Benefits of Organized Sports

Author: Shannon Miller

What sport did you play as a child? 

More importantly than what you played, what did you learn?

You may have not even realized at the time all that you were learning.  It’s easy to get caught up in the win/lose tallies, but there is really so much more to playing sports.

On a healthy track.  Obviously, organized sports require physical activity which if adopted as a priority into adulthood can aid in reducing the risk of health complications like diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.

There’s no “i” in team.  Organized sports can give kids the opportunity to work together towards a common goal – a valuable practice all through life!

Good game!  Organized sports give kids great opportunity to learn good sportsmanship – how to lose with dignity and how to win with tact.  After all, nobody likes a sore loser or a boastful winner (at least wait until you get home)!

Get your motor runnin’!  Organized sports can be great for developmental reasons, as they can help kids to acquire basic motor skills

Safety first!  The rules of organized sports can aid in limiting the number of injuries endured by the players (as opposed to unstructured play).  Some common safety rules/accommodations include: no head first sliding in baseball, no body checking in hockey, matching players by weight in football, adjusting play due to harsh weather conditions.  Kids can come to appreciate the important of rules and learn that they are not all bad – they can actually protect you!

TIP:  Talk with your kids this week about what they are learning by playing organized sports!

Source: “Organized Sports for Children and Preadolescents.”  American Academy of Pediatrics.