Are Some Youth Sports Too Intense?

 

Are some youth sports too intense?

Many kids start sports at a very young age, whether it be because of their genuine interest or because their parents forced them to do it. These activities can have a range of effects on children. Sports can build a stronger sense of community and friendship, but can also put high stress on the kids if they are pressured too much. I think there is a healthy way to go about youth sports, but it can often get too intense if athletes are pressured a lot by parents and coaches. 

In my experience, I was never much of an athlete when I was younger. I wasn’t a fan of the idea of others being invested in my success and the possibility of failing them. However, I did swim last fall and absolutely loved it. The coaches were great at training us, but also understanding of our stress and individual lives. They were welcoming to people like me who essentially had no experience, but they also encouraged athletes who trained all year round and had been focussing on swimming for a long time. Even given this, I was still quite stressed, often not getting home until 8 PM and only having time to eat dinner, shower, and go to sleep. I am extremely grateful for my coaches and teammates for making this experience fun, but it was still a very stressful time. I was constantly exhausted and sore and felt like I could never catch a break. Considering this, I can’t imagine how stressful a sport would be if I didn’t have the kind, understanding community that I did. I’ve heard many stories of harsh coaches and parents that don’t attempt to be there for their athletes.

While I think that some take it too far, youth sports can have many positive effects on an individual. According to the article from health.gov, there are a variety of physical and mental health benefits to participating in a sport. Many of these effects may continue to positively impact the individual even long after the sports season. It makes sense that sports can have long-term physical health benefits as they get the athlete more comfortable with physical activity and encourage them to do it more often. Individuals are also more likely to participate in sports through adulthood if they do in their youth. Mental health benefits may be drawn from friendships and community built off of the team, but there is also often a correlation between good mental health and good physical health, so it makes sense that an athlete would be benefitted overall. 

There are, however, many ways that these activities can harm young athletes. Personally, I think the biggest threat to approaching youth sports in the best way possible is pressure for high levels of competition and success. Oftentimes, parents and coaches will be too set on success and not consider what the athlete really wants to do. This can happen in a number of ways from forcing your child to play the sport you want them to be good at, working athletes too hard at practice, and telling kids to toughen up and work hard instead of encouraging them to have fun. The article from Ollie Sports describes this well as not “let[ing] the game belong to the kids.” I think this is a huge issue in youth sports and often the biggest contributors to kids not enjoying their sports. 

Overall, I think there are benefits and downsides to youth sports, but coaches and parents need to be making better efforts to let kids pick and enjoy their activities, rather than forcing them into a box of what they want their ideal athlete or child to be like. We need to acknowledge that every individual has their own personal goals and values, and allow them to choose what to do with their athletic career based on those and not outside pressures. 

"Benefits of Youth Sports." Health.gov, 17 Sept. 2020, health.gov/sites/default/files/2020-09/YSS_Report_OnePager_2020-08-31_web.pdf. Accessed 2 May 2023.

Bradley, Matt. "5 Huge Problems with Youth Sports in the U.S." Ollie Sports, 22 Jan. 2020, www.olliesports.com/post/5-huge-problems-with-youth-sports-in-the-us. Accessed 2 May 2023.