Aaron Miller's Rough Draft for Critique

Aaron Miller
Persuasive Writing
Prof. Diane Varner
October 30th, 2008

Beating Competitive Sports

The idea that competition is a beneficial and necessary element in maintaining a stable society is a concept that has become deeply ingrained in our culture. Competition is not only present in virtually every aspect of life, but it is seriously encouraged. Given that the negative consequences of competition are seldom measured, it is no wonder that the locations of competitive environments are rarely subject to review. It is not until individuals recognize that competition is a factor in undercutting cooperation that any bit of attention is paid to the subject. Many psychologists and educators, along with the support of parents and physicians, advocate reviewing the role of competitive sports in elementary and middle school gym classes. According to some scholars, such as Laura Ward, a researcher at Loughborough University, competition in schools not only leads to self-esteem issues and bullying, but it discourages children from participating in physical exercise, hinders physical growth, and leads to abnormal psychological development (Clark 1). By eliminating competitive sports from the accepted physical education curriculum in schools, children will be less exposed to the segregation that occurs from popularity contests and bullying, and therefore have a greater chance of properly developing with fewer negative social influences.

Initially, it is understandable why people may be skeptical of eliminating competitive sports from the elementary and middle school physical education curriculum. It is commonly believed that competitive sports offer a high level of physical activity, and therefore health benefit for all participants. While it is true that competitive sports offer these benefits to the children who actively participate, those who are too apprehensive to enthusiastically participate are devoid of any benefits. Even more concerning, it is usually the athletically inclined individuals that excel in gym classes while those who could truly benefit from the exercise stand idly by at the sidelines. In another article, Professor Ward discusses the fact that by replacing competitive sports such as basketball and football, with healthy-lifestyle activities such as palates, schools would encourage children to live in a healthier way (Lipsett 1). In other words, by replacing competition-based activities with activities that focus on the individual, elementary and middle schools would actively benefit their students.

For many children, the problem of competitive sports extends far beyond physical wellbeing. The victims of bullying are not always the individuals that lack athletic enthusiasm, but rather receive scrutiny from their peers for perceived athletic inabilities. However unfair it may be to single out an individual for lacking athletic talent, it is undeniable that bullying occurs and that the competitive gym class environment is a breeding ground for teasing and taunting. Dr. Daniel Frankl, a professor of kinesiology at UCLA states that, “Leading physical education scholars hold the view that the "Competitive Achievement Model" should be kept out of the physical education curriculum, especially at the elementary school level” (Frankl). He further explained that most children do not reach the level of maturity that is required to successfully participate in competitive sports until the age of twelve. Children who have not reached this level of maturity are more likely to fall victim to bullying or even become bullies themselves.
Despite the compelling evidence that exists which condemns competitive sports in lower level education, there are a number of people that full-heartedly support the inclusion of such activities. 

A University of Kent Professor, Frank Furedi claims that Professor Ward’s argument is a “ridiculous conclusion” and that “children gain nothing from the manufactured forms of tokenistic rituals that accompany such emotionally correct gestures” (Furedi 1). Furedi fails to understand that activities such as yoga and palates, or what he refers to as “tokenistic rituals”, work to improve the health of all participants and eliminate many opportunities where bullying would otherwise occur. On one level, Professor Furedi understands the emotional trauma of competitive sports. He even states that, “Yes, losing may be painful” (1). Although he recognizes this fact, Furedi also states, “When every child receives a prize for “trying their best,” the youngsters readily see through the empty gesture. Even at an early age they understand that when nobody loses, nobody wins” (2). This statement illustrates how Furedi fails to understand that losing a game of basketball has a different psychological impact for a second or third grader than it does for a sixty-year old professor of sociology at The University of Kent.

Robert Lipsyte, of The New York Times, illustrates a prominent example of the link between gym class competition and psychological trauma. In a 2002 article, Lipsyte discusses the psychological damage that the game of dodgeball has on young children. Lipsyte, in describing dodgeball, states, “There is scapegoating, bullying, victimology, thinning the herd” as well as “humiliation” (Lipsyte 1). To further emphasize the negatives associated with the game, Lipsyte draws attention to those who speak out against it. He writes, “The National Association for Sport and Physical Education, which represents more than 18,000 teachers and professors, has condemned dodgeball” (1). Here Lipsyte displays that the major opposition to dodgeball is made up of teachers and professors. Lipsyte then shows that the leading lobbyists, promoting the game, are from a group called the National Amateur Dodgeball Association, a group that, according to Lipsyte, “holds outdoor and indoor championships for adults in Schaumburg, Ill.” (1). It is understandable that professors and teachers pay little attention to the suggestions of the National Amateur Dodgeball Association becuase this group is made for adult competition and because the group stands to profit off of the game.

While there are arguments that exist for including dodgeball and other competitive sports in the elementary and middle school physical education curriculum, it is important to understand that most leading scholars and experts weighing in on the issue agree that this form of competition is malevolent for children who have not reached an age of social maturity. While the actual age of social maturity is argued back and forth, and while it differs from person to person, most psychologists agree that very few individuals in elementary and middle schools who have reached this level. It is understandable why so many people advocate for the removal of competitive sports in these environments because doing so reduces unnecessary exposure to negative social influences.

Regardless of how much action is taken against competition, there will still be those who strive to rise above those around them. In other words, competition will never completely be eliminated from any environment. Competition is a natural human instinct that serves it purpose in many situations. While much can be said about the inhereint nature of competition, there is no reason why we should be encouraging negative competitive attitudes at the expense of a child’s proper psychological development. By eliminating competitive sports from the elementary and middle school physical education curriculum and replacing these brutal games with activities such as yoga and palates, negative social influences will be dramatically reduced and children will benefit both psychically and psychologically.