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The Essence of Sport

On the large lawn, in the back of a Presbyterian church, on a sunlit day in the early fall, a

barely five-year-old me played in their first ever organized soccer game. My first ever organized

sports game for that matter. I felt like I was just old enough where pull-up diapers were no longer

something that was needed, but I was a beast. I never understood the rules or witnessed a game

but my parents drove me to the field and I saw some friends from school and never questioned

anything. I ran up to my team where the high fives and fist bumped went all around.

We named our team the Hulks because of our green jerseys. Running up and down the

field, I tried to kick the ball, just hoping that it might go in the goal. The primary reason we all

participated at that time had more to do with the Capri Sun juice boxes and orange slices at the

conclusion of each game than actually winning. I will always remember the Hulks, both the

teammates on that team, many of which are still my friends but more importantly the hulk action

figure I was gifted by our coaches at the end of our season.

I never would have assumed that from that day on my life would constantly be filled with

various athletic activities. From that point forward, whatever sport that was in season, I wanted

to play it. I often wondered what life would be like if I had never been on the hulks? Had my

parents never signed me up for the team or I refused to play by crying vigorously until my mom

and dad let me quit, my life would be completely different. I would have never known the joy

that sports bring to my life. I may have picked up new hobbies. For all I know I could have been

the next kids baking champion on Food Network or possibly just a lazy person with nothing to

do all the time. If I never enjoyed playing sports and focused my priorities on other

extracurricular activities, would I have had similar experiences and been able to build similar

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relationships with adults and my peers? Would I be a different person because of my

participation? These questions have not yet been answered and because of that it has led me to

my senior project question: How does participating in extracurricular sports influence a young

person's impact on the community?

Sports have long been a part of the world and a part of culture in the United States and

across the globe. Sports date all the way back to 7000 BCE where depictions of wrestling

matches with large crowds are painted in caves in Mongolia. But let’s not go that far back.

Modern sporting events became popular in the 19th century. Some common sports children play

in America today are soccer, baseball, football and so on. It has been embedded in the lives of

young people. Sports are everywhere whether you play them or not. Throughout many kids'

youth they participate in some sort of sporting activities. Playing sports at a young age is

believed to have a number of benefits. Those benefits are both physical and mental health. As

well as educational and social benefits, “A correlation has been found between regular exercise

and mental health among students in general as they move into the teenage years. Among

students who exercised six to seven days a week, 25.1% felt sad for two weeks or more in the

past 12 months, compared to 35.7% of students who reported exercising on zero to one day”

(“Youth Sports Facts”). This study proves that the more you exercise the happier you will be.

Although many feel that there are only benefits to youth sports, the opposite is true. Some feel

they have discovered that not everything is perfect in the world of youth sports. A large number

of kids end their athletic careers before they even start. There oftentimes is a large added

pressure to perform by parents as well as coaches. Additionally competitive teams start at a much

younger age, Matt Bradley a sports dad himself describes it like this “If parents are more

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stressed, nervous, or frustrated about an event than their child is, then something is wrong.

Over-involved parents fret over and micromanage relationships with coaches, playing time,

coaching decisions, officiating, and team performance all in front of their kids. This does not

create an environment conducive to fun”(Bradley). There are sports parents all across the globe.

The hope is that they encourage their kids and love them whether they do well in the sport or not.

This is not always the case. The parents play a vital role in the expercie a child has when playing

a sport.

People across time all have different experiences while playing sports as a youth. Some

have more positive experiences and others negative. In today's age over seventy percent of

people play a sport as a kid. In high school over sixty percent of students play sports (Wilson).

These numbers are going down as well. For adults today there is a significantly higher number of

them that played sports as a youth. Although these numbers are so high, rarely do you see them

play in college or even more unlikely play professionally in their sport. So if this is the case, why

do so many people play sports? What do they gain from it if it almost never becomes their

profession? According to NPR “adults who played sports as a kid earn more and enjoy faster

career acceleration than those not involved in youth sports. Not only do student athletes tend to

earn more as adults, by remaining physically active and healthy they can expect to save

significantly on medical costs throughout their lives”(Christison). This shows that you will be

more financially successful if you play sports as a youth. You learn skills that you use in the

office and the community that you have learned playing fifth grade little league. Marcus Ellison

is the Assistant Director of the ASA/Prime basketball program at Ultimate Fieldhouse and has

served in many positions in the basketball world. He coaches youth as they are on their journey

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through basketball. Ellison played numerous sports as an adolescent. These sports include

basketball, football and baseball. Ellison is one that believes sports has been a vital piece to who

he has become today and not only because it is his occupation he added, “ A world without

sports is a world that I feel nobody would want to live in. Regardless of whether you find sports

interesting or not.” he explained. It has taught him how to have better self esteem, learn

communications skills as well as become a place where he could learn how to work hard because

he felt he needed to. Similar to when he felt he needed to work hard while studying at Brigham

Young University in order to graduate with honors and have success after graduation. This

success Elliosn feels has extended to his life today both in the workplace and in his family. This

is correlated in a study by ESPN “The benefits extend to the workplace. A survey of 400 female

corporate executives found 94% played a sport and that 61% say sports contributed to their

career success”(“Youth Sports Facts”). Career success makes for better communities. When

people are able to first have career success but also have high morals oftentimes they give back

to others after they have that success which makes for a more loving and kind community.

