(Taken from internet. Has CCL) Picture taken from Dani Blum in the New York Times.
A house beckons the arrival of trick-or-treaters with extensive decorations.
Sports conflicts on Halloween unhealthy for kids
A multitude of smiles fill the neighborhood on this spectacular fall night. A mix of skeletons, NBA players, lions, nurses, you name it, all swarm houses constantly echoing the words, “trick or treat!” It is Oct. 31, better known as Halloween, and in many kids’ eyes, there is simply nothing better than running through neighborhood after neighborhood, free from your parents as you and your friends wind up with a sack load of candy.
Whether you are trick-or-treating, watching a scary movie with your friends or going to a Halloween party, this night is the epitome of adolescent joy and pure obliviousness to everything else going on in their lives. This holiday is adored by just about every child, and I believe it is also essential for kids to have the full Halloween experience.
Basically, missing out on the ultimate social gathering of the year prompted me to feel almost like an outsider among my best friends. For me and all of those who have been subjected to this, it is ridiculous that kids are denied the basic ability to just be kids one night out of the year because they have to attend a practice or game.
— Tristan Gonzalez ’24
Although most have not had the misfortune of being deprived of having this night, for those who have found themselves having to miss this holiday for sports, not only is it extremely demoralizing, but it is also flat-out unhealthy for these children and their states of mind. Having to miss out on Halloween for sports events is detrimental towards kids’ health because they gain a sense of social exclusion and it also over-glorifies the importance of sports.
Being someone who found myself at soccer practice during Halloween throughout every year in middle school, it was very depressing listening to my friends talk about that “epic” night for the following three weeks. I always loved soccer, so I was not too bummed out that I had to miss these nights with my friends (My mom still bought me a bag of candy each year), but the days after caused me to feel very out of the loop, as I simply wasn’t present to experience these epic moments.
Basically, missing out on the ultimate social gathering of the year prompted me to feel almost like an outsider among my best friends. For me and all of those who have been subjected to this, it is ridiculous that kids are denied the basic ability to just be kids one night out of the year because they have to attend a practice or game.
Something that came hand-in-hand with this was the realization that, given the fact that I was missing halloween, soccer must be first priority. With sports already taking on too much weight in kids’ lives to a point where it is unhealthy for them, not having sports canceled for a holiday as big as Halloween simply reaffirms this idea.
This mental state, which I did feel at times in these ages, only promotes stress and is mentally taxing as kids forget to relax from their sports and simply have fun. Though it is important to be disciplined in order to succeed in sports, they should never be prioritized so much that they increase stress and pressure in life.
Fortunately, this streak of missing Halloween ended for me in the ninth grade, for since then, I have been able to do what everyone should be able to do, which is have an absolute blast on this day, and not be on some sort of field hard at work.
In conclusion, children should never have to attend sports on Halloween because it is important that they enjoy the holiday with their friends and not experience even more pressure from sports.
