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Youth Sports in America: Are They Taken Too Seriously?

Youth sports have long been a part of American history. Youth sports give children the

opportunity to be physically active while making friends and having fun at the same time. Today

in the U.S, roughly 60 million kids participate in youth sports (Jayanthi 1040). With this many

kids participating in sports, it is important to keep them involved as it has been scientifically

proven that physical activity helps keep one's body healthy and lowers the risk of developing

some chronic diseases (Le Menestrel 15). In the 21st century, childhood obesity due to

insufficient physical activity is one of the largest health issues among kids so keeping them

involved in sports would benefit them (Collins).

Although Millions of kids participate in youth sports, there are increasing numbers of

kids dropping out (Witt 192). Sports provide many physical and mental health benefits so why

are so many kids dropping out? Well today, sports are becoming more and more competitive with

many coaches having the mindset of winning at all costs (Witt 193). The idea of playing sports

for fun is fading away and many youth sports leagues are taking sports too seriously. This same

idea can be seen in “The Sporting Spirit” by George Orwell. Orwell makes the claim, “Nearly all

the sports practised nowadays are competitive. You play to win, and the game has little meaning

unless you do your utmost to win” (Orwell 22). This statement made by Orwell is a solid

representation of how many youth sports leagues are played today. Coches, athletes, and parents

all focus on the sole purpose of winning instead of having fun playing a common shared game

they love.

Moreover many young athletes take sports extremely seriously as they aspire to take their

talents to the next level and become professional athletes, but how attainable is this goal?

According To the NCAA, only 3.4% of high school basketball players went on to play varsity
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basketball at the collegiate level (Brenner 1025). Furthermore, only 1.2% of NCAA basketball

players went on to play in the NBA (Brenner 1025).

Consequently, the real reason why kids play sports is becoming blurred. The idea of

having fun while playing sports is diminishing as sports are becoming more focussed on winning

at all costs. This brings us to the idea that in the United States, youth sports are being taken too

seriously.

Reasons For Dropping Out

To begin with, in order to understand why sports are being taken too seriously, it is

important to understand why kids are dropping out at such significant rates. The reasons why

kids drop out of sports can be broken down into three categories: Intrapersonal, interpersonal,

and structural constraints (Witt 192).

Examples of intrapersonal constraints can be identified as not enjoying the sport, anxiety

due to criticism, and poor relationships with coaches (Witt 192). These can be negative effects on

athletes as coaches can implement anxiety into young athletes causing them to have ideas of self

doubt which can carry onto other things in life. When this takes place, athletes are no longer

having fun and would want to quit. In addition, interpersonal constraints such as parental

pressure and not having time to do other things are reasons why kids drop out (Witt 193). Parents

sometimes push their kids too hard to play the sport they played and have their child live out

their dream. This can cause kids to not have an enjoyable experience and motivate them to drop

out. Finally, are Structural constraints. These include burnout, receiving little playing time, and

financial constraints (Witt 194). When an athlete is sitting on the bench the entire game, this

may cause them to feel like they aren't needed on the team and compel them to quit the team. All
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of these factors can be a lot to handle for some young athletes which may ultimately cause them

to quit playing youth sports.

Burnout and Mental Health Issues

Burnout is one of the many side effects that can take place when youth sports start to be

taken too seriously. Burnout can be described as, “a multidimensional syndrome of

emotional/physical exhaustion, reduced sense of athletic accomplishment, and sport devaluation”

(Gustafsson 183). In a study done by Henrik Gustafsson, a researcher at Karlstad University, he

determined that when athletes experience burnout, they can experience high levels of stress

which can lead to other negative mental health effects (Gustafsson 194). As young athletes strive

to become better, they may try to play more and more which may end up leading to burnout. In

brief, burnout can cause exhaustion and stress among athletes which will diminish their mental

health. As a result, youth sports can be seen as taken too seriously when athletes are becoming

burnt out at such a young age.

As stated before, mental health is a common issue among adolescents in today's society.

When faced with busy sports schedules, strict rules, and loss of free time, young athletes may

become overwhelmed and forget about the true meaning of why they play (Witt 194). Many kids

today play for the love of the sport and to be out spending time with their friends. Whilst doing

this they don't take into consideration possible negative effects of sports. Similarly, in a letter

titled “Proper Place for Sports”, Theodore Roosevelt states to his son that, "I don’t want you to

sacrifice standing well in your studies to any over-athleticism;and I need not tell you that

character counts for a great deal more than either intellect or body in winning success in life"

(Roosevelt). Roosevelt goes on to state that the risk of being injured in his athletics doesn’t
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outweigh the reward he will receive. Playing sports comes with a risk and it may ultimately hurt

one's future when taken to seriously. To some people, there's more to life than just playing sports.

Yes, some people make a life out of it, but the majority of people do not take it that seriously.

