“Imagine crying because you struck out,” my eight-year-old son said with disgust as we got in the car after one of his baseball games. Upon striking out, one of his teammates returned to the dugout in tears. My son’s eyebrows went up when he saw the other boy’s mother enter the dugout and hold him while he cried. “Bro, I would be so embarrassed if Mom came into the dugout,” he told me, “everyone strikes out.”
Competition has always been important to society because it provides a low-stakes way to practice skills that matter in every arena of life. Beyond the excitement of competition and the thrill of winning, sports, especially for children, offer significant developmental advantages. Participating in sports will impact a child's personality, expose them to valuable life lessons (such as how to cope with failure), and lay the groundwork for staying physically fit throughout life.
So many parents just want to "raise good kids," but they should aim to raise independent adults. Players who excel on the field—and even in a supporting role from the bench—carry what they learn from sports into every aspect of their lives. Sports can help grow strong, capable, and responsible young people who are prepared to confront the world with courage.
Historically, sports have been a crucial part of every human culture for as long as we have records. The Greeks founded the Olympics. They believed that developing the body gave rise to a sound mind. Native American cultures integrated sports like lacrosse into societal norms, teaching young members about strategy, teamwork, and endurance. Throughout the centuries, the role of sports in society and the sports themselves have evolved. And yet, competition endures for reasons that are self-evident—they are a means through which much growth and development may be achieved.
Sports are more vital than ever in today's fast-paced environment when children are frequently computer-dependent and becoming more sedentary. Sports can counteract these trends by encouraging physical activity, social connection, and the development of responsibility and self-discipline. Kids who participate in sports gain physical endurance and coordination, learn how to handle difficult social circumstances, and understand the importance of dedication and hard work.
If adults allow it, sports can profoundly impact children's lives in a positive way. Three significant areas where sports participation can really benefit kids are:
Physical Development: Playing sports can enhance a person's range of motion, fitness, and capacity to make wise lifestyle decisions.
Social Development: Playing sports enables kids to make relationships with peers and adults outside their parents, improve communication skills, and learn how to function as individuals in a larger group.
Personal Responsibility: Children develop accountability, self-reliance, and self-control.
On the physical front, regular activity improves cardiovascular health, strengthens muscles, enhances flexibility, and helps maintain a healthy weight. It also contributes to better sleep and higher energy levels. As I said, this is self-evident, but if you're not convinced, there are plenty of scientific studies you may consult.
Taking the field (or court) will also foster social skills through teamwork, communication, and learning to follow coach instructions. It will also help kids learn how to fit in socially - which can depend on where they fit in talent-wise - build relationships (if not friendships) with peers, and develop a sense of being part of a community that is working toward common goals (winning is not the only one).
Sports are an opportunity to teach children to handle success with humility and failure with poise. Lessons about resilience, perseverance, and coping with failure continually present themselves in sports. If these lessons are received, emotional maturity and self-confidence will result.
Regular practice and commitment to a sport require discipline and responsibility. Children learn to manage their time, set goals, and work towards them, instilling a strong sense of personal responsibility. They also learn more basic skills, like being responsible for their own belongings. How many times has a young ballplayer been ready to head out to practice and been delayed because he can't find his glove? I suppose it happens to everyone at some point, but some kids would forget their own heads if they weren't attached to their necks.
Despite the benefits noted above, misconceptions about children and sports persist. One such misconception is the idea that sports are only for naturally athletic children. Every child can gain something from sports, regardless of their natural athletic ability. The focus should be on personal improvement and growth rather than personal dominance and winning. Natural athleticism is relative, anyway. Part of the parent's responsibility is finding an appropriate talent pool for their child. Youth sports consist of many levels of play. If parents evaluate their children objectively, it isn't hard to get them into a level of play where they can have some modicum of success.
Another misconception is that early specialization in a single sport is necessary for success. Well, if the goal is to make your child into an android that hits every baseball into the stratosphere, that might be the approach you want to take. But for those of us just trying to do the best we can for our children, we do well to be aware that research shows early specialization can lead to burnout and overuse injuries. Encouraging children to try multiple sports can lead to better overall athletic development and a lifelong love of physical activity. You'd be surprised how, for example, playing football benefits a baseball player. Nolan Ryan used to throw a football regularly during his long career as a Major League pitcher.
A lot of folks (probably most folks) would argue that sports are secondary to academics. I'm not going to make the case that sports are more important than school, but I would caution parents who see sports as a distant second (especially those who view them as unnecessary) not to underestimate their value. The previously discussed benefits of sports are just as important as knowledge. Sports and physical activity contribute significantly to cognitive development and academic performance, but sports also teach a hierarchy of values that modern education tries to avoid. Not all things are equally important, and striving to win a game of baseball, for example, may teach a child to sacrifice themselves—to bunt a teammate over, for example—because helping his team is more important than improving his batting average. A balanced approach to child rearing that includes sports is essential for holistic development.
If you're of the mind that sports are too competitive and stressful for young children, consider what I said earlier about finding your child an appropriately competitive level of play. There is a lot of variance out there, starting with recreational leagues (typically the lowest level of organized play) and going up through many levels of select organizations. While some select environments can be overly competitive, recreational leagues typically focus on fun, basic skill development, and being part of a team. Finding a level of play that aligns with a child's athletic ability and spirit of competitiveness is essential to helping the child reap the full benefits of participation. Being a big fish in a little pond is no more helpful than being a minnow in a lake full of bass.
I sincerely believe that understanding the benefit of sports to childhood development requires a holistic perspective. It's not about becoming the very best—though we certainly want kids to strive for their very best—it's about putting them in a position to grow and develop. The goal is to create an environment where children can develop their abilities so they can grow into competent adults. By embracing sports as part of a holistic approach to child-rearing, we can provide children with the opportunity to reach their full potential as human beings.