Nearly every child, at one point or another in his young and impressionable life, has particiapated Whether it is a pick-up basketball game at a playground after school, or organizedLittle League, complete with ninety-foot bases and replicated major league uniforms, sports playan intricate part of the development and maturation of a youngster. Beneath its presumed purity,however, lies an occasionally seedy underbelly. Win-at-all cost coaches and tyrannical,overbearing parents have turned this innocent recreational activity into a nightmarish hell forsome juvenile participants, and have left many wondering if sports is a helpful or a harmful stagein a childs life.Conventional wisdom tells us that the greatest rewards obtained by sport participation ishow it enhances ones growth physically. A valid point, yes, but that cannot be the only reason. Ifso, how can you explain coaches and parents who take their amateur atheletes out for greasypizza or fattening ice cream the minute after the last pitch is thrown or the final goal is scored? Ina recent survey conducted by Sean Slade in the March 1999 addition of The Journal of PhysicalEducation, Recreation, and Dance, 250 families who had children in grades three through fivewere asked a simple question: Why do you want your child playing sports as they grow up?Astoundingly, the responses were three-to-one in favor of the mental, rather than the physicalbenefits that sports has to offer(Slade 1999). Parents stated that aside from buidling muscles and strength, sports gives children achance to learn about sportsmanship, teamwork, persistence, fair play, self-esteem, and above all,enjoyment. Sports also offers a wide variety of mental and social gifts. Children learn from earlyage that unless everyone participates and everyone succeeds, the ultimate goal cannot be reached.And for those who were a bit down on themselves because their grades are not as a high as afriend or a sibling, their self-es...
