teem can be boosted by a good perfornance on the field. Even kidscrippled by severe shyness can emerge from their shell by spending hours in the dugout or on thesidelines with their peers. But above all, participating in sports can lead to hours and hours ofunbridled enjoyment. After spending seven hours in a stuffy classroom, their is no better way ofblowing off steam than by hitting a baseball, sinking a layup, or running a touchdown into theendzone. Children get a chance to emulate heroes like Jordan, McGwire, and Moss every timethey step onto their respective of field of play. Maureen Weiss, PhD, of the University of Oregon, also agrees that sports do more thanenhance biceps and up hand-eye coordination. Said Weiss, Physical activity and sports havetremendous potential to enhace childrens self-esteem and motivation. Weisss researchconsisitently proves that self-esteem and perceptions of physical ability can predict achievementbehavior, motivations and positive effects(APA 1996).Ronald M. Jeziorski, an educational psychologist who consults curricular programs inSanta Clara, California, also sees the posivite effect sports has on a childrens psychologicalwell-being. Jeziorski surveyed eighteen professionals in social work, law enforcement, andeducation on the effect of sports. Across the board, said Jeziorksi, they all said thatparticipants in sports earn better grades, behave better in the classroom, have fewer behaviorproblems outside the classroom, drop out significantly less, and attend school on a regular basiswith fewer unexcused absences (Theeboom, de Knop, Weiss 1995).Mental gifts aside, let us not forget that the physical aspect of sports is extremelyimportant, especially now more than ever. In the age of Super Nintendo and Playstation, rarely dochildren long for enjoyment beyond the confines their bedroom. In fact, the proportion ofoverweight teens has grown from 15 to 21 percent in the last decade alone, according to theN...
