Eli Sirota

Mr.Smith

Junior ELA

6 November 2023

The Effect Sports has on Adolescents

Adolescent sports can lead to immediate and long-term improvements in the youth.

Sports are good for kids to play in their youth and help many kids develop the necessary skills

needed for adulthood and create great exercising habits. Although many find youth sports

involving contact to be hazardous to children, and even in some cases it can jeopardize their

health later in life, youth sports provide children with an opportunity to develop necessary life

skills and are a great source of exercise.

Youth sports provide a source of stress-relieving activity that can help introduce exercise

habits to kids. For example “adolescents who play sports are eight times more likely to be

physically active at age 24 than those who do not play”(Scripps). Creating healthy habits for

adulthood can set kids up for success and can guide them down the right path as 42 percent of

adults in the United States have obesity. In addition to the physical benefits exercise reaps,

exercise can also greatly benefit your mental health. Research suggests that “exercise causes

your body to release endorphins, the chemicals in your brain that relieve pain and stress. It also

reduces the levels of stress hormones, cortisol, and adrenaline” (WebMD). Reducing stress

naturally allows children to learn how to cope with their emotions and teaches them how to

resolve their mental challenges. Reducing levels of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline

allows kids to be less prone to a stressful life. However, sports can create cortisol and raise stress

levels because kids who play can be stressed from the high levels of competition and
responsibilities maintained while playing. Otherwise, this great source of exercise allows

children to cope with stress and teaches them how to live as healthy adults later in life.

In addition, sports allow kids to develop necessary life skills that will benefit them later

in life. This idea is expanded on by Health Direct by claiming that “playing sports helps children

learn to control their emotions and healthily channel negative feelings. It also helps children

develop patience and understand that improving their skills can take a lot of

practice”(HealthDirect). During adolescent years kids learn how to behave around their peers

and shape their habits for adulthood. Youth sports can also help teach kids to control their

emotions and allow them to gain an understanding of work ethic. However, some coaches and

parents set bad examples by exposing their kids to bad sportsmanship because of the competitive

nature of sports. Furthermore, sports can teach kids how to communicate with their peers and can

improve their social skills because “playing on a team teaches children how to compromise,

cooperate, and problem-solve with others. This valuable experience helps them in all aspects of

life, from school to work”(I9Sports). Communication is a skill that most have trouble learning

and even schools promote a sense of individualism when working. Promoting necessary skills

such as communication and teamwork prepares them better for their future. Moreover, sports can

develop a kid's communication skills and teach them to control their emotions.

Some believe that contact sports do not affect their children's future health, but in many

cases, it has been proven that contact sports can jeopardize health. One of the most serious

injuries suffered through contact sports is “Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), which is a

progressive neurodegenerative disease caused by repetitive blows to the head and

concussions.”(RecognitionHealth). Although this is a very serious condition that can be caused

by repetitive blows to the head, this is very uncommon to get by playing youth sports and is
usually obtained at professional levels of competition, and affects less than 1 percent of the

population. Furthermore, less significant musculoskeletal injuries are very common amongst

young athletes, and around “one-third of all injuries incurred in childhood are sports-related

injuries. By far, the most common injuries are sprains and strains”(Diaz). Although minor

injuries can cost money to treat, they are so insignificant to a growing kid that it doesn't affect

their development or jeopardize their future. Although injuries can be sustained while playing

contact sports most are either insignificant or extremely rare.

Children learn various lessons and healthy habits through their involvement in sports.

Youth sports can teach kids how to develop necessary life skills and prepare them for the future

by creating healthy habits, but in some cases, contact sports can jeopardize their long-term

health. Along with these great benefits of playing sports, kids often make lifelong friends and

create special bonds with their teammates that are more valued than anything.
 Works Cited

Brennan, Dan. “How Sports Can Help Reduce Stress and Ease Depression.” WebMD, 25 October

2021, https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/benefits-of-sports-for-mental-health.

Accessed 9 November 2023.

“Developing life skills through sports | healthdirect.” Healthdirect,

https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/developing-life-skills-through-sports. Accessed 9

November 2023.

Díaz, Raúl. “.” . - YouTube, 2 October 2022,

https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=sports-injury-statistics-90-P02787

%200the,deactivated%20and%20 lost%2C%20 causing%20a. Accessed 9 November

2023.

Díaz, Raúl. “.” . - YouTube, 2 October 2022,

https://education.msu.edu/sport-coaching-leadership/uncategorized/the-reality-of-teachin

g-life-skills-through-. Accessed 9 November 2023.

“Repetitive Head Injuries in Contact Sports.” Re: Cognition Health,

https://recognitionhealth.com/repetitive-head-injuries-in-contact-sports/. Accessed 9

November 2023.

“What Are the Health Benefits of Youth Team Sports?” Scripps Health, 16 March 2023,

https://www.scripps.org/news_items/7580-what-are-the-surprising-benefits-of-youth-spor

ts-programs. Accessed 9 November 2023.

Youth Sports Programs for Kids, Leagues, Camps & Clinics |, https://www.i9sports.com.

Accessed 9 November 2023.

 H Argument Essay Rubric

Skill Not Yet Foundational Proficient Advanced

Identifies a basic claim Appears in first Thesis establishes a

Thesis paragraph complex claim

Thesis establishes a Establishes

topic and a claim counter-argument in
claim

Topic sentences Topic sentences have Topic sentences have

Claims/Reasons contain basic claims clear and distinct clear and distinct
claims that relate to claims that relate to
the thesis the thesis and make
nuanced points that
consider alternate
perspectives or
counterarguments

Uses some brief Uses multiple pieces Uses a variety of

Evidence examples, or one of evidence (personal evidence (see
example, to support experience, anecdotes, previous column) that
each claim; may all be survey, research etc.) supports each claim;
personal experience to support each claim different types of
evidence in each body
paragraph

Use of reliable outside

sources

Brief explanation of Explains how Provides strong

Analysis how evidence evidence supports explanations of how
supports topic topic sentence/claim evidence supports
sentence of individual of individual topic sentence and the
paragraphs paragraphs and the thesis while also
thesis considering
counterarguments
Includes at least 2
concessions in body Seamlessly mentions
paragraphs concession, and offers
response/rebuttal

Counter- Makes some mention Structure Well-structured and

Argument of opposing argument counter-argument effective
which: counter-argument
Mentions the which:
opposing argument, Establishes an aspect
some mention of how of the opposing
 opposing argument argument, clearly and
may be disproven logically disproves the
argument
Some elements missing Heading is correctly No errors in MLA
MLA Format or some errors in MLA formatted format
format
Pages are numbered

In-text citations are

correctly formatted (if
sources are used)

Works Cited format:

hanging indent,
double-spaced,
alphabetized, starts on
a new page (if sources
are used)

Works Cited: each

source entry is in
correct MLA format (if
sources are used)
Shows evidence of Quotes are correctly Quotes are correctly
Conventions basic proofreading integrated most of the integrated
time (if sources are
used) Shows evidence of
careful proofreading
Follows essay
organization (claims in Includes fluid
topic sentence; transitions between
evidence; analysis; ideas
concluding sentences)
Eliminates wordiness
Shows evidence of
proofreading

Utilizes mostly simple Some varied sentence Constantly varied

Fluency sentence structures structures sentence structures

Some use of advanced Advanced use of

vocabulary vocabulary; including
use of active verbs