Research Log #9

Date: 12/31/17
Name: RJ Walker
EQ: How and why are sports a metaphor towards life and career success?

Three Points to Prove: #1: Sports teach commitment, dedication, and responsibility.
#2: Sports emphasize the power of teamwork.
#3: Sports build respect towards authority/ coaches and enhance friendships/social skills
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Point that this Source/Information Proves: #3

Excerpts:

“Youth participation in structured recreational activities promotes positive youth development.”

“Engagement with others as part of a team or through group activities allows youth to develop skills in social
interaction, goal setting, discipline, emotional maturity, physical activity competence, and many other abilities.”

“Participation in swimming as a sport with supportive coaching can also help youth develop positive self-esteem,
confidence in their abilities, initiative for goal setting, and identity formation.”

“In order to increase youth engagement in swimming, recreationally and as a sport, there is a need to better understand
the individual and systemic barriers to swimming as well as individual motivators.”

“Participants noted that young people can have a strong positive influence on their peers, and that youth are more
likely to want to swim when their friends are doing it.”

“Participation in recreational sports and activities has been shown to positively influence youth development.”

Analysis:
Sports build respect towards authority/ coaches and also enhance friendships/ social skills. This article takes
place in Baltimore, Maryland and focuses on promoting youth development through aquatics programs, titled Sink or
Swim. Youth participation in structured recreational activities promotes positive youth development and is great for
building respect towards coaches/ higher authorities. A recent systematic review suggests that involvement in sports
fosters positive physical, social, psychological, emotional, and intellectual development in youth. This displays the fact
that there are various positive elements that contribute towards youth development through sports.
As stated in the article, participants noted that young people can have a strong positive influence on their peers,
and that youth are more likely to want to swim when their friends are doing it. Having said that, this shows the
influence that peers have on each other and can lead to more youth partaking in sports which leads to better traits
shown by the child. Also quoted in the article “Participation in recreational sports and activities has been shown to
positively influence youth development” shows that their swimming program in Maryland does positively affect their
youth and they have seen results. Overall, the article shows concrete evidence that their swimming program is helping
me to prove my point regarding how sports are great for youth development.

Work Cited:
Storm, Margaret K. "Sink or Swim: Promoting Youth Development through Aquatics Programs in
Baltimore, Maryland." Journal of Park & Recreation Administration, EBSCOhost, 1 Mar 2017.
http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=18&sid=9e38c466-d102-425d-9a53-
97d8613a3529%40pdc-v-sessmgr01. Accessed 31 Dec 2017.