Put kids in sports, but for fun, not pro glory
Parents in China are now checking their babies' DNA to see if they will become sports prodigies. It reflects a cultural shift that is pushing parents to think more about their kids' potential for future success than about how the activities they participate in can benefit their development today.
Over-eagerness about winning college scholarships and achieving professional glory has become a big part of the sports culture in the U.S., too. From parents’ physical altercations on the sidelines to coaches demanding that parents sign contracts promising their kids won’t play any other sports, it seems we’ve lost sight of the joy of the game. And, in the meantime, we’re actually hurting our kids’ chances of continuing in a sport long-term.
I coached Division I football at Texas A&M and the University of Houston, and I’ve helped lead teams in four bowls and a Big 12 Championship. In 1970, I was an offensive lineman for the Texas Longhorns when we won the national championship. I’m often asked by parents what it will take to get their kids a college sports scholarship.
But I can tell you that many parents — with the best of intentions — have the wrong idea when it comes to engaging youth in sports. Parents are being told they should push kids to specialize in one sport at a young age. They’re investing in private lessons, trainers and even sports psychologists in the hope that it will lead to a sports scholarship or professional career. These expectations are unrealistic. Not only do only about 2 percent of high school athletes win sports scholarships at NCAA colleges and universities, but most current Division I college athletes and professionals don’t actually begin specializing at early ages.
Take Jason Pierre-Paul of the New York Giants. Pierre-Paul didn’t start football until he was a junior in high school. Before that, he played basketball. Ken Norton, who beat Muhammad Ali in a legendary match, started boxing after college; before that, he played football.
This culture of over-competitiveness and specialization has turned youth sports into a $17 billion industry, with 1 in 4 parents spending $500 or more a month on their kids’ sports, and nearly 20 percent taking a second job to pay for these expenses, according to a TD Ameritrade survey.
And for what? The New York Times reported last year that burnout and injuries in youth sports are becoming increasingly common.
A 2017 study in the Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine found that “Youth athlete specialization has been linked to decreased enjoyment… and increased injury risk.” About 28 percent% of football players and 25 percent of baseball players between the ages 5 to 14 have to seek some special medical treatment. Still, 55 percent of parents with kids who play sports push them to specialize, despite doctors advising against the practice.
This is clearly not the best route to becoming a healthy athlete or a healthy kid. So what should parents do?
Since my retirement to Lake Jackson, I have begun coaching football camps for Upward Sports, a program that helps church leaders leverage the power of sports to connect with families in their community. In these leagues, there’s no talk of scholarships 10 years down the road. Practices are just once a week. Kids are encouraged to try a new sport each season. Games end with Bible passages. And I have seen something remarkable: The kids are having fun. They are learning to win with humility and lose with grace. They are learning to be a different kind of champion, one who understands that everyone doesn’t get a trophy but everyone gets the opportunity to become the best they can be.
We need to teach our kids to first become total athletes — and well-rounded people — if we want them to gain the best outcome from sports, including becoming successful in an individual sport as they grow and develop their skills. In our young kids’ sports programs, we need to start focusing on fostering the love of the game, and strong peer relationships, and the cooperative skills that come from sports.
I can’t tell you if any of the kids I coach through Upward Sports will become college athletes. But I can tell you this: They’re learning to play with purpose and with passion. And they’re having a lot of fun along the way.