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EDITORIAL: THE VALUE OF SPORTS TO YOUTH AND SOCIETY

By Anthonia Edgren (RPTA '12), Editor, The Report

Most of us have played sports at some point in our lives. Most likely, we were children and the sport was being offered through an afterschool program, or by a local chapter of AYSO or YMCA. Either way, sports were a part of our youth. However, few of us realize how important youth sports really were in our lives. When someone asks, “Did you play sports?” and you reply "Yes, I played soccer from the time I was five until high school," it seems like it's no big deal. It is a big deal! As a child you learned key elements in that game of soccer that helped you succeed in life. Sport not only teaches physical skills but also teaches values and life lessons. Some sports emphasize teamwork, “You have to pass the ball Timmy;” or leadership, “You are team captain, so you need to take charge;” and determination, “You can do it! On any given day, anyone could win.” The list goes on and on about what can be learned by playing a sport, but more investment should be put into sport at all levels.

Sports in general build character, keep kids off streets, encourage healthy lifestyles, and give them something to be proud of. Youth sports give children other networks of support as well; a team they can call a family, a coach they can look up to, and friends they can fall back on. In today’s society, where so much emphasis is placed on technology and advancement of video games, those who still play youth sports should be admired. Though it’s often challenging, Wii Tennis does not count as a youth sport, and playing Madden EA Sports for 5 hours doesn’t count either. Actually going outside to a field or gym or court and playing and running around and screaming if necessary, that is youth sports.

When children go to high school, they take those values they learned in their early youth sports career with them. Granted, they expand on the basic values, but those staples help them excel on and off the field. Why shouldn’t everyone play youth sports? Well, they should. Yet, the cost of youth and interscholastic sport participation is continuing to rise, as many struggling school systems across the nation institute "Pay to Play" policies in order to continue to offer programs. Community recreation programs were long ago forced into fees for participation. Most cities try to make youth sports available to everyone and affordable and accessible, but it continues to be more and more difficult to do so. We as citizens need to recognize the value that youth sports play in our communities and rally to help. What will you do to help offset this growing issue and help give today's youth the same chance that you had to participate?

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