Kids Play Their Sports for Fun, Not Winning, Not to Imitate the Pros

Adults who live their dreams of being pro sports stars through their children ought to read and think about this article, "A Survey of Youth Sports Finds Winning Isn't The Only Thing", which appeared in the January 30, 2010, New York Times. Peter Barston, a 15-year-old sophomore at Fairfield (CT) Prep high school, and his 12-year-old brother Stephen at the urging of their father surveyed 4th-8th graders in the Darien Y.M.C.A. basketball league to find out why they play sports. Their survey offered 11 possible reasons, but overwhelmingly the respondents chose to have fun. The boys plan to expand their survey to cover local softball, baseball, and possibly lacrosse players and may even start a website, which would oversee lots of local surveys taken by their peers. Their survey closely mirrors the results of a nationwide 1988 survey taken by the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports at Michigan State University.

Adults, especially those who dream of their children getting college athletic scholarships or of their children achieving what they could not achieve on the athletic field, should think of this article when they are advising their children about sports participation.

I suppose in 21st century America it is too much to ask parents to let their children play some sports by themselves under their own rules as I used to do as a child back at mid-2oth century, but that would be nice. Adults today over organize youth sports to their children's detriment. This is not just my opinion; psychiatrists and psychologists like Dr. David Elkind, author of The Power of Play: How Spontaneous Imaginative Activities Lead to Healthier Happier Children think so too. Perhaps the best we can hope for is that parents think of this article.