Attention all parents! Do your kids play sports? If not, you may want to reconsider. Many parents are unsure whether they should allow their kids to play competitive sports. The answer is yes! Participating in organized sports provides numerous benefits that will help your children succeed in life. All kids should be allowed to play competitive sports because they: (1) promote physical health and help with weight maintenance; (2) have a positive impact on mental and emotional health; and (3) lead to lifelong friendships, and teach kids how to interact and be part of a community. Some people believe that there should be an age requirement to play team sports because they can be intense and can cause injuries and emotional burnout. While it’s true that injuries and burnout can happen, those risks are outweighed by the overwhelming physical, mental, emotional, and social benefits of competitive sports.

The most obvious benefit of playing sports is exercise. All kids should be allowed to play competitive sports because they promote physical health and help with weight maintenance. According to Kirk Mango, a former physical educator, coach, competitive athlete and parent of two competitive athletes, “In a society where obesity has become a major health issue the physical fitness advantages simply cannot be denied” (Chicago Now). Clearly, there are many physical health benefits that come with playing competitive sports, which can, and are, helping combat the growing obesity problem in children in the United States. Sarah Davis, an accomplished nutritionist with two chapters published in “The Grocery Store Diet” book, states, “Any parent knows that young children are filled with energy, eager to run, jump and play. Transferring that natural energy to competitive sports can help keep kids active and healthy as they grow …” (SportsRec). In other words, kids have energy and need to use it somewhere, so why not put it towards competitive sports which will help them to mature, grow, and live a healthy active life. Participating in organized physical activities helps kids to focus their energy in a positive way that can help them stay healthy and maintain their weight. As you can see, promoting physical health and weight maintenance is one reason why all kids should be allowed to play competitive sports. 

Another reason why all kids should be allowed to play competitive sports is because they have a positive impact on emotional and mental health. Sarah Davis states, “When a child wins a game with his team, he feels accomplished and recognized. Even when he doesn’t win, he can learn a valuable lesson: that you can’t win every time. Losing with his team can also increase self-esteem, as he learns to hold his head high and feel proud for trying his best” (SportsRec). This demonstrates that self-esteem and confidence can be raised by playing competitive sports. Kids who participate in team sports learn to hold their heads high and never let anyone or anything bring them down. This leads to a healthy self-image and improves their overall mental and emotional health. It also teaches kids that losing is a part of life. Also according to SportsRec, “... competitive sports provide an outlet for expression, friendship, and controlled aggression” (Davis). This shows that playing competitive sports gives kids a place to be themselves and to work through their anger, troubles and emotions. Kids who take part in organized sports will end up being happier and less stressed in life. The many emotional and mental benefits offered by competitive sports is another reason why all kids should be allowed to participate in them.

A third reason why all kids should be allowed to play competitive sports is because they lead to lifelong friendships and help kids learn how to interact and be part of a community. According to Chicago Now, “Participating in sports gives athletes the ability to develop tight and lasting friendships with others who have common interests” (Mango). This illustrates that playing competitive sports can help kids to be more social and make friends that last a lifetime, which is important for anyone to have. Research from the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports suggests that “... youth sports can help deter negative behavior, such as joining a gang, because competitive sports provide an outlet for expression, friendship and controlled aggression. Teens who have positive influences and friends feel less of a need to participate in risky behaviors” (Davis). This indicates that the friendships built from playing competitive sports not only last a lifetime, but they also reduce the likelihood of kids getting involved with crime, joining a gang or something else of that nature. Playing team sports helps kids to build lifelong friendships, which then, in turn, help them to stay out of trouble. This is another clear argument for why all kids should be allowed to participate in competitive sports. 

Many people have different views on whether kids should play team sports. Some might argue that there should be an age requirement. They think that competitive sports are too intense for kids and that they could experience emotional burnout or injuries from overuse and intense training. According to an NBC article, “Not only are these youngsters at risk for emotional burnout, they may also develop injuries that plague them for a lifetime” (Jacqueline Stenson). This shows that the intensity of competitive sports can take out the fun factor, which could make kids stop playing at an early age. It also shows that sports can sometimes lead to injury from overuse. While this might be true, the physical, mental and social benefits of sports outweigh those risks. In the same NBC article by Jacqueline Stenson, an MSNBC contributor, it says, “There’s ample evidence that sports participation can have important benefits for kids, including improved physical health and emotional well-being. Hopefully, they’ll also learn life lessons in teamwork, discipline, leadership, and time management.” This proves that the many physical, mental, and social benefits of playing competitive sports are not worth giving up just because of the possibility of injury or emotional burnout.

The evidence shows that competitive sports are highly beneficial and all kids should be allowed to play. The benefits include improved physical health and weight maintenance, improved mental/emotional health, the development of lifelong friendships, and teaching kids how to interact and be part of a community. Although some might say that there should be an age requirement to play organized sports, the benefits provided outweigh the risk of injury and emotional burnout. Therefore, there should be no age requirement for kids to play competitive sports, and there is no doubt that your kid will benefit from them. By letting them play, you are setting them up for a bright future and making it more likely for them to succeed in life. The risks associated with competitive sports are well worth taking, in exchange for the overwhelmingly positive and beneficial experience that they provide.