For the love of the game: the state of youth sports in America.

For the love of the game: the state of youth sports in America.

Did you play sports as a kid?

Most of us played little league or even joined a high school team at some point, but the youth athletics environment is certainly not the same for our children. In fact, youth sports is at a crossroads in America, its “fun factor” for kids eroding rapidly due to the cost to participate, specialization at a younger age, pesky parents, and overly-intense coaches.

I also have a particular interest in youth sports because, as a Doctor of Chiropractic, I specialize in treating sports injuries. So, today I’m going to bring you some notable facts and stats about youth sports in America. Together, they’ll paint a picture of youth athletics in decline.

Look for part two of this blog coming soon where I will cover the facts and stats about injuries in youth sports, and how chiropractic care and Active Release Therapy can help keep them safe, performing at a high level, and healthy!

The state of youth sports:

According to the latest reports, more than 36 million (36,250,000) kids ages 5-18 played organized youth sports in the U.S. last year.

While those numbers may seem robust, participation in organized youth sports is down significantly over the last ten years. In fact, the number of kids who join youth sports has declined 8% over that time.

According to Aspen – a youth sports think tank – almost 45% of all kids 6 to 12 played organized team sports in 2008, but only 37% of children in that age group will in 2018.

The biggest declines in youth sports are seen in the “Big Four” sports: Basketball, football, baseball, and soccer. However, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey and track and field saw some growth over the last decade.

Other notable statistics about youth athletics:

66% of boys participate in team sports, compared to only 52% of girls.
60% of all kids play sports or athletics outside of school (unorganized)

1.2 million boys play high school football
286,000 boys and 211,000 girls play high school soccer
510,00 boys play high school basketball

Girls and organized athletics:

Speaking of females and team sports, there are profound reasons other than just exercise to put girls in athletics. According to the Women’s Sports Foundation, girls/teens who play high school sports are:

92% less likely to do drugs.
80% less likely to get pregnant during high school years.
3x more likely to graduate compared to non-athletes.

Why do our children play organized sports?
The answer may seem obvious, but their motivations may not be what you think. A study done on youth sports by Michigan State found that:

65% of kids surveyed said that they participated in sports just to be with their friends,
But only 20% wanted to improve their skills at that sport.

In fact, an astounding 90% of children surveyed reported that they’d rather be on a losing team and get playing time than be a bench warmer on a winning team!

And in the poll, 35% of children surveyed said that they planned to stop playing that organized sport next year.

Parental pressure?

From coaches to parents and grown-up fans, it seems that we’re stressing our kids out with youth sports.

45.3% of child athletes said that they’ve had a coach call them names or insult them, so it’s no wonder why 15% are now reluctant to play any sports. (It’s also worth noting that 85% of coaches have a child playing for them at some point.)

But our children are passionate about winning, right? Not really, as surveys show that 71% of children playing organized sports wouldn’t mind at all if we didn’t even keep score in their games.

In fact, 37% of child athletes say that they wished no parents were allowed to watch them play, at all!

Flat out, a lot of kids aren’t having fun with youth sports like generations past. According to an ESPN study, 39% of boys and 36% of girls say that they’re quitting organized athletics because they’re just not having fun.

The odds of “making it”:
While many parents these days have dreams of their children going on to play professional sports (or, at least get college scholarships), it remains statistically unlikely. In fact, the odds of:

• A high school football player making the NFL are 1 in 6,000,
• A high school baseball player making it to the MLB are 1 in 4,000,
• A high school basketball player making it to the NBA are a whopping 1 in 10,000.
• Even high school soccer players only have 1 in 90 odds of getting a Division I or II college scholarship.

Younger, specialized, and divided: trends in youth sports.

We’re putting our kids in organized sports at increasingly younger ages. In fact, by the age of six, 67% of boys and 47% of girls are already on sports teams!

Thanks to sport-specific specialization and trying to keep up with kids who are training intensively/hiring private trainers/going to camps, etc., our children and dropping out organized sports sooner, too. In fact, the majority of children quit playing any team sport by the age of 13.

It’s inescapable that a huge chasm has emerged between two different demographics in youth sports. In fact, children that live in cities have fewer opportunities (and means) to participate in youth sports than those who live in the suburbs or country.

Have organized sports migrated to the suburbs?

It seems that’s the case. Consider that only 39% of boys and 28% of girls in urban settings even have the opportunity to play sports, compared to 50% and 63% of boys and girls, respectively, in the suburbs or rural settings.

In fact, 51% of boys in third, fourth or fifth grades who live in the suburbs play on three or more teams every year!

Sadly, it seems that youth sports is more and more about the money in several aspects.

First off, money is an impediment to participation for many kids. The cost to play a sport has risen markedly, and the increasingly-prevalent travel teams and leagues often cost thousands of dollars to join.

Studies show that kids from low-income households are 50% less likely to play team sports than children from households earning at least $100,000. In fact, data reveals that the biggest predictor of whether a child will play organized sports or not is their average household income, above all other factors.

According to Time Magazine’s recent cover story, youth sports is now a $15 billion industry when we break down the cost of equipment, uniforms, travel teams, lodging on the road, registration fees, private coaching, clinics, and camps, etc.

We should still encourage children to play sports!

Of course, sports and athletics should still be a huge part of any child’s development, for many reasons. By participating in youth sports:

• 67% of children learn sportsmanship and how to be a good teammate,
• 67% also meet new friends that they otherwise wouldn’t meet, and
• 42% learn valuable lessons about discipline, goal setting and more.

Furthermore, kids who play sports or are physically active are less likely to be obese, perform better in the classroom, stay away from drugs and other bad influences, and go to college at a higher rate.

Injuries in youth sports:

Injuries in youth sports are a rising concern, especially with new research into concussions and head trauma in the NFL, college football, and even high school football.

In fact, surveys show that 87% of parents are at least “concerned” about their children getting injured while playing a sport – and maybe for a good reason.

Every year, more than 3.5 million children age 14 and younger receive medical treatment for sports injuries, and that number nearly triples when we add in high school athletic injuries.

However, according to the Center for Disease Control, more than 50% of all youth sports injuries are preventable!
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Look for part two of this blog coming soon where I will cover the facts and stats about injuries in youth sports, and how chiropractic care and Active Release Therapy can help keep them safe, performing at a high level, and healthy!