Are you curious about the Dirty Little Secret of Youth Sports Leagues? Then you've come to the right place.
Not only am I going to reveal the secret, I'll give you a tip for ensuring your child doesn't suffer because of it.
It All Seems So Innocent Half-time snacks, having fun with teammates, after game pizza parties, to the casual observer nothing could be more wholesome than organized youth sports leagues.
For many adults it was a rite of passage which incorporated many of life's lesson's with athletic fun.
But just as many adults remember things much differently.
30 to 50 Million Kids Participate in Organized Youth Sports in the U.
S.
Alone.
Here's the secret youth league organizers don't want made public.
70 to 80% of the kids participating in youth sports either get no playing time during games, or they get only the league mandated minimal amount of playing time.
This means millions of kids are attending practices and working their butts off only to be forgotten when the real game begins.
League officials argue that those kids are just learning life lessons.
Everyone isn't equal and sometimes you have to sacrifice for the good of the team.
In many ways this is true, but does this lesson need to be taught at 10 years of age? Parents in Dilemma Parents of the kids that don't get to play in games are torn.
On one hand they don't want to rock the boat and be seen as whining about their kids playing time, and they don't want to be the cause of their child being ostracized and ridiculed by teammates and other parents because they can't handle being good enough to earn more playing time.
On the other hand they think, isn't the idea of youth sports supposed to be about learning the game and improving as you get more game experience.
League officials love to talk about how youth sports isn't about wins or loses, it's about sportsmanship and having fun.
Unfortunately this thinking hasn't trickled down to the coaching level.
Youth league coaches are notoriously competitive and want to win, combine that with the fact that they usually place their own child in the starring role on the team and you get the idea things won't be changing anytime soon.
So what's the answer? There are a number of things that could be done to help your child avoid becoming one of the millions of silent suffering bench-warmers short of getting the league to change its participation rules (not going to happen).
The one simple thing all parents can do is embrace the word "specialization".
Take your kid out to the court or field and work on becoming the best at one skill of their chosen sport.
You don't have to be athletic or have overall skill if you are really good at a specific skill.
Here are some examples: Football: long snapper, kick holder, pass rusher, place kicker Basketball: great shooter, passer, screen setter, rebounder, free throw shooter Baseball/Softball: specialized pitcher (fastball, curve, screwball, reliever), bunting, base stealer, homerun hitter Soccer: goalie, penalty kicker, corner kicker There are many more possibilities to become know as a player with a particular skill, so pick one out for your child and watch their playing time increase dramatically.
Not only am I going to reveal the secret, I'll give you a tip for ensuring your child doesn't suffer because of it.
It All Seems So Innocent Half-time snacks, having fun with teammates, after game pizza parties, to the casual observer nothing could be more wholesome than organized youth sports leagues.
For many adults it was a rite of passage which incorporated many of life's lesson's with athletic fun.
But just as many adults remember things much differently.
30 to 50 Million Kids Participate in Organized Youth Sports in the U.
S.
Alone.
Here's the secret youth league organizers don't want made public.
70 to 80% of the kids participating in youth sports either get no playing time during games, or they get only the league mandated minimal amount of playing time.
This means millions of kids are attending practices and working their butts off only to be forgotten when the real game begins.
League officials argue that those kids are just learning life lessons.
Everyone isn't equal and sometimes you have to sacrifice for the good of the team.
In many ways this is true, but does this lesson need to be taught at 10 years of age? Parents in Dilemma Parents of the kids that don't get to play in games are torn.
On one hand they don't want to rock the boat and be seen as whining about their kids playing time, and they don't want to be the cause of their child being ostracized and ridiculed by teammates and other parents because they can't handle being good enough to earn more playing time.
On the other hand they think, isn't the idea of youth sports supposed to be about learning the game and improving as you get more game experience.
League officials love to talk about how youth sports isn't about wins or loses, it's about sportsmanship and having fun.
Unfortunately this thinking hasn't trickled down to the coaching level.
Youth league coaches are notoriously competitive and want to win, combine that with the fact that they usually place their own child in the starring role on the team and you get the idea things won't be changing anytime soon.
So what's the answer? There are a number of things that could be done to help your child avoid becoming one of the millions of silent suffering bench-warmers short of getting the league to change its participation rules (not going to happen).
The one simple thing all parents can do is embrace the word "specialization".
Take your kid out to the court or field and work on becoming the best at one skill of their chosen sport.
You don't have to be athletic or have overall skill if you are really good at a specific skill.
Here are some examples: Football: long snapper, kick holder, pass rusher, place kicker Basketball: great shooter, passer, screen setter, rebounder, free throw shooter Baseball/Softball: specialized pitcher (fastball, curve, screwball, reliever), bunting, base stealer, homerun hitter Soccer: goalie, penalty kicker, corner kicker There are many more possibilities to become know as a player with a particular skill, so pick one out for your child and watch their playing time increase dramatically.