Aug 28 2006
Youth Sports Getting Too Competitive
This is a issue that will always be near and dear to my heart and will continue to appear on this site. I am both a parent of youth athletes and a coach of various youth teams who wants to see the fun return to sports. I believe we have gone too far in “developing” student athletes and forgotten the basic lesson that competition is meant to be enjoyed, not dreaded.
It seems there are a growing number who share my view:
At times, the district director of the local Babe Ruth chapter of baseball does think youth sports have become too competitive.
“You have coaches who are too competitive and so are the kids and so are the parents,” [Steve] Ayersman said. “A parent will sit back there and belittle the umpire, but they are not willing to go on the field or join an organization and help.”
[...]
“Almost all the sports are. There’s AAU travel teams. Those are for kids who are more talented. Some of them are on the league teams. You get complaints from the parents about playing time. Travel ball is talking away from recreation league players. There’s not such thing as rec ball anymore.”
Why are we so driven to push our children to excel in sports? Could it be the money we see professional athletes earning? Could it be the status gained by being the parent of the star player? Could it be trying to right the wrongs of our own childhood sports experiences? Could it be all of the above?
Please, let kids be kids. They grow-up too fast as it is.
Others blogging:
- Kids Who Hate Sports
- Readers: We Want Your Input On This Story
- Friday Edition: Big Hurts for Little Athletes
- Sports Advisor
- Good game
September 25th, 2006 at 3:13 pm
I agree with you to a point, yes things have gotten out of hand; yes parents can be the Childs worst role model. But having a child in completive sports do a few things first and foremost it makes her strive to be on the best. It’s not just my kid / family that is like this, it’s a growing epidemic this so called “completive sportsâ€. Gone are the days of playing baseball or basketball or even volleyball with your parents at the park so that you can make the team at high school.
I can tell you from personal experience that I have seen many “good” kids with the heart to play, simply get pushed aside but because they were not good, to but it bluntly “they didn’t have the ‘Select†experience to play.
I have seen coaches at the high school level not give a kid a chance simply because they haven’t been in a “select” sport that they are trying out for. Its not some thing they ask to see who has played and who has not, and the ones who have are given priority.
But like any job you or I go out for your experience in that job will determine weather or not you get the job over the next person right. Unfortunately it’s that way in high school. And yet we have parents who don’t give a rats ass about their kids and they (the kid) excels in a sport because their drive or heart o play that sport is far brighter than all the rest. Then and only then will a coach take notice of a young athlete with natural ability despite the fact they have no “select†experience in the game they choose to play in.
My job as a parent is to make sure that my kid doesn’t get in trouble and stays out of places where she shouldn’t be or with people that I don’t approve of. A lot of parents have lost this basic child rearing rule. I think keeping her busy weather it be in a sport that takes up her time, so be it.
October 26th, 2006 at 5:55 pm
This may be the biggest topic in coaching today, how do we develop athletes long term (LTAD – Long Term Athlete Development). We are starting to see people publishing and analysing this issue (finally). My wife has write a few articles about athlete development (we are both coaches who teach coaches) that you may have an interest in.
http://www.tridevelopment.info/Articles.htm
Cheers,
Kris