It’s the new year in the US, and you know what that means … wall to wall adverts on TV with some Bowl Games sprinkled in.
Today’s festivities remind me so much about how I love playing the many sports I’ve played, the sheer enjoyment of it, but how I loathe the business of sports. I didn’t really get a sense of this until I went to college and played football. There, it’s all business, and I was woefully unprepared.
Nevertheless, I came across an article from Peter Greene the other day that reminded me of this subject. The article wonders at why there are so few young athletes anymore. I’ve seen what he describes at my school, with kids just deciding to not continue on with sports - preferring to just hang out with their friends.
Where did the kids go?
Whilst concerning, the remarkably high dropout rate in youth sports by age 13 may well be seen as a feature rather than a bug by some administrators and coaches (not me, though). The demanding tryout processes and year-round commitments serve to filter out all but the most committed and talented young athletes. As such, the system is achieving its aim of cultivating elite performance and championships, albeit at the expense of casual enjoyment and fitness.
This increasing focus on competition and selectivity reflects the treatment of youth sports as a business interest rather than a grassroots activity. The goal is to develop future professional and collegiate talent, not support the average child looking to stay active and socialise. Weeding out the less devoted athletes through intensive demands and over-specialisation at young ages is an intentional, if rather ruthless, tactic IMHO.
Consequently, seeing three-quarters of children quit sports by 13 is accepted as the necessary “chlorination of the talent pool.” The logic is that only the future varsity captains, division prospects, and even pros will withstand the demanding tryouts, endless practices, and weekend tournaments. If many potential talents fall by the wayside, so be it. The ends justify the means for those pursuing elite performance.
For coaches and organisations focused on winning and success, this American model rationalises the startling dropout rate. If enjoying sport with friends as a child loses out to developing champions, that may well be seen as the system operating effectively in its aim. The loss of participation for enjoyment’s sake is merely collateral damage.
Not for me, thanks.
As my school’s head track coach, I don’t subscribe to this madness. Having been an elite athlete and successful coach, I can certainly take raw talent and help them achieve their athletic goals. But, for the most part, the kids at my school just want to have fun at the meets. They’re not all that serious about winning. So, that’s the atmosphere we create together. If you’d like a peek at what I’m doing, here’s a good list for putting the fun back in sports.
Keep seasons short and take regular off-seasons. Year-round sports lead to overuse injuries and burnout. Give plenty of breaks to rest, recover, and pursue other interests.
Focus practices on skills development games rather than extensive conditioning. Keep “scrimmages” lighthearted rather than intensely competitive.
Where possible, have casual school leagues focused on participation then separate elite traveling teams based purely on skill level and commitment. We have in-school tournaments of teams made from friends groups for various sports, with the winning team playing a team of teachers and staff for the “championship.”
Cut tryouts altogether or have cuts be the last resort. Support broad student involvement.
Set limits on number of weekly practices, games, and tournaments - prevent over-scheduling and make time for other priorities. For my teams, there are only three practices per week, and two on weeks with a track meet. Students condition on their own and we spend our time together having fun and working on technique.
Discourage early sport specialization before college. Let students play multiple sports whilst sampling to find the right fit. In my day, I did 3-4 sports per school year.
Keep costs like travel expenses, private coaching, and equipment reasonable rather than professionally-oriented. Try to get as much of the costs handled by sponsorships, rather than burden parents with massive expenses.
Develop student leadership and autonomy - let them pick music playlists, lead warmup activities, choose team bonding events, etc.
Focus on personal growth and development - what life skills can students learn through sports like teamwork, resilience, and respect.
The key is refocusing youth sports on the joys of play, team friendships, and cultivating well-rounded student-athletes who happen to play rather than single-sport specialists training like pros. Participation then follows.
At the end of the day, this drive towards professionalised youth athletics feels rather more about filling stadium seats and driving profits than nurturing well-rounded young people. Turning schoolchildren into single-sport specialists trained like pros may serve the business model of youth sports leagues and elite programmes. But it comes at the cost of many talented prospects burning out or missing out on the joys of sport for its own sake. Surely children's health and happiness should remain prioritised over having enough future Division 1 athletes to meet the demands of the billion-dollar collegiate sports industry? Haven't we got enough televised Bowl Games and youth tournament sponsorships already without monetising childhood for more? This American high performance model may generate champions, but also risks diminishing youthfulness.
The AutSide is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.
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How many Bowl Games do we need?
