Washington Post states that “the youth sports industry grew by a reported 55 percent from 2010 to 2017 and is worth an estimated $19 billion.” In 2019, the kids’ sports industry was worth $4.2 billion more than the NFL’s estimated value. And that’s not even factoring in sports tourism. A post from Engage TU states, “Between 2005 and 2022, the multi-billion-dollar travel sport tourism industry grew by 5.6 percent annually.” The Sports Business Journal shares more than $9 billion was devoted to youth and amateur sport-specific venues between 2017 and 2022. But here’s the most staggering number of all: The 2021 State of the Industry Report declares the sport tourism industry has an economic impact of $91.8 billion. When Sports Stop Being Play So how do you stop the intrinsic force pulling your family into the Activity Culture vortex? Limit your kids to one sport or extracurricular per season. Maybe change from travel ball to rec ball for a season. I know you think your kid has some real talent, but according to the NCAA, only 7 percent of high school athletes play in college and less than 1 percent of all youth athletes even go pro.
Will it be disappointing if they don’t choose the sport you want? Sure—but it’ll save you time, money, and stress in the long run. And even if they do enjoy it now, chances are they won’t later. It’s important to let teens explore their interests with the pressure off. After all, “70 percent of kids quit organized sports by age 13,” Dr. Brandon Podgorski exposes in “Why Kids Quit: Rethinking Youth Sports.”“So next time you design a program, run a practice, or cheer from the sidelines, ask yourself: ‘Is this still fun for them?’ Because if it’s not, we’re doing it wrong.” Signs of youth sports burnout: • Chronic fatigue • Irritability • Loss of enjoyment • Increased anxiety before games • Feeling trapped rather than motivated “Today’s sports culture exposes children to too much, too soon,” authors of Beyond Winning: Smart Parenting In A Toxic Sports Environment write. “We want to apply the brakes a bit and give kids time to grow at a more appropriate pace.” Even Peyton and Eli Manning advocate for the importance of play over pressure, stating: “It’s time to put play over pressure” and “So why aren’t kids having
fun? There’s too much pressure on them…. Too much emphasis on winning over fun.”
Excellence Without Exhaustion Yes, college is important. Yet Sarah Bernstein describes “personal branding” in her article “Elite College Admissions Have Turned Students Into Brands,” saying, “students who brand themselves too early or too definitively risk missing out on the kind of exploration that will prepare them for adult life.” Children need opportunities to achieve, but they also need room to rest, fail, wander, and discover who they are apart from what they accomplish. “Do what’s truly going to make your family happy,” dares journalist Anna Nordberg in her article “The Parents Who Are Saying No to Activities Culture–and Why.”“If that is competitive sports, like it is for many families I know, that is wonderful. If you are a family who wants to keep to the middle road of rec sports or sandlot games, fight for that as long as you can. And if your kid wants to sit home making houses for stuffed mice out of cardboard, that’s fantastic too. There’s a college essay in there somewhere.” Remember: The goal is not to raise impressive children. The goal is to raise healthy adults.
Ask them which extracurriculars they love.
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