One of the biggest changes I’ve seen in youth sports is the pressure to choose. Somewhere along the way, we started asking kids to make decisions that I think many adults struggle to make. We tell 13, 14, and 15-year-olds that they need to pick a sport and commit to it year-round. No other teams, no other seasons.
The problem is that most of these athletes haven’t even figured out who they are yet. They are still growing physically and developing emotionally. They’re still discovering what they enjoy.
Maybe soccer is their primary sport. The competitive season is in the fall, but now the expectation is that they train, compete, attend showcases, participate in leagues, and remain connected to the program throughout the winter, spring, and summer. Sometimes it’s not just encouraged, it’s expected. When the time to compete in another sport comes around, the athlete feels stuck having to make a decision and ultimately letting one team down. Do they play basketball with their friends? Do they run cross country to improve their endurance? Do they try lacrosse because they genuinely enjoy it? Or do they stay with the year-round program because they’re worried about losing playing time, falling behind, or disappointing a coach?
It is no longer a choice, it is a pressure. I grew up playing sports year-round, and I’m grateful for every season. But year-round sports in my generation didn’t mean twelve straight months dedicated to one program. There was an off-season. Today, some athletes are lucky to get three weeks away from their primary sport before they’re expected to be back training again.
At some point, we have to ask whether we’re developing athletes or simply keeping them busy. Rest isn’t the enemy. Rest is one of the most crucial parts of these youth athletes’ training.
Now before anyone misunderstands my point, I’m not against commitment. If an athlete wants to invest extra time into a sport they love, that’s great. Passion should be encouraged. But commitment and exclusivity are not the same thing.
For decades, some of the best athletes in the country played multiple sports. One of the best examples is Patrick Mahomes. He played football, baseball, and basketball in high school. Even today, college coaches routinely say they value multi-sport athletes because they tend to be more adaptable, more athletic, and less likely to burn out, yet many youth programs frame success as year-round participation in a single sport.
With different sports, young athletes developed different skill sets, compete with different teammates, and learn from different coaches. Today, we’re creating athletes who are highly trained in one activity leading to overuse injuries and burnout.
The irony is that many coaches say they want multi-sport athletes then they build programs that leave little room for athletes to become one.
Some of the greatest lessons in sports come from being uncomfortable, learning a new system, earning a new role, and competing alongside different groups of teammates. That’s the part we forget. The purpose of youth sports isn’t simply to create better soccer players, baseball players, or basketball players. It’s to help develop better people. It’s to help give them a foundational skill set that translates off the field and into their professional careers and relationships. The reality is that very few athletes will receive a college scholarship. Even fewer will play professionally. But every single one of them will become an adult.
When year-round participation becomes mandatory, when athletes feel guilty for playing another sport, or when programs make kids believe they have to choose one path before high school even begins, we should probably stop and ask a simple question: Who is this really benefiting?
Kids don’t need fewer opportunities. They need the chance to develop.
