The Trouble With Sports

When most kids are little, their parents sign them up for sports to keep them active. It gives the child something to do and a way for them to build up their social skills. Whether it is baseball, soccer, tennis, swim, most kids have done some type of sport when they were little. Many parents like for their kids to be in sports because it gives the parent a break and keeps their high energy kid busy and healthy. Another reason could be the parent played the sport when they were young and want their child to play too so they can have something to bond over. Or if parents are having a lot of problems managing their kid, they put them in a sport because it could really help the child to settle down.  As many people know, playing a sport keeps a person in shape,reduces the chance of having high blood pressure or developing diabetes. Keeping active is the best mediation there is. Sports are also good for keeping a child mentally healthy as well because it raises their confidence and for girls that also means a healthy body-image. The best thing about youth getting into sports is that it’s fun and it is very important that a child is always having fun. But now a days, fun isn’t enough.

Over the last few years, there has been a decrease in the amount of youth playing sports. In an article written on Forbes, it is said that, “More than 26 million children ages 6 to 17 played team sports in 2014, down nearly 4% from 2009.” (Cook, 2015). Most of this decline is because of money. Many kids from lower-income households cannot afford to be on big teams that travel a lot

because it is too expensive. Travel- team parents, on average spend about $2266 annually for their kid to participate in sports, while parents with kids on elite teams could spend an average of about $20,000 a year. Now a days, playing sports is less about fun and more about trying to earn a scholarship to play at a big college. This is where opportunities for kids who come from high-income families come because they can go to places where their child is going to be more exposed to coaches and the competition is a lot better. In 2015, many lower-income parents that make less than $50,000/year have said,        “Sports cost too much and make it difficult for their child to continue participating.” (Aspen, 2015). This is sad to hear because so many kids would like to be able to play a sport and be a part of a team, but they do not get the chance to.

Another thing that is affecting youth participation is that the casual sandlot or pickup ball that promoted activity and fitness among young kids, is fading. Many kids who play organized sports play year round, but actually “free play has been shown to produce higher levels of physical activity than organized sports.” (Aspen, 2015). One study also found that, “43% of youth sports practice was spent being inactive.” (Aspen, 2015). This is crazy to know because these parents who are putting their kids in sports are spending thousands of dollars when their kid could go to the local park and get more exercise. Another study showed that people who live next to parks actually have better mental health. Kids need to play outside more because just being around green grass boosts mental concentration and focus. It’s not right that kids aren’t going on their own to go and play sports, or even anything at all. This could be because now a days, parents are giving their kids a tablet so they don’t bother them instead of saying, “go play outside.”

Coaches now are under trained and have no experience working with kids before getting a job as a coach. “Only 1 in 5 coaches of youth teams of children under age 14 say they have been trained in effective motivational technique, and just 1 in 3 in skills and tactics in the primary sport they coach.” This is very low in the amount of coaches that actually know what they are doing and this is not good for children who are trying to learn how to play a sport. There has been no improvement in coaches learning about these things since 2013. Since these coaches have no experience, a lot of kids do not want to go back to that same coach or even continue to play the same sport.

Many injuries are also to blame for this decline.  Parents are afraid of their child being injured or getting a concussion while playing and are taking them out of sports or never enrolling them. According to an ESPN survey, “Nearly 9 out of 10 parents have concerns about risk of injury (87.9%) in 2014.” (Aspen, 2015). The survey also showed that the parents were more concerned about injuries than anything else like who was coaching their child, cost, how much time had to be committed, and the emphasis of winning over fun. “More than 3.5 million children under age 14 receive medical treatment for sports injuries annually.” This may be true, but over half of the

injuries can be prevented because most injuries that occur are untreated injuries seen a lot in middle and high school. Concussions are the biggest downfall because in the last few years, the amount of emergency room visits for concussions have been rising and for kids 14 to 19 years old, the rate of getting a concussion has risen nearly 200 percent. This is why parents are taking their kids out of sports and looking for safer alternatives.

