It’s that time again when sport season starts. My friends and I worked so hard during summer and we’re all hoping to help contribute to our school team. Then one day, our coach stepped up and apologized to us. He said that sport season has been cancelled due to parents not allowing their kids to play with physical contact worrying that injury might affect them. Injuries won’t affect their children long term because in basketball the physical contact won’t be hard in middle school.

Injuries won’t affect middle school students for a long period of time because the contact isn’t as strong and vicious as high schoolers. I have played three seasons for various schools and I have only witnessed four to five injuries. These injuries are mostly cramps or twisted ankles which last for a maximum of one month. Parents say they don’t want their kids to be in pain. Well, I would tell them that their kids should get used to the contact and the risk of having a tiny pain. When their kids get older, the physical contact and interaction will be way more powerful. Middle school is a period of time where students learn to avoid their injuries that  they will encounter through problems in the future. They need the small interactions in middle school to be prepared for the larger ones in high school, universities, and after that, real life. Finally, kids need interactions to prepare them for their future where their parents help aren’t available to them anymore.

Parents also say that injuries will cause their kid to lose valuable time and will affect their growth during their growth spurt. This is not true, because like I said, the injuries that we get in middle school are not always extreme, it doesn't make us paralyzed. The maximum time we need for the injury to be 100% complete is about 3-4 month. I have had a lot of injuries, but they were all minor injuries such as scratches or bruises. When parents stop their kids from playing sports, they are stopping their kids from developing and growing.  When children play sports, they get bigger, taller and stronger, because they are in constant motion of jumping, reaching and stretching. Sports such as swimming, basketball and/or volleyball are the essential ones. But even if they are playing other sports such as baseball or soccer, the kids will still be in constant motion of stretching and reaching helping to make them tall. Even though injury is something we can't get avoid in sports but not all case will be extreme, also playing physical sports such as basketball or soccer can help make their bones stronger and when their bones are stronger injuries happens less. So from what I just said, sports doesn’t cause injuries and stop their growth but instead sports help train the body to prevent injuries, diseases and help a children grow.

Some parents let their kids practice on their own, but don’t allow them to have matches with others. This is an improvement, but still it won't result well. When kids play with others, they can make more friends and interact with other people. Having more friends create higher chance for them to enjoy their childhood and also learn from others around them. From these interactions, they can develop a sense of team-work and leadership. This can help them in their future and assist them when they don’t have the help of their parents anymore. Sports can develop a kid to a level that their parents will never be able to.

In conclusion, I believe that parents should allow their kids to go outside play sports and be themselves. The interactions with others can help train a kid and help them know what to do in their future lives. The injuries they have will most likely be minor and the kids just have to rest for a period of time until they can be back in action. Finally, parents shouldn’t be banning sports season; but instead they should encourage their kids to join a sport team and give them motivation by playing the sports with them during free time. This not only helps the kids learn but also helps harden the bond of the parents with their child.