February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 22

EQUITY
Esports allow individuals
with disabilities, illnesses,
immunocompromising conditions or
other health issues to gain the same
experience of being on a team that
traditional sports provide.
Reaching an Underserved Population
Through Esports Programs
By Celine Charitat
E
sports, or competitive gaming, is often falsely associated with
negative outcomes. Many people believe that participation in
gaming will cause participants to close off, become violent or
addicted, or develop laziness and malaise. While these things are
not always untrue, there are tried-and-true ways to ensure gaming does
not have a negative impact on youth and, even better, can actually impact
gamers positively.
The Benefits of
Team-Based Competition
Traditional sports have long been
lauded as beneficial for youth. Parents
across the world encourage
their kids to participate in these activities
for their health and developmental
benefits. Esports programs
allow participants to reap many of
these same benefits through active
participation in practices, camps
and competitions.
Socialization,
development of
22 Parks & Recreation | FEBR U AR Y 2 0 2 3
communication
and teamwork
skills, and a sense of belonging are
some of the most important benefits
of participating in a team-based
activity. Whether a child chooses to
learn these skills through traditional
sports or esports, it truly does not
make much of a difference.
Esports Reaches a
Demographic That
Traditional Sports Can't
Not all children have the abil|
PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G
ity
to participate
in
traditional
sports. Some kids lack physical
function, others lack the ability to
be around others, and more still
have illnesses that make them susceptible
to injury.
Esports allow individuals with
disabilities, illnesses, immunocompromising
conditions or other
health issues to gain the same experience
of being on a team that
traditional sports provide. Many
gaming consoles and games even
have adaptations for specific individuals,
including those with paralysis
and amputations.
Other kids just might not
want to play sports. Just because
someone does not want to play
sports does not mean that they
should not have the opportu

February 2023 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of February 2023 - Parks & Recreation

February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - Intro
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - Cover1
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - Cover2
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 1
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 2
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 3
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 4
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 5
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 6
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 7
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 8
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 9
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 10
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 11
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 12
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 13
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 14
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 15
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 16
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 17
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 18
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 19
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 20
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 21
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 22
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 23
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 24
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 25
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 26
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 27
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 28
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 29
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 30
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 31
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 32
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 33
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 34
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 35
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 36
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 37
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 38
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 39
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 40
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 41
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 42
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 43
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 44
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 45
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 46
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 47
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 48
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 49
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 50
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 51
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 52
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 53
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 54
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 55
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 56
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - Cover3
February 2023 - Parks & Recreation - Cover4
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/march-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/february-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/january-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/december-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/november-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/october-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/september-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/august-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/july-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/june-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/may-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/march-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/february-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/january-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/december-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/november-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/october-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/september-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/august-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/july-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/june-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/may-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/march-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/february-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/january-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/december-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/november-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/october-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/september-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/august-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/july-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/june-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/may-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/march-2021
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