Question

Please answer in an essay format of 350 words.

Describe what you believe is the major problem about sport specialization that is facing youth sports today and then discuss possible solutions or recommendations to decrease the problem you selected. Add facts and examples to your responds.

Answer 1

There are various problems being faced by youths of today in sports specialization:

1. Winning is the central point of focus. The entire concentration of team members, coach, sponsors, relatives and friends of team members, etc. is on winning. There is least interest in thrill or enjoyment factor.
2. Children are not just guided to choose sports specialization, they are often being forced.
3. Person is valued less than game. This means that games are of more importance than health of individual players. As a result, their health is ignored and youth suffer injuries due to intense workouts or straining practices.
4. Parents and coaches exert too much pressure on children. This can be in terms of performance or accuracy or dedication.
5. Children are often not given their due freedom to decide their favorite sport. Their family and peers influence their choices to a great extent.

According to me, the 1st problem mentioned above is the main problem which the youth of today face with respect to sports specialization. Following are steps than can be taken to eliminate or minimize this problem:

1. Focus must be on happiness and enjoyment and not on winning alone.
2. Personal biases must not interfere with the concept of sports.
3. Sports are for thrill and adventure. They must be treated as a medium for young to express their skills and abilities.
4. Winning and loosing must not be taken personally by any members or non-members.
5. Sportsmen should be given opportunity to experiment new tactics, new games, etc.
6. Stress-relieving events are a must. This will ensure children are less stressed and more happy.
7. Children must be given freedom to express their opinions and feelings.
8. No sports must be under-evaluated.
9. Sportsmen spirit must be inculcated and promoted

We often see that the children of highly-acclaimed sportsmen and sportswomen are looked upto for great achievements in the same field. However, not always are they able to live upto the expectations of others as well as their parents. For example, a son of a cricketer is expected to be a highly skilled cricketer only. But he may turnout to be a specialist in any other sports say, football or baseball. But due to the high amount pressure he may not be able to express his true feelings and may be forced to play cricket instead. As a result, the nation looses the opportunity of gaining a highly-skilled footballer and achieves a poorly-skilled cricketer.