Introduction
Including physical activities in the young generation’s daily routine contributes to positive health outcomes. Sports participation leads to health progress in the physical development of the young population, namely adolescents, including teenagers (Becker et al. 940). With a rapid increase in physical achievement requirements and the variety of sports, adolescents become involved in sports and disregard the adverse effects of intensity they encounter.
Many risk “serious injuries, lifelong health problems, and unwanted consequences” that pose challenges for their health and cause them to reconsider the physical limits of the human body to incorporate new mindful regulations in sports (Friesen et al. 152). Parents and coaches should recognize the general health concerns affecting the youth in sports.
However, evolving health concerns in youth sports have to be brought up to the governmental level to make a significant change. Despite the anticipated health benefits achieved through physical activities, some youth sports have reached a level of severe intensity that impedes adolescents from balanced physical development and cultivates abnormal addiction to competitive power.
Modern Sports Became an Obligation for the Youth
The main reason to introduce sports activities into a teenager’s life, between 13 and 19 years of age, have been shifted towards competitiveness and rivalry. The process of playing sports has increased its presence in the lives of the young generation and, thus, has become an obligation. It is becoming clearer that the underlying intense competition for early success in life exerts much pressure on teens and eliminates the overall fun side of youth sports (Bubar 4). Modern adolescents are chasing the dream to become professionals in sports since early years; however, they miss childhood and arguably the most carefree time in their lives.
For instance, ten-year-old Rogan Miller is one of the many children across the United States who is passionate about sports activity, particularly basketball. As described by Bubar, his daily schedule consists of hours of practice and tournaments on the weekends that include a minimum of five games. For this reason, Miller is known as “the 24th-best basketball player in the country among fifth-graders” (Bubar 4).
By nurturing the strong drive for becoming the NBA player, a ten-year-old Miller might never experience the childhood and teenage years as they are meant to be. With a narrow focus on sports, adolescents are forced to quit their hobbies and, sometimes, education. Most importantly, children that are actively involved in sports lose the most crucial time with their family and friends.
Intense Sport Activates Promote Injuries and Risk of Concussions
In pursuit of professional success and high scores, young adolescents are working too hard, which means they might get severely injured. According to Lankhorst et al., sports-related injuries and illnesses among healthy youth have a significant impact on their “participation and performance in subsequent activities” (2). Moreover, long-term injuries can limit any physical training and an active and healthy lifestyle. For example, youth weightlifting poses some critical health concerns and risks, resulting in the “potential damage to the epiphyseal growth plates and developing the bone structure of a teen” (Woods 54).
The main risks of this type of sports include an unsafe environment and sports equipment, the lack of qualified guidance, excessively fatigued training, and limited rest for physical recovery. The health risks in weightlifting are also linked to the level of maturity, given that two-thirds of injuries are noted by youth patients (10 – 13 years old) (Woods 57). A higher training load is associated with the increased chance of getting injured or address the illness. Therefore, intense strength training in youth can pose a substantial risk to the young athletes’ health.
Youth sports-related injuries imply a major public health concern, specifically overuse injuries. They result from the reoccurring microtrauma and the lack of adequate rest, considering the amount of training time. Friesen et al. state that overuse injuries are the most widespread in youth and can lead to lifelong disabilities (151). More specifically, the research claims that the most critical risk factor of injuries among high school athletes is the degree of engagement in physical activity.
As such, the risk-benefit ratios in youth sports are controversial. The long-established culture of risk in the sports industry facilitates insufficient public awareness of the overuse injuries among youth. In addition, Tsushima et al. emphasize the youth sports-related risk of concussions, concluding that female youth athletes and older students have a higher risk of concussions. Hence, age and gender factors play a fundamental role in establishing the intensity limits in youth sports.
Apophyseal Injuries in Youth Sports
There is a dramatic increase in the number of young athletes participating in competitive sports in Western nations, which is also characterized by the players’ younger age. Despite the beneficial impact of physical exercise on the health of teenagers and adolescents in general, it is still a matter of concern how sports affect the biological maturation of young athletes. It is important to note that nearly “40% of injuries among the youth” are reported during sports practices (Longo et al. 140). These are complex incidents that are hard to prevent, and the primary issue implies the tolerance rates of the apophysis.
