{"id":2207120,"date":"2024-03-27T06:41:49","date_gmt":"2024-03-27T10:41:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-putting-your-kids-in-club-sports-is-high-risk-and-low-reward\/"},"modified":"2024-03-27T06:53:35","modified_gmt":"2024-03-27T10:53:35","slug":"why-putting-your-kids-in-club-sports-is-high-risk-and-low-reward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-putting-your-kids-in-club-sports-is-high-risk-and-low-reward\/","title":{"rendered":"The Risks Outweigh the Rewards of Enrolling Kids in Club Sports"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwhy-putting-your-kids-in-club-sports-is-high-risk-and-low-reward%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2207120&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A \u2063recent report from the American Academy\u2063 of Pediatrics highlights the reasons behind 70% of teenagers quitting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hate-being-spewed-in-the-name-of-patriotism-wapo-opinion-attacks-anthem-before-games-2\/\" title=\"\u2018Hate Being Spewed In The Name Of Patriotism\u2019: WaPo Opinion Attacks Anthem Before Games\">organized sports<\/a> due to burnout and injuries. Parents are urged \u200dto reconsider the commitment\u2062 to competitive club\u2062 sports for young individuals. The article delves into the benefits and drawbacks of club sports, shedding light on\u2063 the intense \u200ccompetition and financial investments involved. The American Academy of Pediatrics report uncovers \u200bwhy 70% of teens \u2062quit sports\u200b due to burnout and injuries. It advises parents to rethink youth involvement in competitive club sports. The report discusses both the advantages and disadvantages of club sports, emphasizing the competitiveness and financial obligations associated with them.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-content\">\n<p>A January <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aap.org\/en\/news-room\/news-releases\/aap\/2024\/american-academy-of-pediatrics-highlights-causes-of-injury-overtraining-and-burnout-in-youth-sports\/\">report<\/a> from the American Academy of Pediatrics explains why 70 percent of teenagers and youth are dropping out of organized sports by age 13: burnout and injuries. Parents need to think twice about a young person\u2019s life dedicated to competitive club sports. I did not consider it, and when my high school senior son decided to stop playing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ea-sports-removes-russian-teams-from-fifa-nhl-video-games-after-sports-leagues-ban-teams-from-competition\/\" title=\"EA Sports Removes Russian Teams From FIFA, NHL Video Games After Sports Leagues Ban Teams From Competition\">club soccer<\/a> this year, it made me a bit reflective.<\/p>\n<p>Club soccer in Colorado has had enormous success, sending players to NCAA D-I schools, Major League Soccer, the English Premier League, and the U.S. Men\u2019s and Women\u2019s National Teams. And there are some real benefits to playing in a club system, whatever the sport.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1092181131\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-3dd64203b1fa80bfa8210f57ef826811 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-3dd64203b1fa80bfa8210f57ef826811\"><\/div>\n<p>The club system is extremely competitive at higher levels and develops athletic skills that set those players apart from their peers. Players practice and play 10-20 hours per week or more, honing their abilities. Go to a varsity high school game and you\u2019ll quickly observe which players come from clubs and which are multi-sport athletes or are \u201cjust\u201d playing for fun.<\/p>\n<p>Spending so much time together, they develop solid friendships, some long-lasting and some more marked by an underlying sense of competitiveness. Club parents develop friendships too, though some of them are even more competitive than their players. A chance for your player means a lost chance for my player.<\/p>\n<p>Realistically, the chances of a male high school soccer player making a college team is 8 percent. Making a Division I team? 0.9 percent. Making a professional soccer roster? Less than 7 ten-thousands of a percent, or 1,344:1 in simpler terms. Playing club sports increases those odds a bit \u2014 but at a high price.<\/p>\n<p>There are some real downsides to long-term participation in club sports.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-f7dcf80bcfea3bdab8877ce161c28505 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-f7dcf80bcfea3bdab8877ce161c28505\"><\/div>\n<p>The investment of time and money is significant, often thousands of dollars per year, especially if the team travels. I <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mom-fights-against-bail-funding-group-that-helped-bail-out-sons-alleged-murderer\/\" title=\"Mom Fights Against Bail Funding Group That Helped Bail Out Son\u2019s Alleged Murderer\">loved spending time<\/a> in the car with my son going to practices and games for many years, but there are opportunity costs. Paying club fees means fewer funds for other important things, and that time spent on the road means less time as a family.