With every year that passes youth sports pressure become more intense, and this is evidenced by year-round training (that has now become commonplace), the increased number of kids who “specialize” in one sport, and the new sport academies emerging around the country for families going all-in on helping their kid succeed in sports. Additionally, student athletes today are routinely expected to attend “voluntary” off-season workouts, and increasingly more high school coaches now run morning, before-school practices that start as early as 6AM. From the 10,000 foot above view, it appears as though everything about youth sports has become more, not less, intense. Then there are mental health sport burnout risks, as well as increased chance for physical injury concerns when kids continue to play high-intensity sports with few breaks for rest, and yet we keep going and going.
As we push kids to do more, we should also be asking ourselves why do we have such lofty expectations for kids these days? Is there evidence that kids enjoy improved mental health and greater happiness competing at the level that used to be reserved for college and pro athletes? Are kids better students and more prepared for the future by competing in multiple sports and teams at the same time — often at the expense of missing out on other important life experiences? Or is it that more parents today simply think more sports = a greater chance for their child to one day earn an athletic scholarship? Only by understanding why things have evolved to where they are currently will we be able to correct where we have gone wrong, and re-build more age-appropriate youth sport experiences that protect against things like sport burnout, serious sport injuries, and compromises in other life ventures because of the obligations of sport.
The reality
Hang around any youth sport field/venue, and won’t be long before you hear the whispers about the “next” great kid on the field. To the untrained eye, watching a kid on the field who is a step or two in front of the competition can be quite alluring — especially if you are the parent of that kid. But how good does a kid have to be in sports to make it beyond high school? For many parents, the answer to that question is largely unknown, but also skewed by what they want the answer to look like as they hope their child has what it takes. Unpacking the college athletic pursuit, however, often reveals a truth that surprises most parents for the following reasons:
- First, D1 college student athletes are simply incredible. These individuals aren’t just a little better than the competition, but they are both gifted with natural size and abilities, and usually the hardest working athletes on the team. If you think I am exaggerating, take a closer look at the student athletes competing on any team in D1 athletics and you will soon see that most have freakish athletic talent, as well as an unparalleled drive to be the best.
- Even for smaller D2 and D3 schools, student athletes at these levels still possess well above-average athletic talents, but do not receive the athletic scholarship/NIL money associated with D1 athletics. This information is important to know, especially if college scholarship money was a (the?) driving force in pushing a kid to go far in youth/interscholastic sports.
- For all incoming college student athletes, regardless of sport level, the transition to college sports is often accompanied by fairly predictable mental health issues. In addition to the normal adjustments of moving into a dorm and meeting new friends, many student athletes struggle as they first arrive on campus when they realize the intensity and expectations of being a college student athlete. Going from previous star athlete to a reserve on the bench is challenging enough, but many college student athletes tell me after fighting off burnout through youth sports it is incredibly daunting to think about 4 more years of even more intense training. On top of that, student athletes must complete all college student athlete expectations, while also earning good grades and participating in career-related activities to prepare for life after sports. Trust me, doing all of this is akin to a very challenging, full-time job — one that most incoming college student athletes (and their parents) had no idea about prior.
When you consider all of the above, combined with the fact that only about 5% of all high school student athletes will progress to college sports (and only a very small percentage of that number are on “full-ride” scholarships), it may give you pause and time to reconsider the time, money, and efforts you make as a family for your child to succeed in sports. Simply because everyone else seems to be doing it might not be the best, primary reason for your child to follow an intense youth sport experience.
Final thoughts
Working hard to make it in anything today should be commended, be it sports, academics, music, or art. Sports are unique, however, especially as they relate to lacking parent experience, complications that flow from sport intensity, and incredible challenges that await at college for the few who make it that far. Sports should be a fantastic human development experience for kids, not a serious job that begins before puberty with accompanying family expectations that it’s “college sports or bust.” Coming from someone who regularly treats student athletes struggling with mental health issues, the concerns raised here are based on observable trends with very real effects for kids who are pushed too hard and in need of a break.
drstankovich.com