The apophysis is sensitive to the repetitive intensity and pressure of the physical activity in a variety of sports, including distance running, baseball, gymnastics. It is also susceptible to the mechanical stresses of high-demand sports, such as hockey or football (Longo et al. 140). Most importantly, apophyseal injuries can transform into life-long disabilities if they remain unnoticed for a long time. With regard to the constant training and strong focus on physical achievements, this can be a prevalent issue regarding the apophyseal injury and its timely treatment.
Young athletes are exposed to the increased risk of acute apophyseal avulsion injuries, specifically during the forceful or aggressive contractions, because of the innate weakness of the apophyseal growth plate. This problem is becoming even more prevalent in the current youth sports activities. Also, growth deficit may occur due to intensive physical practices of sport among the adolescents following apophysis. The chronic nature of such injury is the central health concern regarding the physical intensity in sports among the young generation, which might result in the necessary surgical interventions.
Acute Effects of Warm-Up Routines
To augment the physical capacity of the young sports professionals, they are regularly subjected to intense warm-up routines, including aerobic activity, stretching and strengthening exercises, and high-intensity drills (Šarabon et al. 706). The scientific research examines the acute effects of warm-up training on muscle function, physical performance, and high injury risk among young soccer players. The longer duration static stretching might also pose some adverse health outcomes.
Furthermore, the acute effects of statistic stretching on muscle power is short-term, although it is widespread among young female gymnasts. Such adverse outcome depends on the stretching protocol and the intensity level (Papia et al. 218). With this said, the moderate approach to practicing sports activities and warm-up routines has no negatives effects; however, the intensity has taken the lead in the modern youth sports industry. The latter serves as the reason to be concerned for the physical and mental development of young teens and adolescents.
The Effects on Mental Health in Youth Sports
Any physical activity and sports-related stress inevitably affect the mental state of a young player. More particularly, youth sports participation might pose meaningful risks and detriments to young people’s mental health. The competitive situation occurring in youth sports are generally considered to provoke feelings of stress, anxiety, and an immense amount of pressure (Vella 230). To be more specific, the sport’s intensity forces the young individuals to cultivate an abnormal competitive nature, which is closely intertwined with the acute objective biological markers of stress and enhanced anxiety.
Therefore, the contemporary sports environment plays a pivotal role in defining both the physical and phycological development of a young athlete. The student is firmly focused on winning the game and experiencing the competition at a very young age. This way, a young player exposes himself or herself to the risk and severe health outcomes resulting from the psychological stress responses.
The prolonged exposure the stressful factors in youth sports might lead a young sportsman or sportswoman to the risk of mental burnout. Burnout is the bodily reaction to the chronic stress experienced during intense sports activities, games, and competitions. According to Vella, such an issue promotes “reduced athletic accomplishment, emotional and physical exhaustion, and devaluation of sport participation” (230). One should remember that these are the problems occurring at a very young age and might lead to severe health outcomes in the adolescent’s future.
Moreover, young athletes noted adverse psychological issues connected with high burnout levels, including feelings of “depression and guilt” (Vella 230). The research states that 1–9% of adolescents at the age of 16-21 years experience symptoms of burnout (Vella 230). The leading causes are the high training volumes, demanding expectations of physical achievements, and intense competition. Altogether, these factors result in increased stress and anxiety and the consequent mental and physical burnout.
Hence, aside from the physical damage of intense sports activities, they are dangerous for youth in affecting their mental well-being and general perception of life outside of sports. In addition, maltreatment, harassment, and abuse serve as another crucial detriment of youth physical activities. They are not always evident or deeply perceived by the teenager or adolescent; however, such factors leave a long-lasting mark on the further psychological development of a young athlete. Nonetheless, one should understand that each of the mental issues occurring at a very young age has very complex consequences that are hard to eliminate when the young person grows older.
An eating disorder is one such health problem that might stay with the person for the rest of their life. It is an intricate and multidimensional concern in terms of etiology, symptomology, and health outcomes (Vella 231). With the lack of adequate support and overall understanding of such problems from parents, coaches, or governmental structures, youth sports might be too intense and pose a detrimental impact on the proper development of the younger population.
