"But by their early teens, the competition got stiffer, the coaches became more demanding, injuries intervened and their travel teams demanded that they focus on only one sport. Shuttling to weekend tournaments turned into a chore. Sports became less enjoyable. Maddy dropped soccer because she didn't like the coach and took up volleyball. Mikey played club soccer and baseball as a youngster,"
"practice during the baseball offseason. By 15, he had stopped playing team sports. Both are now in college and more focused on academics. "I feel like there is so much judgment around youth sports. If you're not participating in sports, you're not doing what you're supposed to be doing as a kid," Gartin said. "There's this expectation you should be involved,"
Parents in Southern California enrolled twins Mikey and Maddy in youth leagues; early enjoyment gave way to stiffer competition, demanding coaches, injuries, and travel-team single-sport demands. One sibling switched sports due to a coach, another stopped team sports after a knee injury and now both focus on academics in college. Youth sports can boost self-esteem, confidence, discipline and social skills. Recent research and a 2024 American Academy of Pediatrics report link parental and coach pressure, heavy workloads, overtraining and sport specialization to burnout, fractured relationships, and increased overuse injuries among young athletes.
Read at Boston.com
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