The Most Misused Word in Youth Sports is….
There are a lot of candidates, but only one word is the true crème de la crème when it comes to misguided usage.
Last week while doing some research on an upcoming lacrosse story, I happened upon a local club with an incredible name: STICK WITH IT Lacrosse. The pun is perfect, and so is the message. STICK WITH IT’s core values as listed on their website include Team First/Play with Passion/Commitment/Discipline/Selflessness and other inspiring traits that embody the life-long skills synonymous with youth sports participation.
A deep dig into STICK WITH IT’s site includes biographies of their supremely qualified coaches, a list that includes a member of the US Lacrosse National Hall of Fame. You also see recruiting tools and a lengthy list of players who have gone on to play college lacrosse.
STICK WITH IT’s website markets the organization as inclusive, familial, and, yes, still competitive. But nowhere does it fall prey to the most overused word in youth sports. Nowhere does it claim itself as ELITE. How refreshing.
Elite is thrown around in youth sports (and all sports) with such frequency it’s almost akin to the LLC or Inc tagged on to a company’s official moniker. Dropping elite in the title of a youth sports organization or as a description of a clinic is so commonplace, we barely wince. Yet its usage in youth sports is mostly silly and, too often, misleading.
Per Miriam-Webster, the word is defined as follows:
elite (noun)
the choice part
the best of a class
the socially superior part of society
a group of persons who by virtue of position or education exercise much power or influence
elite (adjective)
superior in quality rank, skill
Given the definition, you’d think the word would be used sparingly in youth sports given that 99% of these athletes are not actually elite. But look up a list of teams at any tournament in any sport and you’re sure to see at least one team that calls itself elite – and probably several. It’s everywhere and it’s ridiculous.
U.S. Elite Youth Sports, Colorado’s Premier Youth Sports Program sounds fancy and for the cream of the crop. But the main image adorning its home page is not of some monster athlete signing her first NIL deal; it’s a couple of kids who look 5-6 years old playing flag football. Adorable, yes. Elite, no.
My older son plays a lot of teams on the travel baseball circuit that call themselves elite. Some are decent, some are fine, some are awful. None of them are close to being “the best of a class.”
If I decided to call out all the organizations that are falsely billing themselves as elite, well, we’d be here for the next 30 years.
Admittedly, there are far greater issues across the youth sports zeitgeist than a misused word. But it’s another example of how youth sports are subconsciously shifting the priorities to winning and results instead of development. I was bummed to learn that one local travel team that has an awesome acronym touting the importance of defense added Elite to its organization’s name.
Elite signals success and being at the top of the mountain. Now some kids are actually elite and should be in top notch programs. But it’s a select few. The rest of us see the word elite dropped in, say, a training program and maybe believe (again, subconsciously) that means our kid can be too be elite. Imagine if your child could magically morph into an elite athlete just by dropping a couple of grand. That would be nice, but it’s not the reality. The email that claims your kid can play in so and so tournament against elite players across the country for a hefty price when they’ve never seen your kid - also not elite. But the word sure pulls at the illogical portions of our brains. Then we shell out or money and guess what, our kid probably is still not elite.
The reality in sports is that the true elite athletes are the ones who are either getting paid to play (the pros) or those at the top end of their sport (if there isn’t a professional option) … not those in the pay-to-play model.
As many of you know, I also cover the NFL and always find it hilarious when we get into heated definitions about the next elite defensive end that will emerge, or, of course, the old quarterback debates. Is he elite or not?
By definition, if you’re in the NFL, you are elite. And yes, that means Eli Manning was elite. I mean, the dude won two Super Bowls. Can we maybe get some perspective when falsely using the term for our youth?
As usual, beautifully captured Melissa. Sadly, the perception (at least in youth sports) is that 'elite' is 'better' ... and as you point out both within and outside of sports - the two don't equate. Our neighborhood epic games of kick the can, played into the dark hours of the night, were most certainly not elite. But boy were they fun, memorable, and the place where I created some deep friendships. And isn't that what childhood is about??
Great stuff Melissa! I host a Podcast called The Educational AD Podcast where we try to share Best Practices for Athletic Directors and Coaches. I'd love to have you come on as a guest and share your story and offer some tips! Email be at jakestouchdown@gmail.com and we will get you booked! Thanks!