Positive Effects of Youth Sports on Academic Performance
Physical activities are known to be the necessary contribution to the health and personal well-being of oneself. However, as analyzed above, it is a controversial topic in youth sports that became particularly intense over the past years. Nevertheless, physical training remains the positive aspect incorporated in daily routine as it brings many benefits to health, emotional states and improves educational performance in youth.
Following the ideas of Becker et al., physical education classes that empower young population to participate in open-skilled sports greatly assist in the developmental process of the students, particularly in mathematical processing (950). Those adolescents demonstrating strong executive function are more able to concentrate and sustain their attention and, therefore, they show better performance on math-related assignments. As such, encouraging movement during the early stages of a teen’s development is crucial for facilitating connections within brain systems engaged in cognitive and motor skills.
Positive Effects of Youth Sports: A Hard-Working Discipline
While some people believe that physical training and various related practices should remain fun activities, others argue that playing sports requires long-term practice and dedication. Thus, the intensity of sports can also be regarded as a way of manifesting the hard-working culture and a strict discipline among the youth. Bubar provides two opposite views on the youth sports intensity, and one of them asserts that “there is nothing wrong with working hard to reach your goals” (5). One of the prominent examples of such determined vision can be seen in the professional growth of Serena Williams.
The well-known tennis player has been following an intensely cultivated discipline to physical practice and regular activities since childhood to succeed. To become the best player in the field, it is of the utmost importance to keep practicing. Williams is the top athlete who began serious training since she was a kid. Due to such a dedicated practice and sports intensity, she became a professional player at the age of fourteen and reached immense career earnings (nearly $93 million to date) (Bubar). Williams is just one of the many noteworthy examples of young professional athletes who turned the pressure and abnormal intensity into success.
The Benefits of Regular Physical Activities
While the abovementioned research highlighted the negative impact of youth sports and severe health risks for both young teenagers and adolescents, each of the studies also reported the benefits of physical activities. First, regular participation in sports is proved to minimize the risk of injuries and illnesses; however, young players have to follow a well-balanced schedule to avoid adverse outcomes. A variety of warm-up practices and pre-activity stretching are considered beneficial for injury prevention (Papia et al. 221).
The low-intensity aerobic activity during the extensive war-up routine can significantly enhance explosive movement performance and flexibility of certain muscle groups (Šarabon et al. 714). Essentially, health risks can be considerably reduced by the presence of qualified supervision and control of the adult coach. With this said, youth sports can positively impact raising healthy youth; however, all these benefits are enabled only due to strict control and regulations. Sports will always remain a risky activity undermining the young players’ health and safety, considering the increased intensity and competitiveness, even among youth.
The Future Impact of Youth Sports
The past year has changed modern-day society due to the unexpected spread of the coronavirus. With life on pause, adolescents involved in intense sports have faced a new reality: they got the chance to rest, and parents had the opportunity to reconsider their kids’ sports participation. People would need to adapt to the changing times and make adequate guidelines to restart the youth sports to alleviate any potential health risks (Sanderson and Brown 318).
One of the main concerns implies parents’ unrealistic demands and expectations in terms of physical achievements and success at a young age. The lockdown environment and changed lifestyle have forced the parents to rethink the idea about their kids involved in physical activities. As described by Condran, the reason for the active engagement in youth sports is caused by the parents’ nature to link their values to their children’s accomplishments in life, particularly in sports. The author states that the future vision of sports should be based on the belief in “less is more” and help the young generation enjoy their early years in life.
Conclusion
Youth sports are becoming a controversial issue in modern society because they can affect the healthy physical development of teens and adolescents between the age of 10 and 19. While physical activity is considered a valuable contribution to the health and well-being of a young athlete, it can also pose some critical health concerns and acute effects, including injuries and mental disorders. The increased intensity of youth sports might teach adolescents about the importance of hard work and determination.
However, without the proper and qualified guidance of the coach or parents, they are exposed to the great risk of getting a life-long disability and losing valuable moments with their family and friends. As a result, mental and physical burnout can severely damage the overall experience of life at the very young age of the athlete. Therefore, youth’s physical activity needs to be maintained and controlled in a mindful and well-balanced manner to ensure that the young population benefits from the sports.
Works Cited
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