On any team, at any level of sport there are going to be better players than others. Some

kids will have more playing time then others. Depending on the sport that they are playing, kids

may never play. There are those that see that sports are getting competitive quicker. More kids

are choosing or are being told to spend all-year around omn one sport in order to be the best at it.

On a Saturday morning you may hear parents criticizing every move a coach makes. Yelling

obscenities at officials, other parents or even their child who is playing in the game.

In the article, “What’s Wrong with Youth Sports Culture?” It emphasizes: Studies have

shown that parents who are overly involved in their child’s athletic life do more damage than

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those who simply show up for the game and offer appropriate encouragement. In fact, one study

characterized parental support as not becoming “over-involved” with their child’s sports

participation and instead, providing emotional and tangible support. Researchers found that

over-involvement (such as screaming from the sidelines or offering coaching advice) was linked

to increased stress in their children.

When parents behave in this manner it is more likely that their kid will not continue to

play the sport into their high school years. Kids are more likely to quit their sport when there is

an immense amount of pressure put on them to perform by their parents. Some may see sports as

a distraction from activities such as academics or devoting time to family or friends, “Experts

said a child's age should equal the number of hours they should spend in sports training each

week. An example would be if a child is 12 years old, they shouldn't practice or play more than

12 hours a week” (Kustura). Although there are many benefits to playing sports as a youth, those

benefits decrease as parents are more involved in the game than their child. Finding a balance

between sports and other activities has proved fatal. Several suspect it is entirely possible that

kids are focused too fully on winning and are spending too much time on their sport; they are

missing the point of why they are playing. They miss the opportunities to grow as a person which

ultimately makes playing sports have a negative impact on a child where they are not as likely to

become a valuable contributor to the community.

In an interview with Mike Shaugnessy, a basketball trainer and the head varsity

basketball coach at Northgate High School. He trains kids of all ages for countless hours every

week. Shaugnessy is the CEO of PointForward basketball and is the Head Coach of the

Lakeshow 16 and under Amature Athletic Union team, one of the top competitive basketball

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programs in all of Northern California. He describes his favorite part of his profession this way:

“I enjoy working with good people. I have been blessed to work with good kids and good people.

I often find that the kids I work with are good students, good community members and good sons

or daughters. I have to assume that it's because they have good role models. I hope that I can be a

role model to them.” He explained the joy he feels in helping the people he works with improve

and getting to see that improvement. Shaughnessy also enjoys building relationships with his

players. He attempts to teach them “life” skills through the sport of basketball but admits there

are coaches and parents that do not do a good job of this. They focus more on winning and less

on the skills that will help them after the players' careers are over. He wants his players to

become the best version of themselves both on and off the court. This is something that has been

a theme in both of the interviews. Ellison explained it this way “ I tell my teams all the time.

What type of person do you want to be? You gotta wake up every single day and say to yourself,

‘How am I gonna be the best version of myself today.”

There are some athletic trainers and coaches that have the dedication that both Ellion and

Shangnessy have. The opposite is also true. There are those who are selfish and care to only get

personal gain from what they do. The task is finding the right people. Research has proven that

when you find those people, the possibilities for growth and improvement are endless. The

advantages that those youth get can help them as they mature through adulthood and even right

then and there.

It can help them become better community members now, “Playing a sport requires a lot

of time and energy…Sports require memorization, repetition and learning — skill sets that are

directly relevant to class work. Also, the determination and goal-setting skills a sport requires

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can be transferred to the classroom.”(Benefits of Sports for Adolescents). Goal setting can be a

crucial part in your improvement as a human being. Whether those goals are sports related or

not. When you set goals, whether big or small, and you follow through, people feel as if they

have accomplished something. In a book titled Atomic Habits author James Clear states that,

“Success is a product of daily habits-not once-in-a-lifetime transformation” Setting goals is a

recurrent theme in sports. It is shown that 85 percent of people in the United States have a self

esteem problem (Alton). As you complete goals you have a higher self esteem. They go hand

and hand. As you set goals and accomplish them there is a certain satisfaction. Accomplishing

goals will result in new goals. You can then grow both physically and mentally.

