Introduction

• Provide brief summary of the video/article/debate from class.
• State if and which themes discussed address sport and/or exercise psychological/sociocultural concepts.

Discuss

• Describe 1-3 scenarios/scenes/incidents/concepts from the video/article/debate that relate to course content /themes. Relate each scenario/scene/incident/concept described to material discussed in class and/or other resources. The objective of the paper is not to ‘regurgitate’ class notes nor the video/article/debate – but rather to make strong links between the two, and in so doing, demonstrate understanding and application of course material in a ‘real life’ setting.

• Students will be marked on their insight in choosing appropriate components of the video/article/debate to discuss, and the clarity, strength, and appropriateness of the links that they make to class material/ other references. If students choose only 1 concept/scenario/incident from the video/article/debate, they should make more extensive links with the class material and/or other resources.

Personal Insight

• Offer your personal insight on the depiction of the concept(s) in the video/article/debate.
• Students will also be marked on whether they provide rationale for their opinion

Answer:

Introduction

The lesson presentation discusses the purpose of youth sport. In this discussion, it can be noted that there are different benefits that can be achieved from sport such as greater liking of school by the students who actively participate in sport. There are also quite a lot of physical health benefits that can be derived
from sport. In the same vein, it can also be seen that one major theme highlighted in the class discussion is that sport encourages youth development physically and psychologically. This is very important with regard to positive development of behavior which is good for the youths and the society at large.

Discussion of concepts

The main concept discussed here is that sport fosters youth development. This notion has been supported by Zarret and Lerner (2008) who observe that youth who participate in various sporting activities often fare better in terms of their development compared to their counterparts who are not involved in many activities. Positive youth development includes psychological, behavioral and social characteristics that involve what is commonly known as “Five Cs” which include the following: competence, confidence, connection, character, and caring/compassion. Children who develop each of these five Cs are said to be positively developing and they often develop the sixth “C” also known as contribution. This means that the youths are now capable of contributing something positive to their families and the society at large.

On a different note, the other concept that has been raised in the discussion is that sport can also be a source of aggression among the youths. Basically, aggression is a natural feature of human beings and it can be activated in different ways. In sports, it can be seen that the main aim is competition that is often characterised by rivalry and direct confrontation of the opponents with the aim of winning (Oproiu, 2013). This can activate aggression among the youths as some of them may be tempted to display behaviour that shows that they are mainly concerned about winning while at the same time inflicting pain on others. A good example drawn from the discussion is an illustration of how hockey has firm entrenchment in Canadian culture. This sport is often associated with aggression and to many parents, this kind of behaviour is seen as normal. In other words, aggressive behaviour among the youths is normalised through their active participation in this kind of sport.  

Personal insight

From the concepts highlighted in the class presentation, I am of the view that sport is very good in as far as youth development is concerned. Good health can be achieved through active involvement in a variety of sporting activities and this helps the youths to be resistant to other minor ailments that can be caused by lack of activity. I also believe that sport can play a significant role in unifying people from different backgrounds. People who love sport usually have a common cause and they burry their differences. This is very good for promoting peace in society. 

References

Oproiu, I. (2013). “A Study on the Relationship Between Sports and Aggression.” Sport Science

Review, vol. XXII, no. 1-2, pp. 33 – 48. Retrieved from: https://www.degruyter.com/downloadpdf/j/ssr.2013.22.issue-1-2/ssr-2013-0003/ssr-2013-0003.pdf 

Zarret, N. & Lerner, R.M. (2008). “Ways to Promote the Positive Development of Children and

Youth.” Child Trends. Retrieved from https://www.childtrends.org/wp-content/uploads/01/Youth-Positive-Devlopment.pdf