7 Ways Club Sports Affect the Youth

The 21st century has seen an explosion on the club youth sports scene. I personally was a part of this group. Kids of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities are participating in travel sports for any sport you could imagine. Although these tournaments and trips are memories to last a lifetime, our youth is being affected in many ways. The effects range from physical to mental and all the way to a child's success in life. Club youth sports are treating our world's children as if they are professional athletes. Sometimes, kids need to just behave like kids, not professionals. Here are seven ways club sports are affecting our youth:

1. Youth Club Sports Lead to Overexertion:

Club sports are typically run through a tournament to determine a champion. This tournament style event, on top of the weekly practices, leaves the youth participating in their sport for 3-6 hours, 5-7 days a week. After club tournaments, many young athletes mention how exhausted, or sore they feel. This exemplifies the point of overexertion in youth club sports. Elementary age kids are playing four games of basketball a day over the weekend or partaking in 2-3 full contact pop warner games. These tasks would be daunting for premier athletes, let alone an eight-year-old. Overuse and lack of rest during club youth sports is creating overexertion.

2. Youth Club Sports create unnecessary stress:

Every athlete can recall the butterflies in their stomachs during the closing seconds of warmups leading into their games. During club sports, the stress of playing well, winning, and making your coach and parents proud all scramble through an athlete's mind. Now imagine a 10-year-old girl having these feelings before her soccer matches. The stress our youth is feeling during club youth sports is creating unneeded anxiety. Children stress at such young ages over things that will not matter ten years in the future. The youth is stressing over something as little as a club tournament, and it is affecting their mental well-being.

3. Youth Club Sports Cause Forever Lasting Scars:

While participating in any kind of physical activity, injuries are a possibility. Athletes are willing to take this risk competing in their favorite sports, even at such a young age. Children are snapping bones, tearing ligaments, and ending up with tendinitis at the ripe age of 13. These happen to all athletes regardless of the sport they’re playing in and the level at which they’re competing. I have seen firsthand children as young as eight walking off a football with a concussion. These injuries do not just last a short time period, they affect people for their lives.

4. Youth Club Sports Lead to Failing Report Cards:

Grades have seemed to plummet for student athletes involved in club youth sports. The endless hours spent practicing and days missed from for traveling purposes all take away from a child's time spent in class. Instead of learning how to do long division, some children are more focused on learning a complex offensive scheme. If it is not for the lack of attendance or completion of homework, while in class it can cause a lack of focus. Exhaustion from club leads to snoozing in class or worrying about remembering the signs from your third base coach lead to daydreaming. F’s are becoming present on young club athletes grade reports.

5. Youth Club Sports Take From College Savings:

Parents' bank accounts are taking a large hit to put their children through club youth sports. Monthly fees, travel expenses, endless amounts of gear are all a part of business that is club sports. All this money being collected by programs could be going towards a child's college funds. These travel softball tournaments for the 11-year old and under team could be affecting a child’s opportunities to receive a higher education with small amounts of debt. Instead of saving for the future, this generation of children and parents are finding it necessary to spend now for a club team.

6. Youth Club Sports Create Social Anxiety:

Club sports for the youth do not relate to school sports. New teammates every week, new cities and facilities and opponents from all around the world. Children become afraid to connect with others because who knows when or if you ever see them again. Shy and awkward encounters with a kid from a different state on your team become a habit. I personally played with kids from different states and let me tell you, it is AWKWARD. Kids fear looking dumb or making a fool of themselves the first time they meet their new teammates. Social anxiety has become a staple of club youth sports.

7. Youth Club Sports Create Egotistical Kids:

Now not every child involved in club youth sports becomes egotistical, but is occurring more often than none. Children use it as a bragging point to play for the premier team in the state, coastline, or even country. Social media accounts are flourishing with personal accolades and highlights involving club youth sports. Children are feeling as if they are celebrities in their hometowns for playing in the big tournament for their sport. Being a part of club sports at a young age is making kids feel like kings of the world. All these things are creating large egos in our youth, and it is happening with few reality checks.

Conclusion

Although these seven ways do not affect all kids participating in club youth sports, they affect enough to cause concern and a sense of urgency for change. The way these programs are ran and produced is hurting kids more than our society realizes. Our youth and the younger generation is being persuaded by club youth sports and the change in their physical and mental characteristics are inevitable. It’s important to understand the effects club sports have on children, not just the many benefits that come from them. So, I leave you with this, how can you prevent the negative effects club sports have on children?

**************************************************************

Statistics

Word count: 996

Error count: 5

Error density: 1%