THE ISSUES IN AMERICAN YOUTH SPORTS
“Sports teaches you character, it teaches you to play by the rules, it teaches you to know what it feels like to win and lose teaches you about life”
- (Billie Jean King) -
According to the National Council of Youth Sports, with around 74 million children in the United States, there are around 60 million registered youth sports participants nationwide. The American youth sports system revolves around a pay-to-play model where all athletes and families must invest a fee to participate in a sports program. As the years have passed, the competition in youth sports has gotten stronger, so the cost of participation in these sports programs has risen. The financial barriers of the pay-to-play limit the participation from lower class/income families. This status reduces the socioeconomic and racial diversity in youth sports programs where many sports require participation fees, travel fees, and expensive equipment, it decreases the talent pool and reduces the variety of experiences and perspectives within America's sports community.
A solution toward solving the American system adapts a similar model to the European system. In Europe, the cost to play youth sports ranges from free to a very low fee where many major sports clubs and leagues gain funding from the community and the government where in Europe, many countries prioritize youth sports as essential to public health, allocating a set amount of funds to invest in clubs. European clubs put less emphasis on travel and elite league costs and completely dedicate themselves to talent development. Larger, more well-known, European clubs make most of their profit from fans, sponsors, broadcasting, and professional athletes. These clubs also support smaller free youth club teams to focus on developing talent and professional athletes where when athletes make it to the major leagues, they invest back into their childhood club. European clubs invest their participation fees into training facilities and maintenance. These clubs don’t focus on profit in the present but look for investment that will return in the future.
The United States needs to adopt a similar system of youth sports in Europe to truly maximize their youth talent. This results in a more affordable and adaptable environment for all types of people. It shouldn’t matter whether one identifies as lower class, middle class, or even upper class to compete and showcase their talent in competitive sports throughout the country. By adopting a similar model, the U.S. can guarantee that every child with potential in any sport can have that opportunity converting the system to exist based on purely skill rather than financial resources. This would not only lead to a more diverse and extended group of athletes but will ensure that talent is nurtured and not wasted. The U.S. youth sport system places an overemphasis on competition at such a young age where this approach can lead to burnout, injuries, and a lack of development. European systems emphasize the long-term athlete development models where they focus on the gradual development of their young athletes rather than focusing on immediate results and winning. Allowing children to develop at a natural pace, a youth system built on holistic growth will enable athletes to maximize their potential for long-term success. The U.S. would significantly benefit from adopting a youth sports system that draws inspiration from Europe’s approach. By making youth sports more accessible, focusing on long-term development, and ensuring that all children, regardless of their background, religion, or social status, have the opportunity to participate. The United States can create a more inclusive, diverse, and competitive sports culture for its youth.
According to “The National Alliance for Youth Sports”, the most notable and widespread problem in youth sports is present in the United States. The U.S. struggles the most due to its high costs of participation, but other factors also play a significant role. While the youth sports model serves primarily as a tool to promote health, development, and teamwork, the American model reduces accessibility to lower-class and certain middle-class families solely due to the way their model is set up. Another factor that is present in the United States which most other countries don’t typically worry about is the pressure of college recruitment and scholarships toward youth athletes.
In the U.S., college sports play a major role in athletic development. A common perception is the need to play for the best and most competitive youth teams which not only adds pressure on the family but also toward the athletes. According to the article “We Need to Stop Pressuring Kids to Be the Best at Their Sport”, “He's seen an increase in the intensity of the level of play for children, but also an increase in parental involvement. "It's good for parents to be involved in their child's development, but sometimes parents can push their children too hard” (Angela). Angela highlights the harm of pressure and competition in the youth sport environment caused by parents, coaches, and teammates where she argues that focusing on being only the best can lead to stress and burnout and advocates for a more balanced approach where children can enjoy and have a positive experience. The American system may have some positive effects, but I strongly believe the negatives outweigh the positives. According to the article “Youth Sport: Positive and negative impact on young athletes.” “With 2.6 million emergency room visits a year for those aged 5–24 years, a 70%–80% attrition rate by the time a child is 15 years of age, and programs overemphasizing winning are problems encountered in youth sport. The challenges faced by adults who are involved in youth sports, from parents to coaches to sports medicine providers, are multiple, complex, and varied across ethnic cultures, gender, communities, and socioeconomic levels” (Merkel). Although parental and peer pressures to perform along with the overemphasis on winning create elite athletes, this approach is not ideal for all children involved in youth sports. Merkel argues that having an emphasis on fun while also establishing a balance between competition, physical fitness, and mental well-being is paramount for success in youth sports.
