English Essay Debate topic: “Should athletes under the age of 18 be able to compete in professional leagues in sport? ” In this essay I will be discussing reasons why athlete’s under the age of eighteen years old should not compete in professional leagues in sport. The reasoning revolves around three main points, one being that every child should have a chance to have a childhood as normal and uncomplicated as possible. Secondly children need to develop physically, mentally, emotionally and socially instead of being rushed into it.
And thirdly is that it can also have a bad result on the child’s health. The first argument that will be looked at is that all children should have the chance to have a childhood that is as close to normal and uncomplicated as possible. Every kid deserves the chance to be a kid. To run around outside, play in the mud and get dirty or play with their favourite toys and save up every bit of their pocket money to get another doll or action figure to add to their collection.
Kids however should not have the need to make big decisions and have lots of responsibility like adults, because that is not what being a kid is all about. Hereby making it an issue for athlete’s under the age of eighteen competing in professional sport. The second argument that will be looked at is that athlete’s under the age of eighteen competing in professional sport should have time to become fully developed in all dimensions of health and to develop physically, mentally, emotionally and socially in all of those areas instead of being rushed into a life that could potentially harm them in the future.
Children Need to Play Not Compete
Sports for children in the United States have increased dramatically over the past three decades. Many believe that parents and coaches are becoming too involved in youth sports practices. In the essay “Children Need to Play, Not Compete” by Jessica Statsky, Statsky states her opinion that children should be focused on playing the game and having fun, instead of focused on winning the game. She ...
The amount of huge changes athlete’s go through when competing in high league professional sports is a lot for anybody to handle, let alone one that is right in the middle of their peak state of development. If this lifestyle was to be chosen for athletes under the age of eighteen, their futures wouldn’t look very promising. The third argument to be discussed is the fact that athlete’s under the age of eighteen competing in professional sports can also have a bad result on the child’s health, especially with all the added stress. It is very widely know how stress is very bad for all aspects of a person’s health, especially a child.
Stress can also lead to many different types of mental and physical illnesses such as anxiety, distress, depression, physical sickness, and all very negative side effects. The excess stress that would be put on the body and the child competing would be incredibly harming, especially if the child wasn’t looked after and cared for properly for those sorts of situations. All children have the right to feel safe and cared about, and not caused to feel alone and lost, leading to the reason why athlete’s under the age of eighteen years old should not compete in professional leagues in sport.
This essay has showed why it is a bad idea for athlete’s under the age of eighteen years old to compete in professional leagues in sport. Putting children in a place where their life is incredibly complicated and don’t even get to have a real childhood is something that should not happen to anyone. The developments, physically, mentally, emotionally and socially, of a child are something that shouldn’t be messed with, and added stress of the whole situation is very bad for the child’s health. The reasons are why athletes under the age of eighteen should not be allowed to complete in the professional leagues of sport. By Naomi Tomlinson
