The Unintended Consequences of Youth Sports

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Luke 12:2)

Raising children continues to get more complex each year. Those of us done raising children are called to pray for parents who are still meeting the challenge. Instead of presenting you with a laundry list of issues, I will focus on one challenge facing families: youth athletics. Many parents struggle to provide the time and money necessary to give their children the opportunity to play sports. Sports have unintended consequences that can be detrimental in the short and long term.

Linda Flanagan wrote an article for The Atlantic titled “The Downsides of Having an Athlete in the Family.”  Neither Flanagan nor I want to say that sports are all bad. Sports can provide confidence, teamwork, and other valuable lessons, but there are often downsides to trying to help your child excel. Flanagan writes, “Besides so much else that’s wrong with contemporary elite youth sports-the prohibitive cost, erosion of fun, epidemic of injuries-disrupted families should be added to the list.”

The financial costs are high, even if your child is not at a high level in their chosen sport. “According to a 2019 study conducted by the Aspen Institute think tank and Utah State University of 1,032 adults with kids who played sports at the recreational, high school, or club level, families spend an average of $693 annually for each sport a child plays. Though the high price squeezes many low-income kids out entirely, in households earning less than $50,000, parents still pay an average of $475 annually per child per sport.” Another survey found that “parents also reported spending an average of 12 hours each week on their child’s athletic activities.” The time and money invested in children’s sports leave little for parents to run a home or care for other children.

If other children are in the family, the less gifted athletes often suffer from “neglected-sibling syndrome.” Sadly, even the “star” child is sometimes left with anxiety issues when they do not perform up to parental and coaching expectations. So much has been invested, and they feel responsible for being great, even when limited physically or otherwise. For those families negatively affected by sports, I pray parents will recognize the signs and find more faithful, caring ways of spending their time and money. Prayer should also be shared, so parents glean the wisdom necessary to care for their children in a balanced and loving way. This challenge can feel daunting in a society where youth sports are so important. Help each family respond in ways that are best for their child physically, emotionally, and spiritually.