Let’s Get Something Straight
I’ve been around sports my whole life. Played ’em, coached ’em, written about ’em. And I’m here to tell you, we’ve messed up. Badly. Youth sports? It’s a mess. A completley broken mess.
I’m not talking about little league kickball here. I mean the travel teams, the club teams, the 87 different leagues for kids under 12. The whole thing is out of control.
When Did It Become About the Parents?
Last Tuesday, I was at a conference in Austin. Sat next to a guy named Marcus—let’s call him Marcus because his name was actually Steve and I don’t wanna get sued. Marcus’s kid plays travel soccer. And Marcus was telling me about how he had to take off work to drive his kid to practice in another city. Then drive back. Then drive to the game the next day. In another city.
I asked him, “Marcus, isn’t this kinda nuts?” And he looked at me like I’d just asked if the sky was blue. “It’s what you gotta do,” he said. Which… yeah. Fair enough. But is it really?
I mean, look, I get it. I really do. I was that kid. The one who lived for the game. The one who cried when the season ended. The one who probably should’ve been playing video games instead of running drills. But back then, it was fun. It was about the game. It wasn’t about the parents living vicariously through their kids.
The Coaching Problem
And don’t even get me started on the coaches. I’ve seen ’em. Yelled at 8-year-olds for missing a shot. Benched kids for not being “committmented” enough. Thrown tantrums when the refs made a call they didn’t like.
I had a colleague named Dave—real name, not anonymized this time—who coached his daughter’s softball team. And Dave, he was the worst. He’d scream at the umpires, argue every call, and once, I kid you not, threw his clipboard onto the field. In front of a bunch of 10-year-old girls.
I asked him about it later. “Dave,” I said, “what the hell was that?” And he just shrugged. “I want them to win,” he said. “I want them to be the best.” Which is fine. Great, even. But there’s a line, Dave. There’s a line.
The Health Factor
And let’s talk about the physicaly toll this takes on kids. I’m not just talking about the obvious stuff—sprains, breaks, concussions. I’m talking about the long-term damage. The wear and tear. The burnout.
I read a study once—okay, I read the headline and skimmed the first paragraph, but still—about how kids who specialize in one sport too early are more likely to get hurt. And not just hurt, but seriously hurt. Torn ACLs, stress fractures, you name it.
And it’s not just the injuries. It’s the mental stuff too. The anxiety, the depression. The kids who quit because they can’t take the pressure anymore. The kids who hate a game they used to love.
And honestly, if you’re not taking care of your body now, what makes you think you’ll start later? Check out this senior health wellness guide for tips on how to stay healthy as you age.
A Quick Digression About High School Sports
Now, high school sports? That’s a whole other beast. I mean, look, I love high school sports. The Friday night lights, the pep rallies, the school spirit. It’s all great. But it’s also a lot of pressure.
I remember covering a high school football game once. And the coach—let’s call him Coach Reynolds because that’s actually his name and I don’t care—was screaming at his players between plays. And I mean screaming. “Get your head in the game!” “What are you doing?!” “That’s not how you tackle!”
And I turned to the guy next to me—let’s call him Jim—and I said, “Jim, is this normal?” And Jim just laughed. “Oh, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet,” he said. “Wait till the playoffs.” Which honestly, nobody asked for but here we are.
What Can We Do?
So what’s the answer? I don’t know. I wish I did. But I know it starts with us. The adults. The parents. The coaches. The fans.
We need to remember that it’s just a game. That it’s supposed to be fun. That it’s okay if your kid doesn’t make the travel team. That it’s okay if they don’t play at all.
We need to remember that our kids are, well, kids. They’re not mini-pros. They’re not investments. They’re not our ticket to reliving our glory days.
And we need to remember that it’s okay to say no. It’s okay to take a break. It’s okay to just be a kid.
So let’s do that. Let’s remember. Let’s change. Let’s make youth sports about the kids again.
Because honestly, they deserve better than what we’re giving ’em.
About the Author: Emma Stone has been a sports journalist for over 20 years. She’s covered everything from little league to the pros, and she’s not afraid to tell it like it is. When she’s not writing, she can be found yelling at the TV during her favorite team’s games. (No, she won’t tell you who they are. She’s not that kind of fan.)