Recreational Sports for Adolescents: The Pros, Cons, and What to Look For

Recreational sports can create lifelong physical activity routines, help build confidence, and much more…but how much is too much?

Positive Impacts of Sport Participation

Participation in youth recreational sports has numerous physical, developmental, and physiological benefits. It can set kids up for a healthy lifestyle as it keeps them active and moving while decreasing sedentary and screen time. This is important today, as the number of obese children in America has more than tripled since the 1970s, with 1 in 5 children, ages 6 – 19 years, being affected (CDC, 2018).Excess weight puts children at higher risk of physical ailments, as well as psychological consequences such as depression and low self-esteem. To help combat this trend, the recently updated physical activity guidelines recommend that children and adolescents, ages 6 to 17 years, do at least one hour of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity daily (HHS 2018). In 2016, only 28% of adolescents in Montana met this target (CDC, 2018).

Participation in sports can be a great way for kids to meet physical activity guidelines, which ultimately reduces risk of becoming overweight and/or obese, increases cardiovascular fitness, helps facilitate healthy growth of bones and muscles, improves coordination and balance, and helps with sleep regulation (Merkel, 2013). There are also mental health benefits, as youth in sports often exhibit greater confidence, decreased stress and improved cognition. Sports participation provides an avenue for kids to learn important life skills including sportsmanship, perseverance, patience, and respect, and can encourage them to stay away from high-risk activities such as smoking and taking illicit drugs.

Benefits of team vs. individual sports

Team sports may help increase:

•§ Cooperation

•§ Teamwork

• Sharing

• Communication

Individual sports may help increase:

•§ Independence

•§ Mental strength

• Self-reliance

• Self-motivation

Team and individual sports can provide distinct benefits. Individual sports can be helpful for children with sensory and socialization disorders because they help develop self-esteem, focus and social skills.

A healthy recreational sports environment is critical to ensuring that kids reap benefits, rather than risk falling victim to some negative consequences that may also occur.

Potential Negative Impacts

Physical The risk of sports injuries is a present and growing concern. Coaches may be untrained in strength and conditioning principles, emergency management of injuries, and/or basic first aid, all of which can result in an increased rate and severity of injury (Merkel, 2013). Additionally, since adolescents’ skeletal systems are still growing, broken bones are more common and require longer periods of rest to heal fully. A recent development is the push for exclusive specialization in one sport, year-round, which eliminates the ability for young athletes to cross train with other sports and reduces rest and recovery time. This can lead to overuse issues and increased risk of early burnout.

Psychological Over-invested parents and coaches may set unrealistic performance goals and encourage youth to participate beyond interest and readiness (when motor skills match the requirements of the sport). High levels of performance pressure can cause anxiety and burnout, and place strain on athlete and parent/coach relationships. For adolescents, it can also foster a delusion that performance is tied to their own self-worth and/or others’ happiness. On the other hand, an inflated valuation of sports and athleticism can instill young athletes with an exaggerated sense of self when they perform well. When left unaddressed, this can hinder the development of values such as modesty and humility (Eime et al., 2013).

Causes and Symptoms of BurnoutCauses

•§ Not enough rest

•§ Too much pressure

The sense that self-worth is tied to performance Symptoms

•§ Physical fatigue

•§ Difficulty focusing

•§ Frequent illnesses, chronic injuries

•§ Loss of fun and meaning

Performance/behavioral problems

FinancialConsidering the cost of uniforms, equipment, league fees, and travel expenses, recreational sports can cause a financial burden. Many families sacrifice savings, vacations, and a healthy family structure to support a child’s sport endeavors. Although parents may think excellence in sports will later pay for college expenses, the reality is that most athletes will not receive enough financial support to cover the cost of today’s tuition. Often, the financial investment early in a child’s sports career exceeds the value of future sports scholarships (Hyman, 2012).

References

Center for Disease Control. 2018. Division of Population Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Childhood Obesity Facts.

Eime, et al. 2013. A systematic review of the psychological and social benefits of participation in sport for children and adolescents. International journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity 10:1: 98.

Hyman M. 2012. The Most Expensive Game in Town. The Rising Cost of Youth Sports and the Toll on Today’s Families. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.

Merkel, Donna L. 2013. Youth sport: positive and negative impact on young athletes. Open access journal of sports medicine 4: 151.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2018. Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. �

HELP CREATE A POSITIVE RECREATIONAL SPORTS EXPERIENCE

Remember the primary goal is that kids have fun: Sports satisfaction surveys reveal that ‘having fun’ is the primary reason kids enjoy organized sports, while parents’ perception of why children like to play is to ‘win’ (Merkel 2013). Keep ‘fun’ and the goals of activity and a positive experience at the forefront of sports discussion with kids.

Avoid letting kids think your happiness is tied to their performance: You never want a child to think they let someone down by not playing their best. Be careful with the language you use – saying ‘we won’ after a child’s game or match may cause them a heightened amount of stress and anxiety.

Try a mix of team and individual sports: Since both have unique benefits, provide a child the opportunity to try both. Diversifying will also decrease the likelihood of overuse and injury and increase the child’s skill set as different sports have different physical demands and skill requirements.

Help reduce the likelihood of injury: Parents and community members can help facilitate injury reduction by ensuring the appropriate fit and use of equipment, enforcing safety rules in practice and competition, adjusting for environmental conditions (i.e. postponing a competition in extreme heat), and ensuring that coaches are trained in basic first aid and CPR.

Research organizations that promote a positive youth sports environment, such as:

–– The Aspen Institute Project Play: https://www.aspenprojectplay.org/

–– Women’s Sports Foundation: https://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/

STOP sports injuries: http://www.stopsportsinjuries.org/

– – HEADS UP to Youth Sports: https://www.cdc.gov/headsup/youthsports/ index.html

by Michelle Grocke MSU Extension Health and Wellness Specialist