Many youngsters enter organized sports programs before age 6, and continue competing throughout high school. In some sports, such as baseball, swimming, gymnastics, and tennis, dual participation in club/community sports and school sports is prevalent.

While there is general agreement that increased exercise is beneficial, controversy exists about competitive sports for children and adolescents. Here are some pros and cons regarding youth involvement in organized sports.

PROS

SUPPORTERS OF ORGANIZED YOUTH SPORTS LIST A NUMBER OF BENEFITS

• Organized sports enhance health by exposing the participants to regular exercise and psychologically sound environments.
• Organized sports are safer than free play or pickup games.
• Difficult sports skills and playing techniques can only be learned in a supervised sports environment, with proper coaching and officiating.
• Organization ensures best use of sports facilities.
• Organized leagues, which offer team rankings and tournaments, increase the enjoyment of young participants.

CONS

OPPONENTS OF ORGANIZED YOUTH SPORTS CITE SEVERAL CONCERNS

• There is no proof that organized youth sports are safer. In fact, youngsters seldom suffered overuse injuries, the result of repetitive training, until the advent of competitive sports for youngsters.
• Competitive sports may increase the potential for psychological harm to certain youngsters.
• Team play may spawn conformity rather than individuality, and acceptance rather than innovation.
• There is no evidence that sports enjoyment is increased with organized competition.

After working with physically active and sports-injured children for more than 20 years and reviewing much of the medical, psychological and sports literate on this topic, I'm convinced organized youth sports are here to stay.

In 1959, the American Academy of Pediatrics adopted a position stand against competitive sports for children below the age of 14. No one listened. If anything, systematic youth sports training in both individual and team sports begins at age 6, in many communities.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
Our job, then, is to ensure that we maximize the benefits and minimize the risks. Two essential steps will ensure safer, more productive, and more enjoyable youth sports programs.

1. Develop a system of initial assessment and counseling to match a child to a particular sport. The preparticipation health evaluation required by most school sports programs easily could he utilized by youth sports programs at the community or club level.

The assessment by qualified sports medical personnel should include an evaluation of the child's general health and relative psychological makeup. This information could be used for counseling with parents.

We must understand that children develop at very different rates, both physically and psychologically. The desire of the child to participate must be distinguished from the parents' desires.

A young boy who was a patient of mine expressed no interest in competitive sports until age 16 when he took an interest in high school lacrosse. By graduation he was anall-American high school lacrosse player. While he had not competed in competitive sports programs as a child, he was active in swimming, biking, and general fitness activities. He was in excellent physical condition and was prepared to safely enter an organized sports program when he felt willing to do so.

2. Develop systematic, coordinated programs to improve the quality of adult supervision and coaching in youth sports. The adult volunteer is the back-bone of youth sports. The development of training curricula and certification exams must be a high priority for our national youth sports programs. Certain youth sports such as gymnastics and soccer have already taken steps in this direction. More is needed. The quality of adult supervision can make youth sports programs safe and enjoyable.