Technology is yet another reason why kids are not participating in sports. Kids spend hours on end in front of a phone or computer screen and do not think about getting off the phone to go and kick a ball or throw a football. According to some parents, even for their kids who play sports, they are using technology when they aren’t playing and it is taking up their attention. It is no secret that phones and TV do a really good job at taking everyone’s attention. There are so many things that can now be done on phones, so many apps and now your phone can even connect to the TV. Parents are also saying that it is hard to get their kids to exercise because they are so distracted. For many boys, video games are an all day affair and they can spend all day playing instead of going outside. Even though technology is such a big part of people’s lives now, it should not get in the way of kids playing sports. Times have changed, but the need for kids to go outside and get exercise has not.

The decline in youth participation is not seen in just one sport mostly, but all the sports. “The percentage of children between the ages of 6 and 12 who played basketball, baseball, soccer, football, volleyball, and wrestling on a regular basis has dropped since 2008.” Sports like gymnastics, lacrosse and hockey are actually increasing. The youth sports industry has told parents to focus their kids on a limited number of sports so they do not get overwhelmed, but this also means that the total number of sports that each child plays annually has declined. “Total sports played have plummeted by nearly 10%.” (Cook, 2015). This is huge because that is a lot of kids not getting the daily activity needed. Another big statistic is that, “Starting at age 9-- when children often develop a self-concept of whether or not they are an athlete--physical activity rates begin to drop sharply.” Self image is a big thing and i think that is because when kids are little, they are going through changes and they want to be good at everything, just like everyone else and when they are not, they quit. A lot of kids actually quit things before they ever get started. Parents should really work on that with kids because even if they are not good, they can get better. Physical activity has so many benefits, especially on kids and it can start them going down the right path all the way into adulthood.

Works Cited
Cook, Bob. "Why Youth Sports Participation Will Fall, Even If Kids Are Having Fun." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 24 Oct. 2015. Web. 27 Mar. 2017.

"Facts: Sports Activity and Children." Facts: Sports Activity and Children | Project Play. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2017.

"What's Causing The Decline Of Youth Sports? | Demosphere." Demosphere International, Inc. N.p., 28 May 2015. Web. 27 Mar. 2017.



















Works Cited
Writer, Leaf Group. "Positive Effects of Sports on Kids." Back. Azcentral.com, 27 July 2012. Web. 25 Mar. 2017.

The Legacy of Arnold Palmer

Recently, a big inspiration in the game of golf passed away on September 25, 2016 at the age of 87. Arnold Palmer is one of the most known golfers in the world. “The King” made a huge impact on the game of golf and also on the people who played the game. For people who don’t play golf may know Arnold Palmer as a golfer or for his drink the “Arnold Palmer”, but he is much more than that. In an article written about Palmer on the PGA says, “ Golf will never be the same for two reasons. First, that Arnold Palmer lived. Second, that Arnold Palmer has died.” (Michaux, 2016). Arnold was born on September 10, 1929 in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. His father, Milfred Palmer, who was a golf professional, got him started with golf at a very young age after he shortened a set of clubs so that Arnold could use them. Golf came very easy to Arnold and he earned a scholarship to Wake Forest University. The days at Wake Forest were some of Palmer's fondest memories. This was until 1950 when his best friend and teammate, Buddy Worsham, had been killed in a car accident. The tragedy didn’t sit well with Arnie and his life changed drastically because of it. Palmer decided to quit going to college his senior year and joined the U.S. Coast Guard, which meant a three year break from golf. By 1954, Palmer returned and started playing golf again like he never even left. By the fall of 1954, Palmer had turned pro.