<\/p>\n<p>The quality of coaching varies in most clubs, and coaches for high-level teams tend to produce more skills growth in their players. But too many coaches are not invested in players\u2019 personal development, identity, and mental health. Younger athletes need a mentor and lots of encouragement, although there comes a time especially as later teens when they need someone to challenge them. Thankfully, both as a parent and as a soccer referee, I have seen some great exceptions to the rule \u2014 coaches who clearly care about growing their players as people \u2014 but they are rare exceptions. <\/p>\n<p>Fundamentally, club sports are businesses similar to pyramid schemes. Clubs brag about their nationally ranked top-flight teams and athletes going on to college sports. That promise is what drives families of younger players to write large checks for club fees. Lots of lower-level teams and intense competition for the top two to three levels mean greater profits for the club.<\/p>\n<p>That need-to-win is why many club directors are not invested in player development despite their promises. If an athlete drops from a high-level club team, nobody from the club will follow up and ask why they made that decision. They know another parent will come along and write a check. It\u2019s business, not personal.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-520b638dfcefb6bf644ef0e3468c7318 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-520b638dfcefb6bf644ef0e3468c7318\"><\/div>\n<p>Most importantly, playing a sport year-round can hurt your player\u2019s health. The constant striving, daily grind of practices, conflict with coaches, lack of time for other activities, and pressure from coaches and parents can all lead to burnout and depression. Repetitive stress injuries particularly affect single sport athletes. Female athletes are much more likely than males to suffer concussions and serious ACL injuries.<\/p>\n<p>My advice, for what it\u2019s worth: Start your child early with a range of recreation-level organized sports. If they really excel or are super motivated, playing more competitively for a time with a club could be useful in developing skills, if you have the funds. But don\u2019t let them get lost in the system. Get them out of the club sports rat race and aim for JV and varsity sports.<\/p>\n<p>With <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-psaki-pressed-about-girls-having-to-compete-against-trans-girls-dismisses-concerns\/\" title=\"WATCH: Psaki Pressed About Girls Having To Compete Against Trans Girls, Dismisses Concerns\">high school sports<\/a>, athletes are playing for their school and their friends, not for a brand. It\u2019s OK to play \u201cjust for fun.\u201d The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/autistic-college-student-punished-for-fist-bumps-and-selfies-gets-upsetting-news-in-court\/\" title=\"Autistic College Student Punished For Fist Bumps And Selfies Gets Upsetting News In Court\">high school experience<\/a> can restore the love of the game that club players may have lost. High school athletes see each other at school daily and hang out socially, so they have a life and an identity outside of their sport.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t let the idea of your young player becoming the next Lindsay Horan or Christian Pulisic cloud the reality of their chance of high-level success and the immense costs of a \u201ccareer\u201d playing club sports.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-b152df89419734864fb56e020f84b2f9 fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-b152df89419734864fb56e020f84b2f9\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">    \t\t\t\t\t   \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>According to a recent report by the American Academy of Pediatrics, 70% of teenagers quit organized sports by age 13 due to burnout and injuries. Parents should reconsider the dedication of young individuals to competitive club sports. Reflecting on my own experience with my high school senior, this aspect was overlooked<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2468,"featured_media":2207121,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/alliance-football-club-2g7I-elXbl4-unsplash.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2207120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/alliance-football-club-2g7I-elXbl4-unsplash.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2207120","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2468"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2207120"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2207120\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2207121"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2207120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2207120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2207120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}