Effects of Team and Individual Sports on Childhood Development

Sumita Hughes

University of Georgia
Dear Concerned Parent,

We live in a culture that glorifies sports, there is no doubt about that. There are days of

the week dedicated to some (Superbowl Sunday), and even whole months (March Madness) that

accurately reflect Americas love and pride in sports. So when the opportunity is presented to

sign your child up for a sport, either individual or team, you may be eager to learn of the many

benefits that come along with your child being involved, as well as any possible negative effects

such as aggression that could have lasting results throughout life. Having done some research on

the matter, I am hoping to shed some light on these issues and provide you with a clear and

informed foundation on which to build the best possible future for your child.

The first question that was raised is how being involved in team sports affects confidence

levels and interpersonal relations as they age. A poll conducted by NPR showed that 76% of

adults with children in middle and high school encourage their children to play sports based on

the belief that social skills such as understanding leadership roles and fellowship, getting along

with others, are skills that are built within a sports team (Neighmond, 2015). This poll is

confirmed by the results of a study done using 5,632 children between the age of 3 and 10.

Parents were asked at what frequency their children participate in a sport activity, ranging from

never to almost daily. The children themselves were subject to a 25 question long

questionnaire from a behavioral screening device called the Strength and Difficulties

questionnaire (SDQ), where non-cognitive skills such as emotional problems, social behaviors,

and peer relation problems can be evaluated. It was found that kids more involved in team sports

scored significantly lower in the SDQ, indicating less peer relation problems and less emotional

problems (Felfe et al., 2011).

 Simply put, a child involved in a team sport displays higher levels of confidence when

they are navigating social arenas, which means they are good with interacting with their peers

and can establish and maintain better social relationships than those not physically active in

sports. This is not saying a child who is not involved will become antisocial or have particular

behavioral problems, as well as it is not saying a child involved in sports is immune from

developing poor relations. It just shows a strong correlation between emotional and social skills

and sports, which is not to be assumed as causation. A possible confound variable, or third

variable that might be affecting the results of the study, could be that children who are already

socially developed may be more inclined to join a sports team, or parents who can dedicate more

time and money into their childs life are more likely to encourage them to join and engage them

more often, also resulting in better social skills and emotional stability. So these results should be

taken with a grain of salt, and understand that these skills can be developed outside of sports if

you are active and present in your childs life, giving them attention and support.

Some specific skills learned through sports are cooperation with others and going through

potentially stressful situations with teammates that foster strong relationships and supportive,

empathetic conversations. A parent who is warm and praises their child rather than belittle and

force high expectations on them will give the child a sense of self-efficacy and accomplishment,

so as a parent who might be interested in sitting on the sidelines, it is probably best to reel in the

Are you kidding me, ref?? outbursts and showing strong disappointment when your child

makes a mistake. More advantages to team sports are learning how to regulate emotions and

being flexible and resilient in stressful situations, learning self-discipline, hard work, and

understanding the importance of relying and trusting others as well as being reliable themselves

(Weise-Bjornstal et al., 2006).

 Individual sports likewise have very positive advantages to a childs development as

well, such as a higher need for independence and trust in individual capabilities and leadership.

Some argue that there are higher boosts to self-confidence and self-reliance with individual

sports, as you have no one to blame when you lose, but no one to split the success when you win.

Individual sports can strengthen capabilities of standing alone and being confident in oneself and

decision making skills (Fazio, 2014). Between the two, either team or individual, sports overall

have quite positive effects on children and when choosing between the two for your child,

typically individual sports will require much more support on your end, as your child will not

have a team to rely on, but both have incredible benefits besides the obvious health and exercise

benefit.

The only significant disadvantages seem to be the pressure and stress that can be put on

children during tough and disappointing situations, which can result in anxiety and an

expectation to perform well, as well as physical injuries that often occur in sports. Up to a certain

level, these feelings are beneficial, as it will force the child to learn coping mechanisms in how

they handle or prevent such feelings. It is up to you as a parent to continuously support them

during this time and encourage them, while possibly helping them practice or gain confidence in

their skills, or making sure its clear their worth is not derived from their performance or failures.

So while this is a potential downside to sports, they can be handled effectively by the support of

you, the parent. Otherwise, the upsides vastly outweigh any negatives.

One contributing factor to parents hesitance in putting their kids in sports is the

aggressive aspect involved. Sports are indeed high stress, pitting ingroup versus outgroup, and

can be a lot of pressure on children. Conflict is bound to arise in any sport, but I decided to focus

specifically on high contact activities such as wrestling and karate in seeing if there are increased
inclinations toward violence and aggression as a result. A sociology assistant professor at Penn

State conducted a study of 7000 students taken from 120 total schools and examined their

propensity for violence. It was found that compared to sports such as tennis or team sports,

wrestling and high contact sports such as football resulted in 40% greater chance of being

involved in serious fights (Kotler, 2008). Although this may have you thinking that no way are

you putting your child in a sport that will make them more violent, lets examine possible

confounding variables. Children who are aggressive and violent in the first place may be drawn

to high contact sports on their own, being more willing to be involved in such activities. This is

not a bad thing, but talking with your child and teaching them constructive problem solving and

conflict resolution may help put that issue to bed before problems arise. A child may take their

interactions from contact sports and think it can be applied to everyday life, which is again,

where the parents and the coaches need to be involved in teaching the child what happens on the

field is not acceptable off, and creating a clear distinction between what is okay during sports and

what is not. There does not seem to be real conclusive studies done that can confidently say that

contact sports will make your child violent later in life, but by interacting with your children in a

positive and consistent manner, as well as discussing boundaries in peer relations and sports and

keeping an open line of communication, you can put your worries to bay in knowing your child

will understand what they should and should not do.

Armed with this information, I feel confident in your abilities as a parent to make an

educated decision on whether or not to involve your child in sports. There is incredible

opportunity in sports for social, cognitive, and physical developments during the childhood

stage, but also realize that not every sport might be a good fit for your child, and you might have

to assess their strengths and where they would excel and grow the most in. Along with that, not
all children want to be involved in sports, and that is okay. There are so many other different

places a child can place their focus in instead, and not being involved does not mean they will

not be as skilled or developed as those who are. In the end, its up to you to understand your

child, take their opinions into account, and make a decision both of you feel satisfied with.

Happy parenting!

Sincerely,

Sumita Hughes.
 References:

Fazio, T. (2014). The Advantages Of Individual Sports Over Team Sports. Retrieved April 06,

2017, from https://storify.com/innatecoff170/the-advantages-of-individual-sports-over-

team-sport

Felfe, C., Lechner, M., & Steinmeyr, A. (2011, November). Sports and Child Development

(Doctoral dissertation, University of St. Gallen, 2011) [Abstract]. Journal of Health,

6(17), 32nd ser., 387-401. doi:13.3856/1126332

Kotler, S. (2014, July 14). Are Sports Making Our Children More Violent? Retrieved April 06,

2017, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-playing-field/200807/are-sports-

making-our-children- more-violent

Neighmond, P. (2015, July 01). Benefits Of Sports To A Child's Mind And Heart All Part Of

The Game. Retrieved April 07, 2017, from http://www.npr.org/sections/health-

shots/2015/07/01/418899249/benefits-of-sports-to-a-childs-mind-and-heart-all-part-of-

the-game

Weise-Bjornstal, D., LaVoi, N., & Omli, J. (2009). Chapter 10 Child and Adolescent

Development and Sport Participation. In Sport Psychology (pp. 97-105). Hoboken, NJ:

Blackwell Publishing.