The most obvious benefit that comes from youth sports is physical health. When a kid

plays sports they are significantly more active. Depending on how dedicated a person is they

could be very active and fit “The Aspen Institute examined the top 10 cities in the American

Fitness Index to understand the values, capital and financial investments, and environments of a

community that invests in sport and recreation. The cities with the highest scores are considered

to have a strong community fitness, a concept comparable to individuals having strong personal

fitness"(“Youth Sports Facts”). Exercise is the best thing to stay healthy and a study found that

exercise prevents chronic diseases better than medication does.

The key to making sports a benefit for a child is the atmosphere. Many programs

describe the atmosphere and what their goals are for the children in their mission statements. For

example, on the Ballet School’s website here in walnut creek they explain the atmosphere at the

school “It is my continued goal as director and owner of the school to continue to inspire and

teach excellence in the classroom, as well as create a safe environment to grow and learn. It is

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very important to me to have an excellent teaching staff in the classroom who are wonderful role

models for the students to look up to” (“About Ballet School”). The atmosphere that is claimed

to be created in the ballet is one that, if strived for, would be a great example to other

extracurricular sports and activities programs.

Through the writing and researching for my senior project paper there has been an

immense amount of new knowledge that has come to my attention within the world of

extracurricular sports. After having played sports my entire life I have known the good and the

bad that comes with it. I understood the health and physical benefits that come when someone is

actively playing a sport. I have seen those who have decided to stop playing because they no

longer want to deal with the competiness and pressure of it.

Additionally however I have come to know new and exciting benefits. The social aspect

of it all. How when you are put in a good environment your self esteem with boost and you will

be able to build relationships. I have seen these benefits in my own life through playing sports. I

have built relationships with coaches and peers that are beyond the sport we play together.

Through accomplishing goals I have found joy and felt proud of myself because of what I have

accomplished. I have been able to distinguish right from wrong. And learned to work hard

because I wanted to.

I feel as if I had a positive youth sports experience. I learned a vast amount as well as had

relationships and experiences that will last forever. Through researching, writing and pondering

my senior project question I truly believe that when a young person participates in

extracurricular sports and is placed in a good environment that they have a superior impact on

the community compared to those who do not. They are able to make connections, learn how to

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understand others with different backgrounds, work hard at things they are passionate about and

be able to be independent in their choices. I believe more kids should play sports as a youth. I

believe that they should not be so competitive at such a young age. As a result of this happening

we would have a happier, healthier and more loving society where people are more open to

accepting others for their differences.

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Works Cited

“About | balletschool.” The Ballet School, https://theballetschool.org/about/. Accessed 21 March

2022.

Alton, Larry. “Why low self-esteem may be hurting you at work.” NBC News, 15 November

2017,

http://nbcnews.com/better/business/why-low-self-esteem-may-be-hurting-your-career-nc

na814156. Accessed 21 March 2022.

“Benefits of Sports for Adolescents.” University of Missouri Health Care,

https://www.muhealth.org/conditions-treatments/pediatrics/adolescent-medicine/benefits-

of-sports. Accessed 21 March 2022.

Bradley, Matt. “5 Huge Problems with Youth Sports in the US.” Ollie Sports, 22 January 2020,

https://www.olliesports.com/post/5-huge-problems-with-youth-sports-in-the-us. Accessed

17 March 2022.

Christison, Claudette. “The Benefits of Participating in Extracurricular Activities Claudette

Christison.” ERIC, https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1230758.pdf. Accessed 17 March

2022.

Clear, James. Atomic Habits: The Life-Changing Million-copy #1 Bestseller. Random House

Busines Books, 2018.

Ellison, Marcus. Assistant Director Norcal Elite. Personal Interview. 6 March 2022.

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“Infographic: The Benefits of Youth Sports.” Athletic Business, 18 July 2017,

https://www.athleticbusiness.com/operations/programming/article/15151133/infographic-

the-benefits-of-youth-sports. Accessed 17 March 2022.

Kustura, Anthony. “Experts say hours spent practicing sports each week should equal children's

age.” WSOC TV, 18 October 2019,

https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/experts-say-children-s-age-should-equal-amount-of-

hours-practicing-sports-each-week/998972019/. Accessed 21 March 2022.

Shaughnessy, Michael. Head Varsity Coach Northgate Men's basketball. Personal Interview. 16

March 2022.

“What's Wrong with Youth Sports Culture? (Hint: It's Not the Players).” Live Like Sam, 21

August 2019,

https://livelikesam.org/whats-wrong-with-youth-sports-culture-hint-its-not-the-players/.

Accessed 21 March 2022.

Wilson, Nikki. “Impact of Extracurricular Activities on Students by Nikki Wilson A Research

Paper Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requir.” UW-Stout,

https://www2.uwstout.edu/content/lib/thesis/2009/2009wilsonn.pdf. Accessed 17 March

2022.

“Youth Sports Facts: Benefits — The Aspen Institute Project Play.” The Aspen Institute Project

Play, 4 May 2021, https://www.aspenprojectplay.org/youth-sports/facts/benefits.

Accessed 17 March 2022.

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