                                                    
A lot of golfers like Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan and Gary Player were very accomplished any won tournament after tournament, but none of them are known as “The King” like Arnold Palmer is. The 1958 Masters tournament in Augusta, Georgia was what really launched Palmer’s career and made him known to the rest of the world. He won the tournament and became the youngest player at that time to ever win the championship. By the early 1960’s Palmer was the world’s best and most successful golfer. Palmer was the one who grew and shaped golf to what it is now. Because of him, people across the world can watch golf at home which helped to grow the game. The LA Times’ Pulitzer Prize-winning sports columnist, Jim Murray once said, “Television and Palmer took over golf simultaneously.” (Dufresne, 2016).  In 1995, Palmer co-founded America’s golf channel because he wanted more people to get interested in the sport he loved to play. When people started to see Arnold on TV, they fell in love with his charisma and chiseled looks because he didn't resemble a typical golfer. Palmer didn’t have a typical textbook swing that many other professional golfers are made out to have and that appealed him to weekend hackers and even women who didn’t have the perfect swing. He made the game exciting and was unpredictable which made fans want to keep watching until the end. Another thing Palmer did was start revolutionizing sports marketing and his success made it able for athletes in all sports to get their incomes increased. So not only does he have an impact on the golf world but other things as well. Tim Finchem, PGA Tour Commissioner said,  “It is not an exaggeration to say that there would be no modern day PGA Tour without Arnold Palmer. There would be no PGA Tour Champions without Arnold Palmer. There would be no Golf Channel without Arnold Palmer.” Palmer made all these things possible today which made a positive impact on the game of golf that would not have been possible had they not been done.

Not only did Palmer do things just with sports, he also started fund-raising and put on tournaments to raise money and eventually the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Women and Children and also Arnold Palmer Medical Center opened in Orlando. In 2004, Palmer was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom presented by President Bush and he also received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2009, passed by Congress and signed by President Obama. He is also in both the American golf Hall of Fame and the World Golf Hall of Fame. He has also won almost every national golf award there is. As if he didn’t do enough, he was also the chairman of the USGA members program and served as honorary national chairman of the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation for 20 years.

Arnold may not have been on the leaderboard every week or have won the most amount of tournaments or been at the top of the money list every year , but he definitely the most talked about and the most respected. He did not ask or expect to be such an inspiration to people, but he was. No matter if someone knew Palmer his whole life or just met him that day, Arnold treated everyone the same no matter who you were. He always knew what to say that made people feel welcomed and comfortable and people just wanted to be in his presence. Everything that professional golfers do today, from their courtesy, to taking off their hat before an interview and even being

involved with fans is all because of the leadership shown by Mr. Palmer. He is a figure that everyone in the sports world aspires to be because of how he presents himself. “He was a trend-setter in terms of sports endorsements on TV.” He not only inspired golfers but athletes as a whole. Palmer did things no one else thought to do which made him very successful and he created a path that all different athletes could follow so they could be better off financially. Before Palmer, there were many athletes who could barely afford to take care of their families and Arnold saw that and decided to make a change.

Palmer loved the Orlando area and he wanted to move a tournament that used to be called the Citrus Open to Bay Hill and in 1979, the Arnold Palmer Invitational was born. Arnie has done so much for the game and this tournament has made it able for professionals to go and pay tribute to him each year. All players want a chance to win the tournament to get a “handshake and a hug” from the one and only Arnold Palmer and to also have a celebratory drink with him after the round. Palmer himself picks players to attend the tournament which is an honor in itself. Players have said that there is a certain energy when playing in this tournament that motivates them to want to win for The King. This year was a little different though. So many players wanted to pay tribute to Mr. Palmer such as putting his name on their clubs and shoes and even dressing like him. Something special that the players did was go into Palmer’s Office and signed their names on memorabilia in honor of him.

Today, and for many years to come, Arnold Palmer will always be remembered. His legacy of respect and compassion of the game will continue to grow and keep changing and inspiring people’s lives.

Arnold Palmer's Legacy 

Works Cited 

Michaux, Scott. "Arnold Palmer Changed the Game of Golf and Won the Hearts of Many." PGA.com. N.p., 26 Sept. 2016. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.

