Youth Sport

Tucker Schmidt

            In class on February 17, we discussed multiple reasons why children are quitting sports. Some of the reasons that children quit sports include negative coaches and negative parents. Other reasons why these children choose to quit is that youth sport puts a lot of pressure on these individuals to achieve success and there is an overemphasis on winning. It is reported that 1/3 of all children who participate in youth sport dropout each year. Approximately 70% of children quit youth sport by the time they are 13 years old. One other factor that also the affects youth sport is the cost. The cost to participate in youth sport is rising, and parents think it may be best for their children to quit youth sport. The costs don’t only affect the children, but they affect the parents as well. Some parents may become negative due to the amount of money they are spending for their children to participate in youth sport. While there are many positives for children participating in youth sport, the rising costs play a negative impact.

            John Amaechi, Mike Trombley, and Travis Dorsch are three former professional athletes that came from different backgrounds. Amaechi was a rugby player who played basketball for the first time when he was 17 only to eventually become an NBA player. Mike Trombley was a quarterback and a pitcher who made the Duke baseball team without the benefit of an athletic scholarship and eventually became a pitcher in Major League Baseball. Travis Dorsch was a soccer player who played football after a friend suggested the idea to him. Dorsch eventually became an NFL kicker. Throughout this article, all three athletes, Steve Clarkson, Bob Bigelow, and Mark Hyman all explain how youth sport has changed and they offer opinions on youth sport. According to Travis Dorsch, a family will spend approximately 10.5 percent of their gross income on their children’s participation in youth sports each year. Mark Hyman, a professor at George Washington University, stated that parents feel that the money they are spending on their children will eventually lead to an athletic scholarship. Hyman also explained that there is a small percentage of high school athletes who end up playing collegiately. He feels that it more important for parents to spend their money on education and athletics. This article makes sense for this class, as it relates to the negative effects of participating in youth sport.

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/17/your-money/rising-costs-of-youth-sports.html?_r=0