Is There a Better Way?

The vortex of professionalized youth sports is only gaining steam. Can we reverse the tide? Let's discuss!

There’s an aspect of last week’s interview with Kevin Hambly, the Stanford women’s volleyball coach that has lingered and has me a bit stumped. Hambly talked about his 8th grade daughter and how it irks him that she only wants to play volleyball because she’s also skilled in basketball and soccer. Moreover, he strongly believes in the myriad benefits that come with playing multiple sports. (!!!) I asked Hambly if his daughter wanted to play other sports, would it even be possible while playing club volleyball.

His disheartening response:

Probably not. The clubs monopolize your time. There’s a girl on her team that could have been a nice college volleyball player, but she’s also a hockey player. She had to quit volleyball to focus on hockey because that was her first love. It’s such a shame she couldn’t do both, but hockey was putting so much pressure on her to quit. It’s a shame the clubs don’t more to make it work.

Those of us managing the schedules of kids playing multiple sports at a high level know a dead end is coming. But to hear a decorated collegiate coach punctuate the same frustration is deflating. It’s also a reminder that we and our kids are fighting a battle with no chance of winning. Sure, maybe Hambly’s kid or your kid is one of the few who happily specializes in one sport at a high level at an early age and doesn’t get burned out by the pressure. Maybe they eschew the overuse injuries that are becoming commonplace as clubs extend their seasons (and fees). The more time kids repeat using the same muscles, the less time they are training supporting muscles. Still, a lot of kids know what they want early, and more power to them.

But for those that want to play multiple sports at a high level through elementary and middle school and, god forbid, high school, the path seems anywhere between treacherous and impossible. That just sucks.

Obviously I’m not saying anything new but the reality is still depressing. On a recent episode of the podcast, Plain English, The Aspen Institute’s Tom Farrey and Wall Street Journal’s Jason Gay talked with host Derek Thompson about the flailing state of high school sports participation. According to Thompson, the participation rates of boys playing high school sports are at their lowest since 2007. Yet, the youth sports industry appears to outsiders as if it’s thriving because it generates over $20 billion in annual revenue. Youth sports moguls are popping up everywhere as the pay-(an extreme amount)-to-play model sucks in so many families. Meanwhile, rec sports have become diluted and are hanging on by a thread in many cases. High school football was the last remaining sport without a travel/club parallel, but that seems to be over as the USFL’s founder just announced the launch of a spring league for “elite” high school football players.

I know we can’t snap our fingers and magically strengthen our rec programs, thus allowing our young athletes to get adequate competition and development in multiple sports while maintaining their sanity.

But what can we do? I don’t know but I know the status quo is not healthy both physically and psychologically. And the inequality is just unfair. The lack of access to these professionalized youth sports clubs for low income families is a stain on a culture.

How about a group of professional athletes fund an affordable, mid-level tier between rec and club for their respective sport? Work in conjunction with local rec departments so rec kids can have an opportunity for higher level competition without getting sucked into the time/cost/travel commitment of club sports. And current club kids have a more viable option that allows them to play other sports and explore other interests including, what’s that thing again, oh yeah, school.

I’m not sure why I’m fired up on this particular day but would love to hear any ideas you all have about strengthening rec programs. Perhaps your town already has a successful, accessible model. Tell us, please! Thank you!