"Arnold Palmer." Biography.com. A&E Networks Television, 26 Sept. 2016. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.

Arnold Palmer's Remarkable Legacy. Perf. Arnold Palmer. Youtube. N.p., 25 Sept. 2016. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.

"Arnold Palmer: Godfather of Today's Sports Business." Newsmax. Newsmax Wires, 27 Sept. 2016. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.

Carter, Lain. "Arnold Palmer: 'The King' of Golf Who Changed the Game - BBC Sport." BBC News. BBC, 26 Sept. 2016. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.

Dufresne, Chris. "'Arnold Palmer Invented Pro Golf as It Exists Today': The Sport's Greatest Ambassador Dies at 87." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 2016. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.

"Personal Biography." Arnold Palmer. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.

The Life of Malala Yousafzai

The book I am reading is I am Malala. I have learned a lot about her culture from reading this book. Malala is a very inspirational person and I have chosen to write about her journey and what she has done to overcome hardship.

Malala Yousafzai is a well known symbol for women’s right and girls education in Pakistan. Malala was named after Malalai of Maiwand, who was the greatest heroine of Afghanistan. She was born on July 12, 1997 in Mingora, Pakistan, which is located in Swat valley. Swat was a peaceful place which was a popular getaway for tourists to visit during the summer. Malala described it as, “a heavenly kingdom of mountains, gushing waterfalls and crystal-clear lakes.”(I am Malala, 15). After the taliban invaded, the village and areas around it took a hard hit and people started to see what was happening and changed their outlook on Pakistan. Malala includes a lot of information about the invasion of the taliban in her book and how it changed her life and others around her. Malala’s biggest influence was her father. He had a lot of trust in her and she followed in his footsteps of being an avid speaker and had a strong belief to stand up for what she thought was right.

The people of Swat knew the Taliban was close, but now it had come for them. The taliban started to lure in young boys to come and join them. Many of the boys were used as suicide bombers and brainwashed into believing what they were doing was right. In 2003, the people of Swat started to see much more violence in their village. Many girls school around Swat were being blown up because the Taliban believed that it was wrong for girls to go to school and get an education. They also enforced more rules for women including their clothing, where they could go and who they could be with. Many political figures were getting death threats from the Taliban and others were ambushed and killed. In 2007, the leader of the Taliban, Maulana Fazlullah, setup 30 illegal FM radio stations to preach Islamic law to the people of Pakistan, and he actually became very popular. Taliban engraved fear into the people of Mingora by putting their victims dead bodies in the streets where the people could see them on their way to work. It got so bad that the Army had to come in and clear out the Taliban. At this time, the whole city had to evacuate and go and find somewhere else to live until the situation was taken care of. Three months later. the governor of Pakistan announced that it was safe to come back, through many were reluctant. The Army had lied and signs of the Taliban started to reappear, starting with more girls schools.

Malala’s father worked very hard to open up his own school with one of his friends Faiz Mohammad. It was there that Malala spent most of her time and when she grew up and could go to school, she drowned herself in her books. Her father always encouraged her to speak freely and be openminded and learn as much as she could. She then got interested in politics when she saw what was happening to other girls schools in Pakistan. She could not believe that the Taliban would take away the rights of girls to get an education and she wanted to do something about it. The she made her first speech called , "How dare the Taliban take away my basic right to education?" which she made in Peshawar, Pakistan in 2008 when she was only 11 years old. Malala was determined to make a difference. In 2009, a BBC reporter asked Malala's father if he knew anyone who could write anonymously about living under Taliban rule. Malala took the opportunity to talk about her school and the fears she had of the school being shut down or attacked. She spoke to the hearts of many people around the world as many people saw her blog. It was also in 2009 that the Taliban started closing girls schools and then reassessed and said they could go to school if they wear burqas. As Malala started to protest more and more and get more involved, she had then become a target for the Taliban.

