heart of succeeding in whatever they are doing (Ahmadi, 28). Comparatively, those who do not engage in the said activities would be denied an opportunity of building their self-confidence, thereby making them have a low self-esteem.

Cardiovascular Endurance

Another important role that sports play in the lives of the growing youths is that it imparts them with the ability to have a heart that can sustain perseverance. Owing to this, they are able to remain unshaken during their tough times. In essence, the participation in the discussed activity would improve the cardiovascular endurance of the youths, making them not only sustain the pressure but also reduced chances of contracting the heart diseases (Ahmadi, 35). It is important to point out that each and every youth needs a healthy and a functioning heart for their positive growth and development. It is only in good health that they can be successful in life. On the other hand, those who do not engage in the sporting activities stand a risk of contracting a heart disease. Worst note is that many youths and the aging population died as result of the various heart conditions (Ahmadi, 35). Additionally, they would have a challenge in sustaining pressure and failure to persevere during a hard time in life.

Acquiring of necessary Skills

Prevalently, through the sporting activities, youths have an opportunity to socially interact with others. Through the social interaction, they gain various skills. To just to mention, they gained the leadership skills, as indicated earlier, sporting activities is not a one-person show, but it involves a team work. It is through the teamwork that youths have a chance to be in various leadership positions (Lussier and Kimball, 286). In this regards, those who would be placed to lead the team would have a better opportunity to learn useful skills on how to lead, control, and direct a team. On a similar note, those who are not involved in the leadership position will also have an opportunity to learn from those who are at the leadership position. Another important skill that the youths will acquire is that they would be able to know on how to co-exist with others within a team; through this, they can also learn conflict solving skills. Above all, they would learn on how to be responsible, and this is achieved when they work with others in the attainment of the common goal (Lussier and Kimball, 285). Conversely, those who do not engage in the youth sports may have difficulty in working with others and lack an opportunity of building their leadership skills.

Promotion of Healthy Competition

Another significant benefit of the sporting activity to the youths is that it promotes healthy competitions.  From the engagement in the mentioned activity, youths learn the positive impact of competition and what they need to do in order to defeat with others. Through the sporting competition, they would learn that for one to win any sport game, there is a need for a constant practice coupled with dedicated efforts (Mangan and Hong, 120). Also, they would realize that winning a game is through several trials, of which one of them would bear fruit. They can later translate the sporting competition into their academics. The preparations mentioned above, would not only assist them in their academic performance but also in their future endeavors. In essence, they would learn that the success is only attained through individuals that do not give up and efforts and commitment is the key to success (Mangan and Hong, 120). In the other hand, those who do not engage in the sporting activities may have a negative attitude towards competition and fail to learn the importance of healthy competition.

Guidance from Mentors

The sporting activities provide the youths with an opportunity to interact with their instructors. Reasonably, through the sport, coaches have a responsibility of mentoring and guiding the youths on how to become good sportspeople. On the same note, youths have an opportunity to learn various things, such as what they need to do to became the best, what made the mentors succeed in their sporting lives, and what their instructors demand from them (Potrac, and Denison, 478). Through these lessons, they would realize that the success in life solely depends on the interaction with the right and positive people. Another important lesson that they would from the interaction with mentors is that the obedience and respect is an essential tool towards winning the heart of mentors. Comparatively, those who do not engage in the sporting activities would ultimately fail to interact with positive people who can mentor them (Potrac and Denison, 478). Failure of interaction may deny them an opportunity of seeing the importance of learning from others. In this respect, they have a narrow chance of succeeding in their desired fields.

Maintenance of Weight

Another importance of engaging in the sporting activities is that youths have an opportunity of maintaining a healthy weight. A point to note is that the mentioned activity compels the participants to engage in rigorous exercise that makes them burn their calories. Through this, they are in a position of keeping a healthy weight and avoiding chances of having obesity (Ahmadi, 18). Much more important is that the excessive weight leads to chances of having heart diseases and obesity. Youth sports, therefore, play a significant role in the health of those who engage in sports. In today society, a rising number of both children and youths are lazy to participate in the physical activities such as sports, and this has resulted into the prevalence of obesity. In this respect, it is important for the youths to engage themselves in the discussed activities. Comparatively, there is a high likelihood that those who do not participate in the sporting activities are suffering from the excessive weight (Ahmadi, 18). As a result of the accumulation of weight, they may suffer from diabetes and heart diseases, leading to numerous health complications in their lives.

