THE EFFECT OF SPORT ON CHILDREN ZACH BADEN, BEN NICHOLAS, ERIN NICHOLSON, ZACK REYNONLDS, TAYLOR WISEMAN

WHY DO CHILDREN PLAY SPORTS? An aggregate of studies 25 years ago in 1989 reported that children’s motives for playing sports fell into 6 major categories: (Weiss 2013) Improving Skills Being with Friends Having Fun Becoming Physically Fit Enjoying the Challenges Experiencing Success

Likewise the same study found a similar group of reasons why children resisted participation: negative coaching skills not improving feeling pressured lack of fun being injured wanting to try other things WHY DO CHILDREN PLAY SPORTS? telegraph.co.uk

Since those studies, researchers have found one other major factor that especially determines if a child will stick with a sport and that is the perception of competence. This is the sum of everything that goes into how a child sees themselves as an athlete, including the desire to develop and demonstrate physical skills, physical fitness, body attractiveness and overall athletic prowess PERCEPTION OF COMPETENCE

HOW HAVE THOSE REASONS CHANGED? Wiess’s research indicates that a child’s belief in their physical prowess and experience of success and reward are becoming increasingly important with more demands for kid’s attention. Children today are more frequently put off by failure or a negative experience – very predictable in our highly reactionary society

POSITIVES EFFECTS OF SPORT Sports can help with the social and physical development of children, notes the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry's website, as these activities get children exercising and interacting with their peers Sports provide a place in which a child can express and refine his/her identity.

SPORTS VS ACADEMICS Children’s participation in sports has been correlated with a greater enjoyment of school, the likelihood of going to college and eventually graduate, a higher grade-point average in 12th grade and more total years of education. NCAA loves to report that African American student- athletes are more likely to graduate than their non- athlete peers /

NEGATIVES OF SPORT PARTICIPATION When children fail to live up to expectations, it can hurt their self-confidence and lead to developmental problems, notes HealthyChildren.org m

SPORTS BURNOUT Burnout is part of a spectrum of conditions that includes over- reaching and overtraining. It has been defined to occur as a result of chronic stress that causes a young athlete to cease participation in a previously enjoyable activity. Sport specialization may be a factor (Benjamin 2013) By age 13, 70 percent of kids drop out of youth sports. The top three reasons: adults, coaches and parents.

SPORTS INJURIES AND CONCUSSIONS High school athletes account for an estimated 2 million injuries and 500,000 doctor visits and 30,000 hospitalizations each year. Children ages 5 to 14 account for nearly 40 percent of all sports- related injuries treated in hospitals. On average the rate and severity of injury increases with a child's age. Injuries associated with participation in sports and recreational activities account for 21 percent of all traumatic brain injuries among children in the United States.

Ohio Department of Health is required to post free training programs that train coaches and referees in recognizing the signs and symptoms of concussions and head injuries. Athletes ages 16 to 19 sustain 29 percent of all sports-related concussions. A 2011 study of U.S. high school with at least one certified athletic trainer on staff found that concussions accounted for nearly 15 percent of all sports-related injuries reported to ATs, which resulted in a loss of at least one day of play. According to the same study, concussion rates doubled in one decade.

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SOURCES: Weiss, Maureen R. "Back To The Future: Research Trends In Youth Motivation And Physical Activity." Pediatric Exercise Science 25.4 (2013): SPORTDiscus with Full Text. Web. 15 Apr Youth Sports Injuries Statistics. (n.d.). Statistics. Retrieved April 21, 2014, from Barton, L. (n.d.). Concussion Statistics for High School Sports. MomsTeam. Retrieved April 21, 2014, from high-school-sports Bass, A. (2010, April 14). How Do Sports Affect America's Youth?. LIVESTRONG.COM. Retrieved April 16, 2014, from affect-americas-youth/

Davidson, J. (2014, January 30). The Impact of Sports on Youth Development. LIVESTRONG.COM. Retrieved April 16, 2014, from development/ Silverman, S. (2013, August 16). The Negative Effects of Youth Sports. LIVESTRONG.COM. Retrieved April 16, 2014, from