Are Kids Still Interested in Pro Sports or Did Video Games Take Over?
By Movieguide® Contributor
A new report from Kidscreen found that even with the rise of video games, children are still interested in sports.
This summer has been an excellent period for sports fans as, along with the Olympics, two international-level soccer tournaments took place during the beginning of July. These exciting sporting events caught the eye of children, as 90% of children aged 3 to 18 knew the Olympics were occurring, with 67% planning on tuning in. The European Cup soccer tournament was also on children’s radar, as 87% tuned in to at least one game, with 81% able to name specific players.
Watching sports on TV remains the most popular medium for consuming the content, with 47% of kids preferring it above all else. Streaming was the second most popular option, with 28% of American kids choosing that method first.
Sports remain a terrific way for dads to engage with their kids, as 70% of children said they are most likely to be watching sports with their fathers when asked who they watch sports with the most.
While these statistics are encouraging for those concerned about the youth’s engagement with sports, when compared with similar statistics for video games, it reveals just how much the latter has caught their attention.
A report from May found that 85% of teens play video games regularly, with that number jumping to 97% when looking at just teen boys. The Kidscreen report also found that 63% of American kids younger than 10 aspire to be professional video game players.
Interestingly, teens believe sports and video games teach similar life skills with improved problem-solving skills, ability to work with others and social skills being attributed to both pastimes.
While this may be the case to some degree, parents need to be careful with the amount of time they allow their children to play video games. Many video games have been created with addictive properties built into their core systems, worsening tens of thousands of players’ lives as they forgo real-life responsibilities to spend more time gaming. In 2019, WHO officially categorized gaming addiction as a mental disease, and healthcare professionals are seeing more and more cases of it every year.
Sports, meanwhile, offer little downside while providing even more benefits such as physical health.
Overall, Movieguide® advises parents to encourage their kids to live balanced lifestyles and keep themselves healthier and happier by engaging in a variety of hobbies.
Movieguide® previously reported on video games and sports:
Most EA Sports College Football players got access to the game this week, but it’s already widely popular, thanks to strong marketing and general interest in college football.
The game serves as a successor to the NCAA Football franchise that was popular in the early 2000s through 2014 when the series was put on an indefinite hold for profiting off of the likeness of college football players without compensating them — something that was illegal to do at the time. A court case in 2021, however, reopened the door when the Supreme Court ruled that college athletes could be compensated for their name, image and likeness (NIL).
This ruling provided EA with the ability to revive the franchise and create an even better experience for players. In the past, the game couldn’t feature the names of players, so a major star like Tim Tebow, for example, was simply “QB No. 15.” Under the new NIL rules, however, EA paid athletes to include them in the game, resulting in over 10,000 college football players receiving a minimum $600 check and a free copy of the game upon its release.
Other features that improve on the old games include a “Road to Glory,” “Dynasty” and “Road to College Football Playoffs” mode which can be played both online against friends or solo against the game.
