Steven J. Overman

The Youth Sports Crisis (eBook, ePUB)

Out-of-Control Adults, Helpless Kids

• Format: ePub

Produktbeschreibung

This provocative critique of the youth sports movement examines the various issues surrounding children in sports and provides a plan for reform based on a change in philosophy and practice. Many American children spend more than 20 hours a week in organized sports, forgoing free time and unstructured recreational activities for the rigors of training and competition. This book offers a comprehensive critique of the youth sports movement, pitting the reality of adult-run sports programs against the needs and interests of children. It examines whether the tradeoff of "normal play time" for structured sports activities teaches discipline and leads to stronger character development, or if the pressures of the game, the physical strain of practicing, and the general overscheduling of children's lives have eroded the benefits associated with playing sports. Educator and former coach Steven J. Overman contends that youth-based sports programs require a radical change for the well-being of the young participants. The book explores the various problems in organized sports, including stress on the family, physical health hazards, violence, emotional duress, elitism, and hyper-competitiveness. Incorporating the perspectives of coaches, athletes, parents, physicians, and social scientists, the narrative scrutinizes the role of adults as promoters and coaches and concludes with a discussion of current and needed reforms.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Bloomsbury Publishing Inc
• Seitenzahl: 256
• Altersempfehlung: ab 7 Jahre
• Erscheinungstermin: 14. Oktober 2014
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9798216169550
• Artikelnr.: 68167844

Autorenporträt

Steven J. Overman has spent most of his professional life writing about various aspects of sport. He has published some three-dozen articles and reviews in academic journals, including a recent article on male athletes and their fathers for the British journal Auto/biography. His book-length publications include a college textbook, a mini-text for high school history students, and a monograph on The Influence of the Protestant Ethic on Sport and Recreation (1997). Overman wrote several short biographies for David Wiggins' African Americans in Sports (2004), and he also regularly contributes columns and op-ed pieces for newspapers.

Inhaltsangabe

1 Introduction to Youth Sports What Motivates Youth Sports Participation?
Do Youth Sports Develop Character? 2 Youth Sports for Adults The Adult
Takeover of Children's Sports The Youth Sports Coach, for Better or Worse
The Commercialization of Youth Sports 3 The Child Athlete's Family The
Youth Sports Family The Sports Parent: Soccer Moms and Dugout Dads Are
Youth Sports Overpriced? Youth Sports as College Prep 4 The Child Athlete
as Miniature Adult The Hurried Child Athlete Toddler Sports The Child
Athlete as Specialist The Overscheduled Child Athlete Sports Camps and
Academies 5 Youth Sports May Be Hazardous to Your Child's Physical Health
Unnecessary Roughness: Youth Sports Injuries Violence in Youth Sports Do
Youth Sports Promote Unhealthy Eating? Do Youth Sports Promote Fitness? 6
Youth Sports May Be Hazardous to Your Child's Emotional Health The Youth
Sports Athlete under Stress Youth Sports and the Shaping of Masculinity
Youth Sports as Child Abuse Quitters Never Win: Burnouts and Dropouts 7 The
Toxic Elements in Youth Sports Youth Sports as Drudgery Youth Sports as
Child Labor Winning Is Everything: Competition Out of Control Youth Sports
as Elitism 8 So You Want Your Son to Play Football A Portrait of Youth
Football and Its Downside Youth Football Coaches: Amateurs and Abusers
Bigger Is Better: Overweight Players No Pain, No Gain: A Plague of Injuries
Does Playing Football Promote Bad Behavior? Do You Want Your Son to Play
Football? 9 Concluding Thoughts: Reform or Re-Form Notes Index