LN Parenting

by Dr. Tim Jordan

Today I am taking off the gloves, and I am going to the mattresses.  I am so disgusted with the state of youth sports in this city and nationally, and this comes from someone who loves sports and has been involved as a participant since I was a kid.  Here’s my beef.

              We have lost sight of what youth sports are supposed to be about.  As a Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrician, I’d like to remind you that youth sports are supposed to be, first and foremost, about having fun and being with your friends.  It is NOT supposed to be about winning, and especially not about winning national championships in grade school.

              Kids as young as first grade are being plucked off of their mixed level soccer teams and invited to ultra competitive tryouts for elite club teams.  And these kids will start playing soccer every week for 12 months out of the year.  They will practice 2 -3 times per week and then play games most weekends, including tournaments where they might play as many as 3 – 6 games.

              Pediatricians and orthopedic surgeons know that playing the same sport 12 months of the year is not good for young bodies.  They need rest and the balance of using different muscle groups playing different sports.  Overuse injuries and chronic fatigue problems have gone up tremendously over the past decade.

              According to the Michigan State University Institute of Youth Sports, 13 million kids quit playing sports every year,  because adults take all the fun out of it.  The # 1 reason kids get into sports is to have fun; the top 2 reasons they quit are too much pressure to win and because it’s not fun anymore.

              Last week on a sports talk radio show, a former Cardinals pitcher who now trains and coaches young athletes made some telling comments.  While lamenting the loss of the old 2-3 sport high school athlete, he said he’s noticed the occasional 3 sport athlete today out there with his friends having fun, but he’s getting behind his peers because they are focusing on one sport y ear round.  He said that “this is a business” now, so kids are encouraged to stick with only one sport.

              And therein lies the problem.  Youth sports are too adult driven, with teams and leagues set up like professional leagues.  The message kids get from all the new personal training businesses is to “work hard, get recognized, play more and get more exposure.”  That may be appropriate for the top few percent of high school juniors and seniors who will be playing in college; it’s not appropriate for grade school kids.

              There are wonderful life lessons to be learned on the playing field;  being a good teammate, being a good winner and loser, persistence and perseverance, doing your best, learning discipline and focus, etc.  But I think a 10 year old can learn all that playing 10 – 15 baseball games this summer vs. the 60 – 80 games many young kids are playing.

              Kids are constantly performing for parents, coaches and peers, with the goal of being the best and winning at all costs.  I saw a special on ESPN 2 years ago about the 8 year and under national baseball championship game in Atlanta.  There’s no time today for down time and to just be a kid.  

              If every parent used more common sense and said “NO!” to the temptation to buy into this madness, more kids would be home more often for family meals together and unsupervised neighborhood games. 

              We are way out of balance with this youth sports business.  So, don’t make choices out of fear.  Do it out of knowing what is best for your child in the short and long term.  And let’s get back to kids playing sports to have fun with their friends and for the love of the game.