Sports and children

1. Sports and children Notebook: Kids And Sports (CBS News) - YouTube

2. Origin and Development of Organized Youth Sports • People began to realize that the social environment influences the character and behavior of children • Sports were supposed to teach boys how to cooperate and work together, and turn them into strong, assertive, competitive men • Most programs were for boys age 8-14 in the U.S. and girls were given the hope of becoming HS cheerleaders

3. 5 Factors Related to the Popularity of Organized Youth Sports • 1- # of families with both parents working has increased (ASP) • 2- Significant changes in what it means to be a good parent • 3- Informal child controlled activities often provide occasions for children to cause trouble • 4- Outside the home has become dangerous • 5- The visibility of high-performance and professional sports has increased people’s awareness of organized sports as part of a culture

4. Trends in Youth Sports • Organized programs are becoming privatized • Sponsored by private and commercial organizations • Programs are emphasizing the performance ethic • Increase in the # of elite sport training facilities • Many programs encourage exclusive attention to a single sport • Participation in alternative sports has increased • Popularity is based on children’s reactions against the highly structured character of adult-controlled organized sports

5. Informal Player Controlled Sports • 1- Emphasize action which will lead to scoring • No strikes or balls • 2- Challenging or exciting experience • 3- Opportunities to reaffirm friendships during games • Problems • Bigger and older kids exploited smaller and weaker • Girls and others were excluded from games • When space is a problem many don’t get the opportunity to play

6. Formal Adult Controlled Sports • 1- Adults determine and enforce the rules • 2- Plan strategies and call plays • 3- Solve problems • 4- Controlled schedules and playing times • Less skilled sat on sidelines • 5-Deviance occurred more often • 6- Status on teams depends on the coaches’ assessment of physical skills

7. When are Children Ready to Play Organized Competitive Sports • 8 years old-children begin to develop the cognitive and social abilities they need to fully understand the complex social relationships involved in most competitive sports • Beehive soccer • Parents may accuse kids of not trying or having a bad attitude • 12- abilities are fully developed for most children

8. Family and Organized Sports • Pressure on children • If they quit, they feel their parents may withdraw support and attention • If they play sports but don’t perform well, they fear their parents will criticize them • If they perform well, they fear they will be treated like “little pros” instead of children • 70% of children drop out by age 13

9. Roles • Mothers- drive children to practices and games, fix meals at convenient times, wash dirty uniforms, make sure equipment is safe, raise funds for teams/leagues, prepare food for pre-post games, make phone calls about schedule changes, provide emotional support when athletes play bad • Fathers- handle on the field administrative matters (coaching, field maintenance, league admin)

10. Gender Differences in Children • Boys popularity depends on… • Athletic ability • Toughness • coolness • Girls popularity depends on… • Families social status • Physical appearance • Grooming behavior • Relationships with boys • Grades in school

11. Gender Difference in Children • Fathers play with their sons more often in more physically active ways • Boys are more likely than girls to think they are better than they actually are when it comes to sports skills • Changing Children’s Sports • How can we make a better sporting environment for our children