By Brady Small | Reporter/Anchor
When asked what sport someone played as a kid, a lot of the answers are tee-ball and soccer. And most of the time, the person who played the sport as a child never picked up a bat or kicked a soccer ball again. But I hardly hear of anyone who regrets playing a sport that they played when they were young.
Parents should implement sports in their kids’ lives. I believe it’s vital for developing social skills, staying healthy, gaining an attitude toward hard work and so much more.
The Gazette published an article saying the five most popular sports among children are, in order: basketball, baseball, soccer, tennis and football.
I’ve played soccer since second grade, and I liked it at first, but soon realized I was not good at it and didn’t really enjoy playing. But, I enjoyed the people on the team.
I kept playing until high school, where I still didn’t enjoy playing it that much, and I had fun with the guys on the team. I would make the decision to keep playing in a heartbeat. I learned when I’m out of breath and every muscle in my body says to stop running and lie down to keep pushing and power through.
You see, there’s a misconception about sports that they are purely for benefiting health and staying in shape. I disagree completely. Developing social skills as a child is important and will prepare them for the rest of their life. Sports do a great job at that.
According to an article published by the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition Science Board, they describe how kids experience: higher self-esteem and confidence, lower amounts of stress and lower rates of anxiety and depression.
The benefits of doing sports are not solely confined to physical fitness, and I could even argue the mental benefits of sports are greater.
Another personal example is that I played football as a freshman in high school. By play I mean I was the kicker for a single freshman game. And every practice I would stare at this clock tower at my high school as I waited for 5:45 p.m. to strike, and I would be able to go home. I made my closest friends that year during football season, and though I would dread school ending because it meant I had to go to practice, I believe that it was 100% worth it.
Aside from social interaction, it is important at every stage in life to do some sort of workout and stay in shape. Why not build those habits while children are young? Get them attuned to the values of hard work and pushing through even when things get difficult.
A lot of college students reading this are nowhere near having kids. So, why is this important?
Joining an intramural is really smart. You can meet more people, it’s a great source of exercise and stress relief, work and play, and finally, there’s probably going to be some free T-shirts.
So consider playing a sport and make staying in shape fun.
