At some point every teen has had trouble at school or at home and needs an escape. Unfortunately, many teens turn to the wrong source to get their remiss. Youths seek comfort from those who welcome them, but sometimes they end up turning to street gangs or even just bad company just to feel accepted. Criminal involvement usually starts around the age of fifteen, and people who become criminally involved before the age of fourteen most likely end up having the longest criminal records and most persistent crime rate (Carmichael). In the last fifteen years, the rate of violent crimes among youth has increased by 30% (Carmichael). The most effective way to reduce youth crime is to steer adolescents away from criminal activities before they become too heavily involved. There is strong evidence that organized sports programs can reduce the likelihood of teen’s committing crimes (Travis). Organized sports help to keep teens out of trouble by taking up time that could otherwise be used to cause mischief, give teen’s higher self-esteem, and give them an opportunity to meet new people with a positive influence.
Today, teens are exposed to many powerful things. Negative messages from the media and the Internet show teens the attractive party life of people who do whatever they want, when they want, without any major consequences. Also, teens can easily obtain harmful substances such as drugs, alcohol or tobacco from almost anyone. Many teens look at these things and think that they are “cool” or “exciting” and want to try them; but if they are busy with something else, such as sports, they will not be able to be so easily influenced. Participation in an active sport takes up a lot of time, which means less time to get into trouble. Every minute that a teen is playing a sport is a minute they could be doing something less productive or possibly even