Christopher Oliver
English 101
Rosemary R. Reigle, Ed.D.
April 27, 2012

Athletic Competition is Good for Everybody

Competition is a big part of everyday life, as it comes in many forms. Athletic Competition is good for everybody, since it can build sportsmanship, teamwork, and self-pride. There are also health benefits that come with being active and competitive. The health benefits of engaging in regular physical activity are widely known: enhanced cardiorespiratory fitness, increased muscular strength and endurance, and favorable cholesterol and other profiles (Bergeron 2007). One can feel good about themselves by being active in team or individual sports. Every day you challenge yourself, may it be a friendly game basketball or an essay. The social benefits from being competitive with sports are to understand how to play fair by positive reinforcement and learning the rules of the game. This should be positively enforced by teachers, coaches, and parents since competition can be negatively affected. Showing someone how to be a good loser builds on how they act towards other players, it can also help motivate a player to improve how they play. The emphasis on this is not to place too much stress on kids or players and teach them that even if they lose they still win. One of the biggest benefits of athletics is the peer interaction, even in individual sports there Is still a sense of competition between peers. To prevent negative effects of this, coaches and parents need to build a friendly environment where the athlete’s valuable life skills can be learned such as conflict resolution, problem solving and communication. For any athlete there needs to be a balance between school and sports. Students that participate in sports normally do better than students that do not, however pushing a student too far in sports can hinder how well they perform in the class room. This balance can be a thin line to walk, teachers and coaches need to insure the student doesn’t become over whelmed and burns out. Athletes can learn how to correctly manage their time and how to set priorities to accomplish their goals by learning from there coaches and parents. The motivation that drives these student athletes in performing well both on and off the field can teach others the positive side of self-esteem and self-worth. The parent’s involvement in watching or teaching their children to be competitive can have a significant impact on the athlete and provide life lessons to the parent. We have all seen unruly parents at sports events but what example is being set when the overall experience is negative. Parents can learn self-control by only encouraging the positive