While parents have established such a big emphasis on winning and competition in the United States, sports officials are often affected by verbal and sometimes, physical abuse from athletes, parents, and coaches. This can happen when the official makes controversial or unpopular calls throughout the game. However, the abuse isn’t always tied to contentious decisions where frustration, high-stakes situations, and lack of sportsmanship can trigger these negative behaviors toward officials. According to the article “Sport’s Ugly Blind Spot – Abuse of Officials.” “In 2017, in a tragic story that reverberated around America, Michigan soccer referee John Bieniewicz died after being sucker-punched by a player” (Skene). The abuse has gotten so out of control that officials are now losing their lives over this abuse. Communities from all over the country are now facing problems in the lack of officials where there are too many games, but too few officials. Referee abuse occurs globally but is a much larger issue in American youth sports compared to other systems simply due to the pressures of the high-stakes environment.
A proper and attainable solution to address all these issues in American youth sports is to model our system similarly to the European youth system. The European system is often considered for several key reasons. The European system is more inclusive where costs to compete and participate in their youth leagues are much lower or in some cases nonexistent where major clubs provide youth academies with lower costs where the majority of their income comes from their pro teams and any income from the youth system is reinvested on the players, in hopes of developing prospects for their pro teams. Many smaller youth-focused clubs across Europe operate by having young prospects sign contracts where the club provides training at little to no cost. In return, if the athlete goes on to become a professional, they are required to donate a certain percentage of their income back to the club. Using these two key methods, The European system disregards competition and the pressures it brings by prioritizing long-term engagement where skill development, enjoyment, and passion are key factors to help kids improve progressively. Compared to the U.S., many youth athletes such as Lamine Yamal, Arda Guler, Pau Cubarsí, and many more athletes are playing at the highest level of soccer as high school-aged teenagers. This happens because the European systems focus on inclusivity and long-term development over winning and competition, while also ensuring that no potential talent wasted is a more effective system of youth development.
Youth athletes are still children, They are still in the process of physical, mental, and emotional development, making their involvement in sports at a young age both beneficial and potentially risky if not properly managed. Their bodies are growing rapidly, and their physiological systems have not fully matured. These factors create unique challenges and considerations for their participation in competitive sports. According to the journal, “They Are Still Children: A Scoping Review of Conditions for Positive Engagement in Elite Youth Sport.” “Our findings further support that, while certain youth athletes may demonstrate extraordinary performance capabilities, they are still children who benefit from positive engagement prompted and reinforced by developmentally appropriate and supportive activities, relationships, and environments” (Wilson). Wilson emphasizes the critical importance of balancing the aspects of youth sports with the development needs of young athletes. While some young athletes exhibit exceptional talent and capabilities beyond their peers, it is essential to consider that they are still in the process of growing and developing. Their long-term success depends heavily on their environment where many young athletes in the American system often face injuries, burnout, and loss of passion for the game due to the holistic environment.
Europe avoids official shortages in youth sports due to the structural and cultural factors that support the recruitment, training, and longevity of officials. These aspects create an environment where officiating is more sustainable and appealing compared to the U.S. where the European sports culture places a strong emphasis on respect toward sports officials. With increased respect, most European sports are organized through community-based clubs and organizations that extend toward officials. Most referees are often volunteers or paid workers with whom they are treated with much more respect than American officials which is why most volunteers continue to referee where verbal and physical abuse are less accepted in European culture. According to “The Denver Post”. “Fans who mistreat umpires are sentenced to do the job themselves” (Gelston). While this may help prevent the abuse of officials in baseball, this is not an effective solution to the issue. The abuse officials encounter is a result of the environment in the American system where this abuse is more commonly accepted in American culture compared to European culture. European sports culture places a strong emphasis on respecting officials as an integral part of the game. The youth sports culture should serve as a place of fun and development while maintaining a relatively competitive environment where young athletes don’t burn out from stresses, injuries, and pressure on trying to be the best.
While the European system works effectively for Europe, the economic and sociological differences between countries in Europe and the United States play a role in why this system is so successful. Europe fosters a greater community involvement in which government and community donations help fund local clubs and organizations in youth sports, provide a variety of officials, and greater support to local youth teams. The United States has a different community where these youth teams and organizations aren't funded by the government or the community and to survive in the American economic business, need to profit money in other ways, typically through player fees. The U.S. and Europe are very different culturally, where just simply adopting the European system will not benefit the youth system in America and possibly create even more issues. The United States should work to adopt a system similar to the system that operates in Europe which is better suited to the American economic and sociological environment where we can combat the current issues we face in youth sports and also develop a system that is more inclusive, affordable, and best suited to for the well being of our country.