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Happy New Year!
It’s the new year in the US, and you know what that means … wall to wall adverts on TV with some Bowl Games sprinkled in.
Today’s festivities remind me so much about how I love playing the many sports I’ve played, the sheer enjoyment of it, but how I loathe the business of sports. I didn’t really get a sense of this until I went to college and played football. There, it’s all business, and I was woefully unprepared.
Nevertheless, I came across an article from Peter Greene the other day that reminded me of this subject. The article wonders at why there are so few young athletes anymore. I’ve seen what he describes at my school, with kids just deciding to not continue on with sports - preferring to just hang out with their friends.
Where did the kids go?
Whilst concerning, the remarkably high dropout rate in youth sports by age 13 may well be seen as a feature rather than a bug by some administrators and coaches (not me, though). The demanding tryout processes and year-round commitments serve to filter out all but the most committed and talented young athletes. As such, the system is achieving its aim of cultivating elite performance and championships, albeit at the expense of casual enjoyment and fitness.
This increasing focus on competition and selectivity reflects the treatment of youth sports as a business interest rather than a grassroots activity. The goal is to develop future professional and collegiate talent, not support the average child looking to stay active and socialise. Weeding out the less devoted athletes through intensive demands and over-specialisation at young ages is an intentional, if rather ruthless, tactic IMHO.
Consequently, seeing three-quarters of children quit sports by 13 is accepted as the necessary “chlorination of the talent pool.” The logic is that only the future varsity captains, division prospects, and even pros will withstand the demanding tryouts, endless practices, and weekend tournaments. If many potential talents fall by the wayside, so be it. The ends justify the means for those pursuing elite performance.
For coaches and organisations focused on winning and success, this American model rationalises the startling dropout rate. If enjoying sport with friends as a child loses out to developing champions, that may well be seen as the system operating effectively in its aim. The loss of participation for enjoyment’s sake is merely collateral damage.
Not for me, thanks.
As my school’s head track coach, I don’t subscribe to this madness. Having been an elite athlete and successful coach, I can certainly take raw talent and help them achieve their athletic goals. But, for the most part, the kids at my school just want to have fun at the meets. They’re not all that serious about winning. So, that’s the atmosphere we create together. If you’d like a peek at what I’m doing, here’s a good list for putting the fun back in sports.
Keep seasons short and take regular off-seasons. Year-round sports lead to overuse injuries and burnout. Give plenty of breaks to rest, recover, and pursue other interests.
Focus practices on skills development games rather than extensive conditioning. Keep “scrimmages” lighthearted rather than intensely competitive.
Where possible, have casual school leagues focused on participation then separate elite traveling teams based purely on skill level and commitment. We have in-school tournaments of teams made from friends groups for various sports, with the winning team playing a team of teachers and staff for the “championship.”
Cut tryouts altogether or have cuts be the last resort. Support broad student involvement.
Set limits on number of weekly practices, games, and tournaments - prevent over-scheduling and make time for other priorities. For my teams, there are only three practices per week, and two on weeks with a track meet. Students condition on their own and we spend our time together having fun and working on technique.
Discourage early sport specialization before college. Let students play multiple sports whilst sampling to find the right fit. In my day, I did 3-4 sports per school year.
Keep costs like travel expenses, private coaching, and equipment reasonable rather than professionally-oriented. Try to get as much of the costs handled by sponsorships, rather than burden parents with massive expenses.
Develop student leadership and autonomy - let them pick music playlists, lead warmup activities, choose team bonding events, etc.
Focus on personal growth and development - what life skills can students learn through sports like teamwork, resilience, and respect.
The key is refocusing youth sports on the joys of play, team friendships, and cultivating well-rounded student-athletes who happen to play rather than single-sport specialists training like pros. Participation then follows.
At the end of the day, this drive towards professionalised youth athletics feels rather more about filling stadium seats and driving profits than nurturing well-rounded young people. Turning schoolchildren into single-sport specialists trained like pros may serve the business model of youth sports leagues and elite programmes. But it comes at the cost of many talented prospects burning out or missing out on the joys of sport for its own sake. Surely children's health and happiness should remain prioritised over having enough future Division 1 athletes to meet the demands of the billion-dollar collegiate sports industry? Haven't we got enough televised Bowl Games and youth tournament sponsorships already without monetising childhood for more? This American high performance model may generate champions, but also risks diminishing youthfulness.
The AutSide is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.