The world today is filled with people of all ages participating in sports. In fact, some young children spend almost all their time practicing sports, whether in school or outside of it. While practicing sports can help children develop discipline, it can also develop unhealthy habits and create an unhealthy lifestyle.

On the surface, it would appear that the practice of sports is beneficial to young children. However, there is a dark side to sports participation. First of all, one must realize that not all sports are appropriate for young children. Sports such as baseball and basketball are actually played by adults. The skills required to play these sports are advanced and involve tremendous amounts of physical exertion. A child who is not already physically mature enough to play these sports is ill-prepared for the demands and rigors of longer athletic seasons. Many sports develop bad habits at an early age, such as excessive training, unhealthy eating habits, and obsession with winning. These bad habits can make it difficult for a child to mature into a healthy adult.

Children who participate in sports at a young age develop an enthusiasm for sports that is hard to break. They often become infatuated with winning, and this attitude hinders their sportsmanship. In high school, some children become so obsessed with sports that they choose not to participate in extracurricular activities. They end up completely isolated from other students and seem to lose interest in other aspects of their lives. I have seen students who dedicated their entire high school careers to team sports, but once they graduated, they no longer had interest in anything. Their lives consisted of video games, movies, and parties. In short, they forgot how to live in the real world.

More often than not, children who participate in sports at a young age develop unhealthy eating habits. Sports require large amounts of calories, and children who participate in sports regularly become obsessed with food. Their parents must constantly worry about their child’s weight, and they constantly seek out high-calorie foods. In addition, children who are constantly watching and participating in sports tend to develop poor eating habits. Sports are a great way for children to get exercise, but many children only participate in sports during lunch or afterschool hours. They eat their meals in front of the TV or in their bedrooms, and they don’t think twice about the calories they are consuming. As a result, they are very overweight when they enter college.

The practice of sports can also create an unhealthy lifestyle for young children. Practicing a sport takes up a substantial amount of time. Many children spend multiple hours a day practicing a sport. They miss important classes; they are late to assignments; and they miss social events with their friends and family. Children can easily forget the importance of academics if they are only focused on practicing a sport. In addition, a child who spends the majority of his time practicing a sport is not likely to develop other interests. For example, a soccer player who practices for three hours every day is unlikely to have time to play baseball, basketball, or football. As a result, his child’s life will be one-dimensional.

Not all sports are appropriate for young children. Children should be involved in some form of physical activity, but they should limit their practice to one hour every day. In addition, they should spend the rest of their time participating in extracurricular activities. They may be reluctant to give up their sports, but in the long run, they will benefit from having a more diverse life.