Are youth sports in a decline in popularity?

Are youth sports in a decline in popularity?

(ThyBlackMan.com) For adults of a certain age, one of the best memories of childhood was playing sports with friends in the neighborhood. Whether it was baseball, basketball, football, or soccer, it was an afterschool and weekend venture for so many kids growing up to play numbers of sports with their peers. For adult sports fans now, playing sports as a kid helped spark their eventual fandom of sports teams and leagues. Of course, every generation is different but for kids for nearly every generation for decades playing sports is part of the childhood experience and an important one. Today’s kids have many more options to keep their interest and be entertained beyond sports including different forms of technology and media options. Two months ago, ESPN launched Youth Sports Week as the centerpiece of its second year ESPN Take Back Sports campaign due to a “growing epidemic in youth sports is the stifling of our children’s enjoyment, growth, and confidence in the very spaces meant to nurture them”.

The numbers and facts around the decline in youth participating in sports are eye-opening. 62 percent of children, ages 6 to 12 do not play sports regularly and the average age at which children quit sports is just 12 years old. Some of the biggest names through the world of sports are part of this campaign including NBA player Stephen Curry, WNBA player A’Ja Wilson, and NFL player Lamar Jackson among the ambassadors to encourage and promote youth sports participation.

It is the low 38 percent youth sports participation rate that is one of the reasons for this initiative. Sports ambassadors and ESPN anchors and personalities participated in a different ads and promos, which ran across ESPN platforms, that addressed critical youth sports issues. One of the biggest issues for getting kids to play sports is affordability. Over 900,000 youth received support to participate in athletics through grants and the YMCA was among the avenues for those youth to participate. This is the second year of the Take Back Sports initiative and there were good results.

There has also been some volatility in youth sports leagues with the behavior of adults. It is not uncommon to see local news clips that highlight the parents of some young athletes who are harassing each other or verbally abusing referees or officials for youth sports leagues.  Youth coaches also feel the anger from parents sometimes as well. A recent national survey named “the challenge of managing parents ranks among the top reasons coaches have considered leaving or decided to quit”. Unruly parents in youth sports deters from the enjoyment for all kids who are participating in that particular sport.

The impact of youth sports is multilayered from a health, wellness, stress relief, and teamwork aspect. There are many lessons to be learned from kids and teenagers who play and enjoy sports. According to ESPN Vice President of Corporate Citizenship Kevin Martinez, “Sports have the power to shape confidence, character and community at an early age, but with only 38% of kids playing sports on a regular basis, ESPN recognizes the critical need to build systems that make those opportunities accessible to more young athletes.” It’s not about finding the next great young athlete but the importance of youth sports be part of the childhood experience to become more of a team player and working together as an adult towards everyone’s success.

Staff Writer; Mark Hines