Increasing costs, declining participation and the importance of fun: How to win at youth sports

Overuse and injury

The rise of travel leagues in youth sports has also led to overuse and overdemand of young athletes, sometimes before they’ve even reached double digits in age.

“Things have totally changed from when I was a young kid 30 or 40 years ago,” said Tim Robertson, the founder of Speed Strength Systems, a performance training facility based in Chesterland, that works with youth athletes ages 8 and up. “Back then, you played for your city or your community. There was no AAU, there was no travel baseball.

“I think the prevalence of travel (sports) for some of these kids is off the charts. You have some 10-year-olds who are playing 60, 70 or 80 (baseball) games in a summer. It’s just out of control,” he added.

That constant wear and tear can hurt still-growing bodies – especially when the child specializes in playing just one sport. The specialization of youth athletes is often spurred by parents who believe their child’s best chance to earn a collegiate athletic scholarship – and maybe go pro — is by practicing the same sport over and over.

But consider this: The odds of your child receiving an athletic scholarship are minimal. About 8 million students participate in high school athletics across the U.S., and only about 2% are awarded athletic college scholarships, many of which are partial scholarships, according to the NCAA.

Robertson and Virtue both favor encouraging your kids to play multiple sports for a variety of physical, emotional and mental benefits.

“If you lock them into one sport, they don’t have a chance to explore other interests,” Virtue said. “Exposing kids to different friend groups, different experiences, different types of coaching and how to manage different personalities, that’s a massive missed opportunity if sports specialization enters earlier in the process than it really should.”

From a physical perspective, Robertson notes the most common injuries among youth athletes he trains include overuse injuries such as tendonitis, particularly of the knee, which is often referred to as “jumper’s knee.” Other common injuries in youth athletes include soft tissue injuries such as hamstring strains, as well as lower back strains and ankle sprains.

“I’m a big advocate of playing multiple sports,” said Robertson, who is also entering his 13th year as the head strength and conditioning coach at John Carroll University in University Heights.

“Playing one sport, you’re repeating the same movements and patterns over and over again, which can potentially lead to overuse injuries. Knowing the human body, knowing the development of an athlete, I feel a lot of kids do not develop fully because they specialize in one sport. A lot of kids can benefit – physiologically, socially, mentally – by playing multiple sports,” he added.

Parents are burned out, too

If you’ve decided to encourage and allow your child to play multiple sports in order to best serve their physical and emotional development, how are you supposed to manage the increasing time demands and skyrocketing costs of multiple youth sports?

The average family paid $883 annually in one child’s primary sport, according to the Aspen Institute’s 2022 State of Play report. Across the U.S., families spend a combined estimated total of $30 to $40 billion annually on their child’s sports activities, the Aspen Institute said.

If you’re a family with multiple children who want to play multiple sports, the annual costs can balloon quickly. And that’s without mentioning the added costs of gasoline, hotel stays, restaurant meals and the flexibility parents need for time off work.

When the costs for youth sports rise, so, too, does the pressure placed on young athletes. Oftentimes, parents who spend more on their child’s sports leagues, practices, lessons and equipment expect a return on demand, and that added pressure can overwhelm kids. It also communicates the wrong priorities for kids to win-at-all-costs as opposed to having fun and learning.

Part of the solution towards reducing both costs and stress for parents and young athletes is for parents to be intentional with their decisions regarding their children’s commitments.

“A lot of parents will just blindly sign their kids up for a sport and not really think through the ramifications of that decision,” Virtue said. “So, you really do have to be intentional with ‘what’s the right fit?’ as opposed to just defaulting, ‘Well my kid has to be the best at everything, they have to play at the highest level of everything they do.’”

Virtue, who has spent eight years with PCA and is a Little League baseball coach in Avon, cites the fact that travel baseball tryouts for spring 2025 have largely already happened, forcing parents to make decisions before they’ve even considered the commitment required. He recommends a 100-point exercise, an excerpt from “Positive Sports Parenting” by Jim Thompson, for parents and children to better understand their priorities when it comes to participating in youth sports.

It’s also important that parents and their children are aligned in what they want out of their youth sports experience, according to responses to our Facebook question.

“Let your kid decide if they enjoy the sport and WANT to do it, don’t force it on them. ALSO be a supporter and spectator, don’t try and coach unless you are a coach of their team. Be respectful as a spectator, no need to yell and refs or other parents or be mean towards the other team.” – Darcy Tatum

“Teach your kids how to be coached. Teach your kids how to be a teammate. If your child isn’t having fun, then it’s time to find a new sport. Be cautious about how you give feedback. Your child knows if they played poorly, don’t use the car ride home to talk about it. Use the 24 hour rule after games. Let them know you’re proud of them.” – Dana Collins

“Teach them the game. Don’t be so obsessed with winning. Too many youth coaches, especially in football, are worried about making a check in the win column, not developing the kid as a person or an athlete. Also, have them try MANY different sports and many different activities outside of sports when they are young. Give them a chance to figure out what they like.” – Christopher Miller

Why youth sports are worth it

Yes, youth sports have rapidly changed in recent years and since you were a kid. Yes, the pressures, time demands and financial costs associated with youth sports are ever-increasing. Yes, it can all be mind-boggling and exhausting to manage.

But youth sports – when organized with the proper, aligned intentions of players, parents and coaches alike – is absolutely worth the experience, advocates say.

“I’m a big believer in everybody should play some type of sport,” Robertson said. “Some of the big things young kids learn from sport is obviously team camaraderie, learning how to win and lose, work ethic, etc. There’s just so much you get back from playing sports, and I didn’t even mention the physical benefits of playing.”

The Ohio State study found that respondents who played sports continuously through age 18 reported lower depression and anxiety symptoms as adults than those who participated in youth sports but dropped out. However, less than one-quarter (24%) of the approximate 4,000 respondents said they played organized sports through age 18. About 41% of survey respondents played youth sports but dropped out and 35% didn’t play organized sports at all.

When you consider that 76% of respondents either stopped playing youth sports or never played at all, why is youth sports participation so low?

The answer, again, largely has to do with the amount of fun they’re having.

“We’re realistic when working with these youngsters,” Robertson said. “We want them to have fun. If the training is so regimented and intense and not fun, they’re not going to want to do it. It has to be fun. If you take the fun out of it, that child is not going to like to train. Yes, we do things where they have to focus and work hard, but we try to do it in a fun environment for them.”

Parents commenting on our Facebook question largely agreed.

“Whatever they decide, show up consistently. Don’t sit in the car the whole time or leave. It was hard being a football mom because it’s wet, hot, cold, windy, and at times snow. Show your kids you are as dedicated and that you’ll ride it out with them also.” – Tonya Williams

“‘I had fun watching your game’ is the ONLY thing you need to tell them on the way home.” – Courtney Crawford

Those comments reinforce perhaps the most important message for youth sports: After all, kids just want to have fun.

Follow along as cleveland.com / The Plain Dealer dives deeper into its “How to win at youth sports (without going broke or breaking down)” series, in partnership with WKYC, throughout August. Want to share your story? Email ljohnston@cleveland.co m.