It was October 9, 2012, Malala and her friends were riding the bus home after school. Everyday they go past the army checkpoint and then up a busy street to get to the main road. But that day, it was different. Malala asked her friend Moniba, “Where are all the people?” (Malala, 241). All the girls were talking and signing when suddenly two men stopped the bus. They came rushing on. “Who is Malala?” they asked. No one said a word but everyone turned to look at Malala. She was the only one whose face wasn’t covered. The man lifted his pistol and fired three shots, one right after the other. The first bullet went through Malala’s left eye socket and came out under her left shoulder. Malala then leaned over on her friend, Moniba, blood coming out of her left ear. The other two bullets hit the girls next to her. One bullet went into a girl named Shiza’s left hand. Then the third went through the same girls left shoulder and into the upper right arm of another girl, Kainat Riaz.  The last thing Malala remembers was the revision of her paper she was going to have to do the next day. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack and came out with a statement saying, " Malala has been targeted because of her pioneer role in preaching secularism...She was young but she was promoting Western culture in Pashtun areas." (Malala, 256). The Taliban knew that Malala was such an important figure in the lives of many girls and she was creating a problem for them.

Malala’s life has changed drastically since being shot by the Taliban. After leaving the hospital in in January 2013, her family moved to Birmingham, England because Malala needed more treatment. The Taliban threatened Malala that if she ever went back to Pakistan that she would be found and killed. In March that same year, she begin to start going to school at Edgbaston High School in Birmingham. In 2013, she was also named, " one of TIME magazine's most influential people, put forward for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2013, won the European Parliament's Sakharov prize for freedom of thought, and her autobiography, "I am Malala." (BBC, 1). She continues to speak about women's rights and is trying to make it possible for girls to go to school. She set up a fund in her name for children around the world be able to go to school.  "Among other trips, she has travelled to Nigeria, meeting President Goodluck Jonathan to press for action to free the 200 girls held by Boko Haram Islamist militants." ( BBC, 1). Malala's wish is to return to Pakistan and become a politician so she can make the difference in girls lives that has always been needed. To be able to get an education.


Two years before the shooting, Malala was unknown to the rest of the world. Most people only knew about her from her blog which didn’t even use her actual name. Now she is known worldwide and continues to make a difference even after her almost life ending shooting. On her 16th birthday, Malala went to the United Nations to deliver her first speech since recovering. She talked about the shooting and how it has made her stronger and that any fear that she once had is now gone. She still has the same ambitions, goals, and dreams to be able to make a difference for girls wanting to get an education. In March 2014, the second time Malala was nominated fore the Nobel Peace Prize, she won. At age 17, this made her the youngest person to ever receive the prestigious award. She is an inspiration to all.

Malala Yousafzai is one of the most inspirational people in the world. She has impacted so many lives at such a young age and has done things that no one would imagine doing at her age. She continues to do amazing things for children and women around the world who do not have access to an education. Malala shows that is it possible for anyone at any age to make a difference in this world. Her courage and bravery will continue to influence people around the world.


Videos from Malala's UN speech can be found here .

Malala's Nobel Peace Prize Speech 2014 (27 min) 

Works Cited

Kettler, Sara. "Malala Yousafzai." Biography.com. A&E Networks Television, 22 Nov. 2016. Web. 07 Mar. 2017.

Malala. "Diary of a Pakistani Schoolgirl." BBC News. BBC, 19 Jan. 2009. Web. 07 Mar. 2017.

"Malala Yousafzai Nobel Peace Prize Speech." YouTube. N.p., 11 Dec. 2014. Web. 07 Mar. 2017.

"Profile: Malala Yousafzai." BBC News. BBC, 10 Dec. 2014. Web. 07 Mar. 2017.

Tmg. "Malala Yousafzai: Timeline of the Pakistani Campaigner's Life." The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 18 Nov. 2015. Web. 07 Mar. 2017.

Yousafzai, Malala, and Christina Lamb. I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban. New York: Little, Brown, 2013. Print.