The algorithm knows I have a pre-teen who plays sports. It also knows how I feel about it.

Today my feed fed me this...

...and it got me thinking about the obsession over youth sports and the capitalistic overtaking of it. As I read it, I found myself saying "yup or duh" over and over again.

As a middle school teacher, wellness & fitness professional, a dad of a pre-teen athlete, and an overall pretty knowledgable guy when it comes to sports, I have a lot of thoughts on this dilemma. So here's my thesis: parents are putting all of their eggs into the proverbial youth sports basket because they are scared. Yes scared. Scared their child won't be able to go to college without a scholarship, scared their child will be missing out on social connection and friendship, and scared their child will be on their screen if they aren't playing sports everyday. All valid fears by the way because they may be true. But this fear has created a demand and when the demand is high, prices rise. Prices rise high enough, the youth sports industrial complex takes notice.

I have many thoughts on this but there are 3 consequences of parents giving into this fear and going "all in" on youth sports that pertain to health & wellness. I'll focus on the middle school years because I believe those to be the most intense and most expensive years for youth/travel sports.

1. It eliminates space for other activities. During the formative years in which they should be exploring all different types of activities and interests; they don’t. There are less well-rounded early teens now than when I started teaching 20 years ago. Being well-rounded and having a wide array of interests and hobbies is important to the well-being of teens and pre-teens, especially when they stop playing. There isn’t time to learn piano or get a math tutor when you are traveling to play all the time.
2. It costs a fortune for minimal return. I’ve experienced first-hand what a few clinics, competitions, and club teams can add up to and it adds up quick. And for what? Maybe 20 minutes of actual instruction? Taking that money and putting your pre-teen or teenager into some type of fitness activity like a fitness class, a personal trainer, or a strength & conditioning program will yield a lot more results for your investment. It will also keep them healthy by avoiding overuse injuries.
3. It wrecks their sleep. Pre-teens and teenagers need more sleep. Sleep is where they physically grow, mentally sharpen, and emotionally regulate. When travel is involved, dinner is usually take-out and bed times get pushed back later and later. Any practice that gets a pre-teen home later than 8 a parent should seriously reconsider. As a teacher, the athletes that are on several travel teams are always falling asleep in class and struggling with academic rigor.

I get it though; I am tempted with my own pre-teen. Especially when she shows athleticism and skill, my own competitiveness kicks in. But we are playing the long game with both her development and our bank account.

My suggestion is for parents to do the same.

Be well!

Coach Steve Kiely M.Ed, CSCS
​Founder, Wellness Lit Fitness
​@coachstevekiely