The Benefits of Contact Sport Outweigh the Risks

Introduction
So many people have played on a sports team in their early years. Due to the various advantages that sports
teams offer, many parents still choose to register their children in them. Children's participation in the
majority of these activities would have been prohibited long ago if catastrophic injuries were as widespread
as people claim. In fact, according to a research, bruising sustained from handling sporting goods are the
most prevalent and hazardous injury that young players will experience. According to a research conducted
by Radelet et al. (2002), children who participate in sports like baseball and soccer only have a 3% chance
of returning home with more serious injuries. Children should be allowed to play outside, experience failure,
and learn how to overcome obstacles head-on. Naturally, parents want the best for their sons and daughters,
but as we go about our everyday lives, there is always a chance of harm. Does it imply kids ought to spend
the entire day imprisoned in the security of our house?
Constructing the Argument
If young children want to play contact sports, they should be allowed to do so since it teaches them
important life skills, encourages them to be active, and offers them a healthy outlet for letting off steam. It
should be noted that the variety of contact sports is extensive. "A sport in which the participants necessarily
come into bodily contact with one another" is how the Oxford Dictionary defines contact sports. However,
extraneous factors that may come into touch with an athlete during a performance can also cause collisions
in sports. Soccer, football, baseball, basketball, hockey, lacrosse, ski jumping, snowboarding, water polo,
martial arts and diving are a few examples of these contact and collision sports. Precluding young children
from participating in sports that have gained popularity over time may also have an impact on the calibre of
professional athletes in the future. It is evident that training at an early age helps the body adjust to the
particular movement required for a particular activity, like Olympic diving. In a film he made of his
Olympic diving training, Steele Johnson (2018) asserts that divers need lifelong training to grow used to the
forceful spins and flips that are expected of them. Young participants can provide the best outcomes and
exceptional performers in that particular field. If a significant move is made to outlaw contact sports, there
may be a decline in performance since fewer people would participate who have had the best opportunity to
train from an early age to become great athletes.
These are all advantages that will last long into maturity, such as having collaborated with others before.
Working together and harmoniously with different personalities still has its hurdles. Giving up and letting go
of beliefs is necessary while trying to establish a medium ground. Consequently, teaching the idea of
teamwork to young children can help them learn firsthand that striving hard with peers may lead to success.
Parents themselves will start to notice differences in their children's public personas. Kacey Neely and Holt
Nicholas looked at how parents have seen the influence of sports on a developing person in a 2014 research.
The study's findings indicated that because sports helped kids to develop positive self-perceptions and
explore their skills, they received a variety of personal, social, and physical advantages. Additionally, it was
mentioned that these team sports have given children opportunities to learn life lessons that would be more
difficult to learn at home (Neely & Holt, 2014).
Refuting Opposing views
Let's take karate, which is a sport that falls under the category of contact sports since it depends so heavily
on the skill of a single player's performance. It should be mentioned that the sport is centred on competing
with others and developing self control. However, because karate practitioners must practise goal-setting in
order to achieve peak physical performance and high mental ability, the sport can help youngsters between
the ages of 8 and 11 develop their decision-making skills (Lima, Silva, Oliveihra, Filho 2017). Every sport,
whether it be team or individual, has important lessons to be learned. When you play basketball and are
expected to collaborate with your teammates to defeat an opposing team, the lessons you learn in karate
about having the guts to take on an opponent alone will not be precisely the same as those you learn in
basketball.
