Report: Cuts to youth sports contribute to obesity, violence - washingtonpost.com:
"A new report says that $2 billion in cuts to school-based sports and physical education programs are contributing to a range of problems afflicting the nation's youth, including obesity, violence and academic failure.
The report by Up2Us, a New York City-based coalition of groups that are lobbying to save such programs, was released this week as more than 150 researchers, coaches and leaders of non-profit groups gathered in Washington for a conference on the fate of youth sports in an age of budget cutbacks.
'Youth sports is in serious decline in this country,' said Brian Greenwood, an assistant professor at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, who helped author the study. 'We can't afford that potential negative impact. If a kid doesn't have somewhere to go, something to do to occupy their time, unfortunately what they do more often than not is they end up in trouble.'"
"A new report says that $2 billion in cuts to school-based sports and physical education programs are contributing to a range of problems afflicting the nation's youth, including obesity, violence and academic failure.
The report by Up2Us, a New York City-based coalition of groups that are lobbying to save such programs, was released this week as more than 150 researchers, coaches and leaders of non-profit groups gathered in Washington for a conference on the fate of youth sports in an age of budget cutbacks.
'Youth sports is in serious decline in this country,' said Brian Greenwood, an assistant professor at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, who helped author the study. 'We can't afford that potential negative impact. If a kid doesn't have somewhere to go, something to do to occupy their time, unfortunately what they do more often than not is they end up in trouble.'"