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What Do Youth Sports Do for Kids?

Here's a short, but important question from Elizabeth Lewis:

I need your opinion on what youth sports do for kids. Thank you.

Answer: Your question is an important one and one that I have strong opinions about.

According to educators, psychiatrists, psychologists and other trained experts, youth sports can play a very important role in a child's development. The life values that can be learned from a positive sports experience might best be summarized by the opinion of a noted high school athletic executive who said "Sportsmanship is the starting point - if not the essence - of good citizenship" and sportsmanship, of course, is the foundation of a quality youth sports program.

While I am neither an educator nor an individual trained in child development, I have spent more than 50 years as a volunteer youth coach and therefore feel comfortable and qualified to offer my thoughts on the question, "What do youth sports do for kids?"

Here is a short list of what, I believe, participation in youth sports can do for children. Youth sports can:

bulletProvide a source of fun and to enjoyment for children, by themselves or with their peers
bulletProvide the opportunity for regular, healthy exercise 
bulletBuild an appreciation of personal health and fitness
bulletProvide a release from daily pressures of school and family life
bulletProvide children the opportunity for a degree of independent activity
bulletProvide children the opportunity to understand and learn the importance of discipline in an environment that makes it more easily accepted
bulletProvide the opportunity to learn the importance and meaning of teamwork
bulletCan teach important life values such as teamwork, fair play and sportsmanship
bulletCan teach responsibility - both individual and shared
bulletProvide the opportunity to learn and to accept authority
bulletProvide the opportunity to learn to accept and follow directions, rules and regulations
bulletProvide the opportunity to develop and master leadership skills
bulletTeach the importance of commitment, dedication and loyalty
bulletHelp children develop good work habits 
bulletTeach the importance of always doing your best
bulletTeach children to accept both winning and losing and how to manage success and disappointment
bulletProvide an opportunity to meet new friends
bulletProvide the opportunity for physical development, improved coordination and the development of new motor skills 
bulletProvide an opportunity to improve a childıs confidence, sense of accomplishment and to develop a positive self image and self worth
bulletHelp children learn to resolve issues and disputes without violence
bulletProvide the opportunity to develop new interests and activities that can be enjoyed for a lifetime (tennis, golf, bowling, swimming, skiing, etc.)
bulletProvide the opportunity to develop healthy social relationships with adults as well as peers
bulletTeach children to respect others

You might be interested in the following statistics that illustrate the significant, positive impact participating in high school sports has on students:

bulletKids who play sports do better in school and are less likely to get in trouble
bulletThe rate of absenteeism is less than half for students who participate in sports
bulletSchool dropout rate for athletes is 1% and over 8% for non-athletes
bulletDiscipline rate is 10% lower for athletes
bulletGrade point average for athletes is 1 GPA level higher than non-athletes
bulletStudents who participate in sports are 90% less likely to use drugs and 3 times more likely to graduate
bulletGirls who participate in sports are 80% less likely to become pregnant

These are just a few of the benefits of youth sports. In order to benefit though, children need to participate. If youth sports are fun and enjoyable, young people participate willingly and eagerly, increasing the likelihood that the objectives will be achieved. However, children are frequently turned off by overzealous coaches or overbearing parents and the opportunity to benefit from important like lessons is jeopardized. Even worse, bad coaches may teach distorted values.

The best youth sports programs and the best youth sport coaches will use a child's sports experience to cultivate, teach or develop these positive values. Unfortunately, as I said, not all programs nor all youth coaches focus on these very worthy objectives. 

One organization that does, The National Alliance for Youth Sports, recognizes both the value of a positive sports experience as well as the need to improve youth sports programs to better realize the potential values. The NAYS provides training for coaches and program administrators as well as training programs for parents of children involved in youth sports. The mission statement of the NAYS summarizes, quite succinctly, the impact that sports can have on children: "Better Sports for Kids - Better Kids for Life"

I hope this answers your question.