Jessica Statsky, in her essay “Children Need to Play, Not Compete,” attempts to refute the common belief that organized sports are good for children. She views organized sports not as a healthy pastime for children, but as onerous chores that children don't really enjoy. She also notes that not only are organized sports not enjoyable for children, they can cause irreparable harm to them, both emotionally and physically. In his thesis statement, Statsky states, “When overzealous parents and coaches impose adult standards on children's sports, the result can be activities that are neither satisfying nor beneficial for children” (627). While this claim is strong, its defense is weak. One of the hypotheses Statsky makes is that "an easily understandable danger of overly competitive sports is that they inspire children to engage in physical actions that are bad for their growing bodies" (627). This statement is based on the assumption that children would not perform any “physical actions harmful to their growing bodies” (Statsky 627) without organized competitive sports. This is simply false. Children are jumping off swings, climbing trees, skateboarding, doing pop wheelies, and putting themselves in physical danger with alarming regularity. Children's free, unorganized play often leads to broken bones and stitches in even the most timid children. Statsky also makes another erroneous assumption, namely that competition is an imposition of adults on the world of children's play. She says in her article: “The primary goal of a professional athlete – winning – is not appropriate for children” (629). Children compete to win in the same way as adults, and they do it alone, without any pressure from adults. Common playground game ... middle of paper ... competitive sports can cause lasting damage and have no benefit for these children (Statsky 627), so examples of how competition during childhood negatively affected individuals years after the fact would go a long way toward proving his accusation. Since Statsky's thesis relies on the assumption that adult imposition of competition and organization in children's sports renders the games neither satisfying nor beneficial for children, then the lack of benefit must be demonstrated along with the lack of satisfaction. The existence of dissatisfied child athletes in organized sports does not indicate that children are unsuitable for competition and team sports. Works Cited Statsky, Jessica. “Children should play, not compete. » Reading critically and writing well: a reader and guide. Ed. Rise B. Axelrod, Charles R. Cooper, and Allison M. Warriner. 7th ed. Boston: Bedford, 2005. 627-631.