The best strategy to tackle the global epidemic of obesity and inactivity in children is to promote their
physical exercise. "As obesity is a significant public health issue, it is necessary to promote healthy eating
practices and frequent exercise. Additionally, wealthy families ought to help their kids understand the value
of physical activity (Eker, 2018). This passage from the Turkish Journal of Physical Medicine emphasises
how physical activity may serve as a kind of "magic pill," assisting kids in developing a lifelong love of
exercise. Research has demonstrated that engaging in physical activity can help prevent several preventable
health issues that may result from obesity or inactivity alone. Researchers saw a significant difference in the
health outcomes of lean and obese children throughout a 10-week exercise programme, and their findings
were published in the journal Paediatric Exercise Science. "Exercise training significantly decreased the
systolic blood pressure of obese children and decreased their heart rate responses during exercise," the
study's conclusion stated. Obese kids that received training performed better in the long jump, 10-meter x 4-
meter shuttle run, and 3-meter balance beam walk (Sijie et al., 2017). Physical activity is the best thing that
can be done for a developing child's general health, as evidenced by the previous articles. Excessive physical
activity can also help manage more serious conditions like epilepsy. According to a research by Arida et al.,
young people can still reduce the frequency of epileptic seizures by participating in contact sports since the
training and planning involved assist the body learn to control seizures. The research indicates that contact
sports are still highly safe for children to play, even for those who suffer from epilepsy, who may still
participate and are even encouraged to do so. While it is true that putting a child in a gym for an hour a day
and having them run on a treadmill may keep them physically healthy, most people would argue that sports
give a child much more cerebral stimulation. Consequently, it is imperative that a youngster commits to a
team out of love and interest since this will ultimately have a good impact on their life. A significant portion
of contact sports would be prohibited, which would reduce the options for aspiring professional athletes and
eliminate the possibility for young kids to discover their passion. It's true that some sports draw particular
types of individuals and foster the development of like-minded communities.
A feeling of belonging to a group offers solace, and as many young children go through puberty, they may
struggle to cope with internal problems or the demands of the outside world. Aggressive sports may be
helpful in this sense, since they provide a release for the tension that is created. During practice, the release
of anger and emotional stress can be achieved through energy expansion. It's an excellent method of just
decompressing. According to a 2015 research that examined the relationship between children's mental
health and athletics, kids who continued in sports for the full two years of the study also had "lower rates of
parent-reported psychological difficulties at 10 years compared with kids who dropped out of sport."
Compared to kids who stopped playing sports and kids who didn't play any sports, kids who played
organised sports also reported less internalising issues (Vella, Cliff, Magee & Okely, 2014). In a 2015 Good
Samaritan Hospital informational video, David Feldman, MD, said that youth contact sports do help
improve children's mental health because they foster a sense of community, which affects the relationships
and social skills that adolescents develop. They also teach children how to view accomplishments differently
and how to handle failure in a healthier way. Children may acquire a growth mentality through sports
instruction, which has been demonstrated to have a good impact on many facets of their lives. Reducing
participation in contact sports won't totally eliminate the risk of catastrophic harm, but it's still worth the
chance to learn sophisticated social skills. Since many people haven't had the chance to experience the
positive effects of contact sports, it's likely that many more children who were experiencing stressful
circumstances at home would have had very different outcomes if contact sports had been an option for
them. For instance, in a magazine interview, Malik Smith claimed that "football saved me" (Leonardo,
2015). Smith was raised in Compton, a neighbourhood heavily influenced by gang culture. Tragically, Malik
lost his mother in a drive-by shooting due to gang violence. His loss made him hostile throughout high
school, and he was seen as a bully who started fights without cause. His involvement in football gave him a
feeling of purpose in life; his coach served as the father figure he needed; the tackles he made during the
game helped him release pent-up rage; and the game itself improved his sense of self-worth. Thanks to his
physical abilities, Malik was able to continue his football career after high school and make it to college. He
is currently an NFL player for the Houston Texans. Just think of how much more different his life would be
if he didn't have football to provide structure and a strict set of rules to go by. It would be more difficult for a
big man like Malik to use swimming or golf as a mental health release if football were eliminated. In
addition, football has certain qualities of its own that other sports do not.
Conclusion
For young children, contact sports include dangers and should be accompanied by appropriate safety
precautions. They can, however, also be advantageous to parents and kids. They impart special lessons that
cannot be taught at home and aid in the character development of the kids. In addition to boosting energy
and productivity and reducing common ailments, contact sports also improve mental and physical wellness.
Contact sports can also help reduce emotional stress because they tap into the aggressiveness and energy that
come with puberty and adolescence. Parents should talk to their kids about their preferences and do some
research on possible sports activities they might be interested in. Participating in contact sports may be
advantageous for mental and physical health when the right safety measures are in place. It is important for
parents to look into possible sporting activities and make sure their kids' interests are taken into account.
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