In the articles, “The secret life of Tiger Woods,” by Wright Thompson, and, “Are parents ruining youth sports? Few kids play amid pressure,” by Michael S. Rosenwald, both analyze the lives of varied athletes that have sacrificed things to get to where they are now as an elite-athlete. Although in my opinion, I think the quest to becoming an “elite athlete” is ultimately not worth the sacrifices it requires. In the article, “The secret life of Tiger Woods,” Tiger Woods grew up with a shortage of friends which made his childhood so odd. He basically sacrificed all of his friends because he was too focused on playing golf, therefore he never had the time to make friends like a normal kid would do. This is stated when the article asserts, …show more content…
In the article, “Are parents ruining youth sports? Fewer kids play amid pressure,” explains the sacrifices children have had to go through because of their parents longing them to play a sport at such a young age. This article rather relates to “The Secret Life of Tiger Woods,” considering the fact that both articles talk about how these athletes have sacrificed essentially their whole childhood for sports. However, Tiger Woods never had the pressure that the other children in this article have had to go through. Their parents would spend tons of money to travel, to buy expensive equipment, private coaching, and even more for their children to be successful. It may not seem that overwhelming, but some parents have even started their child’s career with sports since they were very young. This had led to teams that are specifically made for kids who dedicate their life for their sport, usually starting at the age of 7 or sometimes younger. Although, many kid’s opinion on taking a sport seriously are as a matter of fact almost the same. All have an idea of sports to be fun, not to be a serious thing to focus on. In the article it asserts, “High on the list: positive team dynamics, trying hard, positive coaching and learning” (Rosenwald, 3). This is where many parents do not understand the true meaning of sports. Pressuring and sacrificing their kid’s childhood with constant practice and focus on their sport would be so tiring that the child would more than likely get tired with the sport. To conclude, sacrificing a kid’s childhood away from overwhelming pressure from their parents is an unnecessary thing that no one should ever have to go
This is where the training of coaches comes into play. From a parents perspective the individual that is coaching their kid is very critical to the process. For example, one in every four coaches is considered less than good as seen by parents of the athlete (Aleshire, 2003). In an observational and interview
In the articles “The Secret Life of Tiger Woods” by Wright Thompson and “Are parents ruining youth sports?” by Michael S. Rosenwald both concept the sacrifices one has to take to be an “elite athlete”. I firmly believe that the sacrifices taken to become an “elite athlete” are not ultimately worth it in the long run because of the injuries and health management. To support this, the author from “The Secret Life of Tiger Woods” proclaimed “...he fell down in his backyard without a cellphone and had to just lie there until his daughter happened to find him.” This quote the type of pain Woods lived through because of all his intense golf training. Furthermore, in the article “Are parents ruining youth sports?”
Parents think that the more money they put into the child’s athletic expenses, they increase their chances of college scholarships and leading to a professional athletic career. An exceedingly amount of money can be spent on athletics because parents want to be able to provide every opportunity they can for their child to become better and to be successful. For example, at Jim-McLean Junior Golf Performance Academy, there are only twenty-four spots open each year for distinct private instruction. With limited entry comes at a cost of $39,875 to $58,875 annually. A noticeable agglomeration of money comes out of the family’s gross income to fund their child’s athletics.
The Dead Father Tiger Woods suffered vastly from his fathers death. In the article, “The Secret History of Tiger Woods,” the reader notices the immediate decline of Tiger Woods post his dads death. Furthermore, Woods began to become fixated on the Navy because his dad was a navy seal. This became an unhealthy obsession that began to take over him. Consequently, the bereaved behavior of Woods illustrates how the world's greatest golfer lost his way.
Concentrating on winning or losing spoils the fun that games hold. In addition, equal chances should be provided to every child to participate. Competitive nature can assist the children in their life later on, but the focus should be on better mental and physical health. (204 words) Response In “Children Need to Play, Not Compete,” the author has described sports as one of the ways that enhance mental and physical heath.
As a child and an adult Tiger Woods had a close relationship with his father, who significantly influenced him as a person and golfer. “As a young boy, Woods learned to play golf. His father, Earl, served as his teacher and mentor” (Tiger). Tiger’s father shaped him as a person and an athlete, he was his greatest influence and inspiration. Without his father’s guidance all throughout his life Tiger would not be the person he is today.
Through the use of personal experience, the author sought to gain my attention. He gave experiences he had with his first set of children and how he wanted it to be different with Tiger. The authors were able to gain my interest by enabling me to have my own perception of the difficulties Earl Woods went
Dr. Frank L. Smoll states, “All children and youth need vigorous physical activity as part of their daily lives, and sports provide the benefits of exercise and the potential for acquiring a sense of accomplishment.” (Smoll 1/2).
The amount of children participating in competitive sports has been on a steady decline in the past decade. Between the years of 2008 and 2013, the total number of children participating in competitive sports has dropped by approximately 2.6 million. This is mainly due to the many negative impacts that young athletes face when partaking in these sports. Competitive sports involve sports where competition is encouraged, and where winning is more important than anything else. Competing in these sports causes the children to be vulnerable to many risks and many other negative impacts.
Children are playing just to win and the real spirit of the game fades out. (Word count: 196) Response I strongly agree with the point of Jessica Statsky in “Children Need to Play, Not Compete”. The way Statsky explains the facts by referring to other people is not questionable. The parents forcefully ask their children to join sports for the development of their bodies and mind.
When in the middle of playing a game of basketball, baseball, hockey, any sport played, is there ever an obnoxious parent in the stands yelling at their child to do better? Today I'll be speaking about the issues and effects of over involved parents in sports. Due to the mental damage of young children, or the love of a sport being crushed and ruined all because of over involved parents this issue needs to be helped. Parents push their kids to be better than everyone else, to almost be machine perfect which causes deterioration in relationships, decrease in sport officials, and a large impact on youth physical and mental health. Parents and their children should look at these impacts because the parents are the problem and the kids are the
It is technically the parents job to teach their kids what is right and wrong. It’s their job to keep them on the right path in life. Athletes are good for setting an example to the kids. Kids should look to their parents as role models, but the problem is that some children may have absent parents in their lives. This is why they look up to athletes, because they are all they have to look to (Steinberg).
Competitive sports provide a community which kids can work with and beat other teams with. “Playing a sport helps children develop social skills which would benefit them even when they grow older. Playing sports teaches them about teamwork and cooperating with others. They learn to interact with people from different ages” (Mahaseth). When these kids grow up, they can use these skills to be able to cooperate and talk with their colleagues.
In this day and age with professional athletes being at the top of the social spectrum, youth sports have gotten very popular. “More than 26 million children ages 6 to 17 played team sports in 2014(Rosenwald).” Youth sports are very popular because it brings the great feeling of being on a team. When you are on a team you feel like you can do anything together, and nothing is stopping you. There are also many flaws in youth sports.
The Sport is a devastating road to heartbreak and failure. (I suggest, To experience sports, you have to experience heartbreak and failure - sounds a bit awkward to say “the sport”). It is the definition of it. Don't get me wrong, sports can lead to success, fame, and many other glorious things that others can't imagine. Like the money, land and the "acquaintances"