By Amy Nickerson
Engagement Insider

If you are a parent of a young student-athlete today, you probably have noticed that the landscape is quite different from when you were young.  Well, you’re not alone! Parents all across the nation are making the same claims - that the youth sports scene has changed dramatically, especially over the past decade. Not only are many sports, such as football, basketball and soccer, more physically demanding today than ever before, but kids are also beginning to play their sports at much younger ages. Gone are the days of young people playing in neighborhood parks and after school simply “for fun.”  These days, many of them are counting on their physical activities to take them somewhere, usually to college.

One of the main things that parents notice is that fewer student-athletes today play multiple sports. Some parents remember the days when they managed to play football in the fall, basketball in the winter, and baseball in the spring, for example, and even happened to enjoy the process.  Unfortunately, youth sports have become so time-consuming and focused that those days are definitely long gone. How did it get this way?  To sum it all up – specialization.  Sport specialization refers to the focus on one sport year-round. Many of the prominent high school athletes today often started the sport in which they excel at an early age.

The evolution of youth sports has brought us to an age where kids tend to dedicate their time to one sport – all of the time!  For example, we now frequently see high school football players participating in 7 on 7 leagues, passing leagues, junior combines, camps, clinics – to name a few events. And all of these extracurricular activities occur right after football season ends in the winter and throughout the spring months.  Summer months can be even more hectic with the start of football practices added to the mix.

Like football players, basketball players have heavy schedules too. Many of these student-athletes are on the road year-round with frequent tournaments and travel teams.   They also must balance the overlap between regular high school schedules and their club sports schedules, which often conflict.  It is not uncommon today to witness a basketball player play in a high school game, only to rush off to their travel squad practice for the rest of the night!  As if all of this isn’t enough, today’s young athletes also work out more with personal trainers, focusing on improving their speed, strength and overall performance in their sport. Their work truly is never done, and there is often a price to pay for such dedication, such as increased chance of injuries, extreme fatigue, and overall stress from trying to balance it all.

Why in the world are all of these kids feeling the pressure to specialize in one sport?  A major driving factor is to enhance their college scholarship opportunities. Stay tuned for the next article where we will take a closer look at the allure of college scholarships, which is partly responsible for the new era of youth sports. We will also explore how all of these changes affect the parents of these student-athletes.

Until next time,

Your All-Pro Team Mom