Youth sports

Youth sport (British English) or youth athletics (American English) is any sports event where competitors are younger than adult age, whether children or adolescents. Youth sport includes school sport at primary and secondary level, as well as sport played outside the education system, whether informally or organized. Youth sport (British English) or youth athletics (American English) is any sports event where competitors are younger than adult age, whether children or adolescents. Youth sport includes school sport at primary and secondary level, as well as sport played outside the education system, whether informally or organized. In sports studies and public policy contexts, an age limit of 18 (the age of majority) is usual in discussing 'youth sport'. Not all sports governing bodies define 'youth' as 'under-18': while the Youth Olympic Games and the FA Youth Cup are for under-18s, the LEN Junior Water Polo European Championship is for under-17s. Many youth sport programmes have multiple age levels, for example under-8, under-10, under-12, etc. It is not, however, only underage sport that may be considered as 'youth' sport; for example, the existence of the World Rowing U23 Championships recognises that adults aged 18–22 have not yet reached peak condition. Sport is one of the most popular activities among youth all over the world. The most popular sports are association football and swimming. In 2008, a United Nations-sponsored report on 'Sport for Development and Peace' stated: According to WinterGreen Research, the size of the U.S. youth sports market has grown 55 percent since 2010 and is a $15.3 billion market in 2017. Participation in organized sports during childhood and adolescence has important benefits for physical, psychological, and social health. Sport based youth development programs outside of school promote a wide range of learning and life skill development. Involvement in youth athletics encourages youth to live a healthy and happy lifestyle, foregoing the common issues many youth face such as obesity and depression. However, sport involvement goes beyond health, other benefits allow them to form and strengthen affective relationships, teach youth to value self-improvement over winning, how to be competitive in a competitive society, and to work culturally with different peers and authorities. In the classroom, high school student-athletes are far less likely to drop out of school and 15% more likely to attend college. The practice of sport fosters young people's physical and emotional health and builds valuable social connections. It also offers opportunities for play and self -expression especially for those young people with few other opportunities. Sport also acts as a healthy alternative to harmful actions such as drug abuse, and involvement in crime. Beyond the individual, sport involvement cuts barriers that divide societies, making it a powerful tool to support conflict prevention both symbolically on the global level and practically within communities. The number of dropouts reaches a peak in the adolescent years and the most important reason for not playing sport are “not having enough time,” “no interest anymore,” and “other leisure activities”. Negative experiences can be created through a sport that is overly focused on competition and winning at all costs or that fails to place the healthy development of youth at the center of the experience. Such negative experiences may result in a young person's low self-esteem, involve them in negative relationships, encourage poor sportsmanship, permit aggression and violence, allow racism, perpetuate gender discrimination, or expose them to psychological, sexual and commercial exploitation and abuse. Many of these negative experiences can be avoided when parents and coaches are chosen carefully, ensuring that programs offer a positive development experience for youth. Injuries have always been of concern in terms of sport but youth are much more susceptible to injury considering both their immature musculoskeletal system and increasingly high intensity training. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, participation in organized sports is on the rise. Nearly 30 million children and adolescents participate in youth sports just in the United States. This high rise in sport participation has led to some startling statistics, high school athletes account for an estimated 2 million injuries, 500,000 doctor visits, and 30,000 hospitalizations each year. The most common types of sports-related injuries among youth are sprains, muscle strains, bone or growth plate injuries, and overuse injuries.