Reply to Why are youth and high school sports so competitive to get into now?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I don't believe this is even a NOVA issue since it is happening all over America, whether it is California, Texas, Massachusetts, and so on. You have to put your kid in competitive sports at a young age to even have a chance of playing at the high school level. There aren't many rec options once you get to the middle school level, and every school team by then has competitive tryouts. There is no way to pick up a new sport by late elementary or middle school. Kids have to determine their interests at their young age or else it is too late. I don't want to encourage my kids to get into sports because I know it is going to suck for them in the end.

It is especially frustrating when there is basically nothing you get in return for investing so much into youth sports. Most kids will never play in the NCAA, and varsity sports don't matter much for college admissions. I don't know how it is reasonable for any family to invest so much time and money and risking their health for basically nothing. [/quote]

This is a very disappointing attitude for a parent to have.   I guess you’re proving the point that not everyone should become a parent.  On the off chance that you are actually interested in learning something I will address the issues that you raise.

Sports in and of themselves are a great value to your child.  First, making sure  your child is in excellent shape will help them in every aspect of their lives from climbing the stairs to their first apartment to attracting a spouse.  Second, sports allow your child additional opportunities to make friends and socialize.  Third, a coach  can be an important additional adult in their lives.  Your teenager might not want to listen to you about the importance of not skipping school but they will almost certainly listen to the coach when he says that they can’t play in the game if they have an unexcused absence that week.  Additionally, participation in higher level sports provide an opportunity to teach your child more sophisticated social skills such as how to be a good teammate when you are competing with them for the same position or how to work with incompetent leadership.

Finally, in my experience sports provide an invaluable opportunity to bond with and learn about your kid.   I have spent many nights with all of my kids individually in hotel rooms during tournaments and we have had the most wonderful conversations.  I’ve also gotten to know thier friends and teammates in a way I never would have if wasn’t driving them to practice or sitting with them on the sidelines between game.  This has allowed me to have a deeper understanding of the world my children inhabit. If you don’t see the value in that I feel sorry for you and your children.

As to why sports seem much more competitive than ever before I think it’s mostly a function of the changing nature of childhood.  When I was a kid home was not that fun - we had only a couple of channels of tv and if you wanted to see a movie your dad had to take you or at least he’d have to go to the video rental store.   In the absence of electronic entertainment kids had to make their own fun usually consisting of cruising around the neighborhood on bikes and playing games we made up.  Unfortunately for all of us - screens have changed that now every child has access to unlimited entertainment and pernicious social media.  Even if you restrict your child from accessing the internet your neighbors probably don’t.   Sports give your child a place that is not dominated by Netflix or instagram.

I hope this has helped you and your children.  Good luck. 
[/quote]

+1.   Great response to OP[/quote]

+2. Agreed. This guy should write a book. [/quote]

I’m not a guy [/quote]

I re-read your post and I could not find anything revealing your gender, but I will apologize for my assumption. I was simply praising the writing. Nicely said![/quote]

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