Development of Strong Bones

Reportedly, the health practitioners have pointed out that the children who fully participate in the sporting activities invariably develop stronger bones and muscles. As result of the strong bones and muscle, they are saved from suffering from physical injuries. Also, other medical research has affirmed that the engagement in physical exercise prior and during the beginning of the puberty would play a significant role in making the bone to reach the peak bone mass (Ahmadi, 34). Consequently, the development of the bones would be the basis for the future growth, as this would make them be healthy and strong. Comparatively, those who do not engage in the discussed activity have a tendency of suffering from the development of weaker bones that may affect their health. When the children with more fragile bones and muscles grow into adults, there is a higher tendency for them to be weak (Ahmadi, 34).

Negative Impact of Sports

Injuries

The engagement in the sporting activities has also negative consequences. To start with, numerous youths have suffered as result of the physical and internal injuries. It is important to mention that sporting activities such as football, hockey, basketball, baseball, volleyball, and tennis are physical games and there is a high probability for players to hurt each other during the game (Adirim and Cheng, 77). Some of the injuries are easily treatable, but some may even make a player to become a disable. In worst cases, the parent of the player is left to be the cost of the treatment. Some of the injuries the one get from the engagement on sports may completely change the future of youth. For instance, a player can develop a spinal cord injury, preventing him/her from engaging in a number of life activities. Worst to point out is that in rare occasions, some players have died on the pitch while playing the game (Adirim and Cheng, 78). As a result of the injuries and death cases, some people have completely feared to engage in the sports.

Allocation of less time to Studies and Family

Another adverse impact of the engagement in the sporting activities is that when a youth becomes addicted to games, he/she will allocate his/her entire time in sports. Owing to this, there is a higher a tendency that they would apportion less time for studies. An excellent academic performance is only attained through the dedication of an ample time in studies. This means, there is likelihood for them to register poor performance (Amundsen, 23). Apart from the allocation of less time to study, there is a higher chance for them to isolate themselves from the family because most of the time they would be on the pitch. Notably, the isolation mentioned above is risky because the parent would not be in a better position to monitor and guide their children (Amundsen, 23). Owing to this, the engagement in sports is detrimental to the youths. Another important point is that as the youths grow, he/she needs to explore and venture, by giving sporting activities their entire time; they would lack the opportunity to explore in other fields.

Sport as a Career

The sporting skills play a major role in making the participant to get his/her dream job. For those who desire to get a management position in which he/she would be in charge of the team, then skills inquired in sports would assist. Notably, when human resource departments is in search for person to fill a position in the management level, they always look for leadership skills, decision making skill, and communication skills, (Lussier and Kimball, 373). Important to note is that through sport, the players together with the coach are able to acquire knowledge in leadership that on how to guide, direct, lead and control others. Apart from this, the existence of teamwork in sports would enable the participant to sharpen their communication skills. Above all, the discussed activity would impart them with conflict resolution skills. The mentioned skills can a make those who desire to be in the managerial position to easily get the mentioned position (Lussier and Kimball, 373). Notably, the skills acquired in the sport would assist him to a get a management position. Also, once recruited in the mentioned position, they would easily survive in that position because he/she would translate the skills that he/she had previously applied when managing the sport’s teamwork.

Conclusion

From the discussion, it is clear that the engagement in the sporting activities is of great benefit to the growing youths.  It would assist in boosting their confidence, making them have a high self-esteem. Also, it plays a significant role in the improvement of the cardiovascular endurance of youths, reducing the chances of suffering from the heart disease. Moreover, through it, the participants have an opportunity to work as a team, therefore making them acquire the leadership skills. Furthermore, they would be able to control their weight and making them have a stronger born. On the hand, the sporting activities have led to physical injuries and causing them to allocate less time for academic and family. Importantly, through the sporting skills, one can I acquire his/her dream job.

Works Cited

Adirim, Terry A., and Tina L. Cheng. "Overview of injuries in the young athlete." Sports Medicine 33.1 (2003): 75-81.

Ahmadi, Homayun. Complementary Effects of Sport on Health. Strategic Book Publishing, 2010.

Amundsen, Scott A. The effect that first-year experience courses have on student-athletes' academic success when only student-athletes are enrolled versus when student-athletes are enrolled with non-athletes. ProQuest, 2008.

Lussier, Robert, and David Kimball. Applied Sport Management Skills, (With Web Study Guide). Human Kinetics, 2013.

Mangan, James Anthony, and Fan Hong, eds. Sport in Asian society: Past and present. Vol. 18. Routledge, 2005.

Potrac, Paul, Wade Gilbert, and Jim Denison. Routledge handbook of sports coaching. Routledge, 2013.