Youth Sports Are Broken
Youth Sports Are Broken. An industry worth an estimated $30 to $40 billion dollars. Linda Flanagan, the author of “Take Back the Game,” traces the origin back to the 1970s, when funding for parks and recreation departments was cut, coupled with the Great Recession. Organizations, starting with Disney, who originally just wanted to combat waning ticket sales at their theme parks, created their own youth sports complex. Others followed suit, and youth sports megaplexes popped up all over the country. To keep these massive structures filled, they needed year-round sports.
The end of recreational sports
Travel teams began to become the norm, often taking the recreation leagues’ top players. This fueled parents’ insecurities that their child would be left behind, not have opportunities to play in high school, or not get accepted to a good university if they didn’t play. Soon, spending thousands of dollars on youth sports every year became the norm.
We are caught in a system that doesn’t value the sole reason it exists
Parents trying to survive in this broken system began putting more and more pressure on their kids to succeed and keep up with their teammates; rankings starting as young as 8-year-olds have only added to the mania. It’s a vicious cycle that shows no signs of slowing down as NIL and potentially more lucrative outcomes for female athletes are on the rise. We are caught in a system that doesn’t value the sole reason it exists: the athletes.
The evidence is undeniable
How do we know that? For one thing, our athletes continue to quit in record numbers, 70% by age 13. There is an actual epidemic of injuries fueled by early sports specialization, and athletes’ mental health is suffering – data from the American College of Sports Medicine indicates that 35% of elite athletes struggle with eating disorders, burnout, depression, or anxiety.
Change needs to happen well before the high school years
So why, then, aren’t parents and adults doing more to make a change?
By the time parents, typically those in their early high school years, start to see the wreckage caused by travel youth sports, most are too deep into it, and so are their kids. So, they struggle to find a different way of operating. If possible, the change needs to occur well before high school, although it’s never too late.
We need to change the reason ‘why’ we play
Sports are innately good. They keep kids active, out of trouble, and off their phones. They learn valuable character and life-building skills. But they won’t get this from sports when sports are overshadowed by overbearing, win-at-all-cost adults and big business.
Sports should be about fun, enjoyment, and growth, but excessive pressure from parents can transform them into stressful experiences, counteracting one of the most valuable reasons for their existence – better health. Children begin to associate sports with pressure and high expectations, leading to anxiety and, ultimately, burnout, injury, and, too often, quitting. They begin to lose sight of the joy that once made them fall in love with the sport.
Her best no longer seemed good enough
This happened to my own daughter and, recently, to my friend’s daughter, Anna. She was a promising young lacrosse player who used to play for the sheer love of the game. With time, however, her parents’ relentless drive for her to excel began to weigh heavily on her. Practices became a chore, games a battlefield, and lacrosse, once a source of joy, became a burden. Ultimately, Anna decided to quit lacrosse, mostly because she felt immense pressure and the constant fear of disappointing her parents. Her best no longer seemed good enough. They always had something more they wanted from her. The fun had disappeared.
Anna’s story is far too common. Countless others have had similar experiences, losing their passion for a sport they once loved due to the overwhelming and constant pressure to perform and meet unrealistic expectations.
What can we do?
So, how can we change this narrative? Sports parents need to have agency and bravery in making the RIGHT choices for their child, whatever those may be. We all need to adopt a more balanced and sustainable approach to youth sports. This doesn’t mean not supporting your child if they have goals of playing in college or even professionally or not helping teach them accountability and responsibility. What it does mean is that their sports experience needs to be THEIR sports experience, WHOLE child-centered and child-led, ESPECIALLY for those kids who want to play at a high level for the long term.
Don’t rob them of the great things they can get from sports
It’s not our journey. It’s theirs. A tiny percentage of athletes play past high school, so ruining their experience by focusing on outcomes and results is misguided and shortsighted. Don’t rob them of all the great things they can get from sports by turning their youth into a pressure cooker.
A lifelong love for the game
We need to encourage our kids to enjoy the process of playing, revel in the camaraderie of the team, and appreciate the beauty of the sport. Let’s strive to make sports a joyful experience that encourages a lifelong love for the game.
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