Youth and interscholastic sports continue to evolve all the time, and we must work collectively to ensure that kids are consistently involved in a safe, fun, and meaningful sport experience (Sports Success 360). Long gone are the days of pick-up games, short season schedules, 3-sport letter winners, and nominal league fees – today the youth sport landscape consists of plenty of structure, tons of games, sport “specialists,” and very expensive league and operating fees. Of course not all of this is bad, but it does require adults provide positive sports leadership and work diligently to ensure kids are having a great experience playing sports.Some kids today play year-round, and some elect to specialize in one sport. Other kids play in travel leagues, and some even play in multiple leagues at once – including traditional varsity sports. While most families who experience these types of situations deal with them successfully – even if it is challenging at times – there are increasingly more families not so lucky.Youth sport burnout is a major concern to families across the country, and occurs when kids play sports so much that they begin to lose interest in playing. In other words, their intrinsic motivation decreases, yet mom and dad sometimes don’t see this, and instead continue to push along through intense sport transitions without much concern. Unfortunately, for many kids, instead of speaking up and asking their parents to take a break and slow down some, they elect to remain silent as they watch all the time, money, and energy their parents devote to youth sports.When kids get burned out from playing sports, it is not that quitting the sport is the answer — actually, taking a short break can remedy most problems right away. Unfortunately, without any breaks, some kids internalize their stress, leaving them at-risk for dangerous coping behaviors including drinking, drug use, and other dangerous things.For this reason it is important for all of us to pay attention to the changes in youth sports, respond to them as quickly as possible, and watch for when kids may be at-risk for youth sport burnout. Sport participation should be considered as part of a child’s overall development, but when it becomes the only activity a child is involved with (and at the expense of other growth opportunities) it can lead to youth sport burnout – and possibly bigger problems as a result.Keep an eye on all the changes in youth sports and step up when you see problems developing – together we can all make a positive difference.www.drstankovich.com
