The #1 Misconception Parents Have About Youth Sports Burnout
Youth sports burnout is one of those concerns nearly all serious sports parents worry about to some extent. The reason why is that parents are no longer spending money for their kids to play youth sports as recreation. Instead, youth sports is a major monthly bill. But not any bill. It’s a bill that cost more than a monthly car payment on a luxury vehicle, and one that’s in line with a mortgage payment.
In fact, an article in USA Today reports some startling numbers from TD Ameritrade’s research on this topic.
Nearly 20% of U.S. families spend more than $12,000 a year, or $1,000 per month, on youth sports, per child…That’s in line with the median mortgage payment of $1,030 that Americans make monthly, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
When you have a child who quits playing sports in high school after years of being a youth sports star, it feels like you bought a luxury vehicle that is broke down in the garage. Needless to say, this is something all parents want to avoid
With that said, there are a number of things that cause burnout. In some cases injury is the culprit. In other cases a young athlete lacks interest in traditional sports because of the methods used by their parents and/or coaches. While in other cases it’s helicopter parenting. These are all possibilities parents must take heed to and make the necessary adjustments to reduce the risk of happening. However, two causes for burnout you won’t find in any research is hard work and tough competition.
Hard Work and Tough Competition Does NOT Cause Burnout
For whatever reason, many parents think burnout is a result of a sport either being too hard or too competitive. This could not be further from the truth. Hard work and competition never has and never will drive kids away from things they enjoy doing.
On the contrary, when a kid enjoys doing an activity, hard work and tough competition make them enjoy it even more. The only time kids have a problem with hard work and tough competition is when an authority figure forces them to do something they don’t want to do.
If you ever had the feeling that a child was burning out because of hard work or tough competition, I urge you to rethink your conclusion. More than likely the root cause is either injury, lack of interest, or helicopter parenting. Undoubtedly, hard work and tough competition is the essence of what makes sports fun for those who enjoy playing sports.
The bottom line is this. If a child doesn’t enjoy playing sports after years of a parent investing in them to play, the parent needs to look within for the root cause and not blame the child.