"Are Youth Sports Out of Control?"

In the introduction, Tod Olson writes, "Soccer became far more than a fun extracurricular for Samantha; it became her whole world." Which is the best definition of extracurricular?

• something someone offers to do to help others

• an activity you do in your free time outside of school or work

• something that is required for graduation

• physical exercise or training

Which sentence expresses a central idea of the article?

• Soccer is usually played in the fall.

• Samantha has suffered three head injuries.

• Samantha used to travel all over the United States for soccer tournaments.

• Over the past generation, the focus of youth sports has changed.

How does the section "Getting Hurt" contribute to the article? (Choose TWO answers.)

• It argues that sports have become too risky to play.

• It explains why Samantha quit soccer.

• It tell how many kids play sports in America.

• It provides information about how concentrating on one sport can affects kids' health.

On page 27, Olson writes that for some kids, "the sport they love can quickly turn into a grind." He means that

• playing becomes too physically challenging

• the commitment becomes exhausting; the demands wear kids down.

• kids realize that playing sports is too expensive

• playing gets easier if kids stick with it

Olson writes, "Between team and coaching fees, equipment costs, and travel expenses, families can easily spend more than $1,000 per season." (p.27) (Choose TWO answers.)

• could be used to support the idea that youth sports have gotten out of control.

• shows how time-consuming sports can be

• shows how expensive youth sports have gotten

• supports the idea that kids shouldn't specialize.

Which statistic best supports the inference that kids who play more than one sport are more likely to become college athletes than kids who don't?

• "Kids who specialize in one sport are 81 percent more likely to experience an overuse injury."

• "Youth sports is a $17 billion industry."

• "88 percent of college athletes played more than one sport as children."

• "More than 3.5 million young athletes get hurt every year."