"By the time kids reach high school, the so-called haves and have-nots are almost predetermined, sifted out by the system one way or another. It’s not the elite athletes who are lost in the shuffle, but rather those who aren’t as naturally gifted, who might turn to the next best thing, something easier or less expensive."
Tom Farrey, an executive director at The Aspen Institute.
https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/high-school/what-separates-the-haves-and-the-have-nots-of-high-school-athletics-and-washingtons-plan-to-fix-it
"Team Sports May Help Children Deal With Trauma"
"Training, working hard and learning to win and lose help children develop resilience, experts say."
www.nytimes.com/2019/07/08/well/family/team-sports-may-help-children-deal-with-trauma.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share
In our School Matters series, we are looking at mental and physical health issues in schools. In this installment, we focus on kids’ sports and an organization that works to remove the barriers that prevent children from participating. Jesse Palmer, a former NFL quarterback and national spokesman for Good Sports, joins "CBS This Morning" to discuss the benefits of youth sports and the widening socioeconomic divide.
CBS This Morning
Published on Apr 10, 2019
"...youth who play sports are more likely to have better mood and perceptions of themselves, feel competent, experience physical and psychological well-being, be better able to control their own behavior, develop positive social skills, and have greater life satisfaction."
National Youth Sports & Safety Institute
psychological-emotional-health.pdf
"The exodus of players in youth leagues has drawn recriminations over clubs and leagues that have pushed and profited from a “pay-for-play” model that has turned off parents and kept out talent from poorer, underserved communities."
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/14/sports/world-cup/soccer-youth-decline.html
"A new report that surveyed more than 10,000 girls across the country has found a positive correlation between playing sports and increased confidence, body image, academic performance and personal relationships."
By Kavitha A. Davidson | Apr 1, 2018 espnW.com
http://www.espn.com/espnw/sports/article/22968430/study-shows-positive-correlation-playing-sports-better-self-image-girls?fbclid=IwAR2JqLzjUqIWJMCT_3qy63MWpd-mdj7C77kCywagmyL2diunPX3fZrEZlwo
"Keeping the Fun in Children’s Sports"
"The evidence shows that what makes sports really fun for kids is trying hard, making progress, being a good sport, experiencing positive coaching,” a doctor of sports medicine said."
www.nytimes.com/2019/07/01/well/family/keeping-the-fun-in-childrens-sports.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share
"Meritocracy is Killing High School Sports"
When kids are "shut out from pricey...leagues and the expensive coaching...lower income kids are denied not only the physical benefits of playing sports, but also the jackpot that is college recruitment and Division I and II scholarships."
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/08/meritocracy-killing-high-school-sports/597121/