Ok...so we have addressed the issue of sports within the school setting and the impacts they can have on our youth. We have also talked about many schools cutting funds to SAM( sports,art,music). So where can parents turn if they want their children to be involved in sports? What about community sports? That's always a great avenue. Sports outside of school still offer the fundamentals that kids need in everyday life. We have already talked about how sports can have a positive impact of education, but did you know that they can also help with motor skills development and performance according to sports and dev.org. Sports also teaches kids key values like: honesty, teamwork, fair play, respect for themselves and others as well as how to follow rules. Just listen to these kiddos...
Did you know that approximately 21.5 million kids are involved in sports according to ESPN.com. It is a great self esteem booster, it teaches kids to work together, and respect elders.
I have learned a great deal through this process. I started by wanted to know why kids have become less active, which then lend me to all the school budget cuts. Which explained some of what is going on with youth and sports. Many kids have no access to sports except through school. So if schools cut
Sports then many kids will never be givin the opportunity to play. This then lend me to where else kids could turn to play sports. There community in their own backyard is always a great place as well. May programs offer scholarships so many kids can have the opportunity to play. Through all of my finds, I truly believe that sports are very valuable in our kids lives. It teaches them things that they can only learn by being involved in a team. I really hope that we find away to turn it around and save not only sports, but all of "Sam".
So let's review what we already know. Sports are a great way to keep kids in school and actually help some kids do better in school. Especially kids that are at risk. But unfortunately with all the buget cuts happening, sports are one of the first things to go. They have been slowly deciding over the past few years. Many school districts have to struggle where to spend their money. And most of the time academics win out. But sports and academics go hand in hand. When you have at risk kids, school sports offers them a solution to staying off the streets. It's offers them purpose and a reason to continue in school. Between the years of 2013-2014 there was a record high of students playing sports. That year alone 7.8 million high school students participated in high school sports. There are now many studies out there showing how Youth That Play Sports Influence Work. Many employers today will ask questions regarding whether or not a candidate played sports in school. Youth that played sports seem to hold more leadership qualities, then a youth that did not.
Of course there are other things as well. Some people refer to them as SAM. Which means, Sports, Art and Music. But by Burget Cuts Put School Sports On The Chopping Block. One the the first sports talked about is football. This seems to be one of the most expensive to play and its only played by one sex. Many towns around the United States, especially small towns, pride themselves on there sports team. Friday night football has become a tradition for many.
What about on going Education as well. There are many youth that only get the opportunity to go to college based off of sports scholarships. And it helps keep kids out of trouble. Without sports in our school districts we are during the youth of America a dis justice. We need to find away for sports and academics to be apart of everyday school routine.
What are we do differently to ensure sports survive? How will this affect the youth of America? Will this affect the job market for generations to come? Will kids learn the things that only sports can provide?
Tuesday, July 5, 2016
Alot of good information came out of my research. But so did a lot of sadness. I started out by focusing on how the lack of sports was impacting the weight of children today, but through my research I'm now going in a whole new direction. Did you know that according to Up2Us Sports that 3.5 billion dollars was cut from school sports budgets from 2009-2011. They are estimating that by 2020 27 percent of all US public high schools will no longer have any sports teams of programs. Theses numbers will mostly affect children in low income neighborhoods. This is a very frustrating thing. Sports are a great way to help At-Risk youth. Harlem Lacrosse and Leadership is a great program that has been integrated into seven schools up to this point. They want to help youth stay out of trouble. Also according to the US department of Education students that are athletes are four times more likely to attend college. They also found that student athletes are 50% less absent in school then kids who aren't involved in sports. If all directions are pointing to sports being a positive interaction for youth, especially at risk youth, then why is there not more focus put on it? What will happen to our pro sports if we no longer focus on sports in school? Will less youth attend college? Will this affect the way youth interact with people? Sports teach kids how to be apart of something bigger then themselves, where will they learn these skills? Are we damaging generations to come by not making this a priority? These are many of the questions that I plan on answering as my research continues. Many aspects that I never imagined where brought to my attention this week. I hope you stay along for the ride and we get more questions answered.
This is a great clip to view showing the impact sports can have. Lacrosse gives this young mans life purpose. It gives him away to spend his free time so he's staying out of trouble. And it could very well take him places in life. It's giving him opportunities he may have never had.