Specialization and Physical Health

Specialization has become more and more common in today's youth sports as many

young athletes hope to play at an elite level. Sports specialization is where an athlete quits all

other sports in order to focus on training for one main sport (Jayanthi 1040). The athlete then

commits to year round training for the one particular sport (Jayanthi 1040). Specialization has

many pros and cons. For example, specializing at a young age can help push an athlete past the

competition in order to be seen by recruiters; however, specialization can increase the chances of

athletes experiencing serious injuries and becoming psychologically burnt out (Ferguson 379).

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American Orthopaedic Society for Sports

Medicine (AOSSM), and American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM), have all

endorsed the idea of having youth athletes not engage in specialization as the high level of

intensity may be too much for a young developing body (Jayanthi 1045). Despite

recommendations against specialization by major health institutions, overuse injuries in youth

athletes along with specialization rates continue to increase in the U.S (Arnold 1115).

As many young athletes strive to become better, many don't realize the risks they are

taking. For example, in a study done by Amanda Arnold, a researcher at Louisiana State

University, she discovered that youth baseball players that specialize in the sport have a higher

risk of developing overuse injuries to their arms (Arnold 1117). This can cause permanent injury

in these athletes' arms in which they may never recover. Serious injuries happen in other sports
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besides baseball. Every year, there are 1.6-3.8 million concussions that are sports related

(Mukand 16). When suffering from a concussion, the symptoms may not feel bad but could lead

to life long problems such as difficulty concentrating, memory loss, behavior changes, and

physical function loss (Mukand 16). In some severe cases, concussions can be fatal. In the 2013

high school football season, there were 8 fatalities due to brain injuries (Mukand 16). These

statistics go to show that many kids suffer each year from sports related injuries. These injuries

are extremely dangerous in young individuals as their brains are still developing and a serious

injury could really hinder development (Mukand 17). Not only do these injuries affect them in

their youth but can also negatively affect them through adulthood as it may keep them from

being physically active. By not specializing and being too competitive in sports, many of these

injuries may be easily avoided.

Benefits of Youth Sports

Conversely, there are many positive benefits from youth sports to argue that they are not

taken to seriously. To begin with, studies have shown a positive correlation between being

involved in sports and improved grades (Knifsend 380). Not only do sports benefit grades but

being involved in extracurricular activities in general has a correlation with increased

performance in academics (Le Menestrel 17). Furthermore, youth sports can provide adolescents

with a sense of community (Lin 470). In many poorer neighborhoods, many kids don’t have

influential people to surround themselves with. Many young kids find gangs and begin to get into

trouble with the law. By being on a sports team, it gives these kids positive influences to

surround themselves with in order to better their future. For many kids, school sports teams are

the only thing that will get them to go to school. By having this “family” to surround themselves
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with, these kids can find ways to improve their future. Finally, youth sports can benefit kids'

physical and mental health. Many scientific studies have proven time after time that being

physically active can positively benefit one's physical health (Bergeron 28). Being physically

active helps reduce the chances of developing chronic diseases and being overweight/obese (Le

Menestrel 15). Furthermore, Nandini Mathur Collins, an Adjunct Professor at William Paterson

University and Southern New Hampshire University, conducted a study to find how youth sports

promote self esteem and happiness. In her studies, she discovered that people who participate in

youth sports tend to be happier and have a higher self esteem (Collins). As many kids today are

involved in sports, these benefits will positively influence them in the future.

Negatives of Youth Sports

Although youth sports can be beneficial for adolescents, when taken too seriously, they

can end up having negative consequences. For example, when kids focus on athletics too much,

their grades may drop instead of improve as they end up dedicating more time to sports than their

academics. By dedicating too much time to sports, they also tend to not receive the proper

amount of sleep needed (Brenner 1024). According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, kids

aged 13-18 should get 8-10 hours of sleep per night (Brenner 1024). In a study done by Joel

Brenner, a Pediatric sports medicine specialist, he found that youth athletes only get 6.8 hours of

sleep per night (Brenner 1024). By not receiving enough sleep, youth athletes may not be able to

perform well in school ultimately leading to a decrease in their grades. Furthermore, many

negative health effects may come from taking sports too seriously. As stated above,

specialization can lead to physical injuries in athletes but athletes may also experience mental

health issues. In some cases, many young athletes experience stress and anxiety when sports
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become too serious (Witt 192). Children can experience excessive criticism from parents and

coaches which can ultimately lead to feelings of self doubt (Witt 192). By participating in sports

kids become burnt out which leads to negative mental health effects (Gustafsson 194). Athletes

become stressed out which can ultimately lead to cases of depression and anxiety in young

athletes.

Although youth sports have been proven to benefit many young athletes, there are still

many negative effects that kids experience from taking sports too seriously. Youth sports can

have many benefits when played for fun and when not using the mindset of winning at all costs.

When these things take place, it pushes many young kids away from sports who could use them

as a beneficial part of their lives. Once the mindset of winning at all costs and playing for fun are

back, youth sports will be fun for all kids to play.

Word Count: 2046

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