Day 110

Fresh Start_110: Youth sports can’t go

I have no idea what I would do without sports period, but especially when I was young. 27% of youth sports in schools are currently cut from the United States public school system. That is just absolutely unacceptable. Youth sports are a way for kids and high school students to express themselves, just the musically arts do for millions across the country. The performing arts system has been victim to a ton of school cuts in the past, and that isn’t right either, but without sports—where do kids go? What happens to kids after school if they can’t play sports?

When I was younger, baseball and basketball where all I looked forward to after school. Whether it was organized or whether it was playing with my brothers or kids on the block, we just played. But in particular youth organized sports played a big role in who I am today. It was on the baseball field two blocks from my house where I built friendships that are still intact today. It was on those fields where I learned what it meant to win and what the pain feels like when you lose. Those fields brought my dad, brothers, and I become closer by trying to play a baseball game. Youth sports are what brings a vase majority of people in this country together, and not just the kids. My parents have made friends through sports that my brothers and I have played.

As a 7-year-old, the baseball field was my second home. Whether my team was playing or not, I would go down after my homework was done to try and pool play. What pool play is—is when a team doesn’t have enough kids to field a team, they pick a kid willing to play literally off the streets. I was playing baseball almost every day. In high school playing baseball, running track, and swimming made going to school easier and some day’s fun. Looking forward to practice, a game, or a meet was all I wanted to do.  

It isn’t even just about my personal ride through youth sports, my brothers also have been engulfed by the wonders of youth sports. My friends have as well, some even going on to play in college. I look forward to my brother’s games and love going because it is something to look forward to and to bond over. I can’t wait to watch my little brothers’ games when I go home for Winter break.

Youth sports save millions of young kids from dangerous situations and get others off the streets. The youth sports system is all people have because of the situation at home. Thousands of kids only have sports to get them out of the horrible situation they were unknowingly brought into. Cutting youth sports drives all these kids to drugs and alcohol, landing many of these kids in jail cell instead of some dorm room on a college campus somewhere in the U.S. Not giving these kids a chance to play on the field, court, or in the pool is robbing thousands of kids a future. The U.S. public school is making it harder for kids to go to college; not even just that, but make something of their lives. The only thing I have seen to help this cause, is by going to Dicks Sporting Goods and buy a pair of green shoe laces to help support keeping youth sports in the country. It is a disgrace that this is happening, but as the sports community, we have to look out for the youth and help this cause. Giving thousands of kids a future is worth the purchase of the green shoe laces.

Sources:(cnbc.com, theringer.com)

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