Youth Sport: The Decline of Youth Sport

 

The Decline of Youth Sport

In topic 5, we discussed "Youth Sports" and the state that organized youth programs are in. Youth Sport is a league, team or individual competition that occurs between birth and 18 years-old. In 2008, 45% of children ages 6-12 in the US participated in youth sports. But today, only 37% of the same age group participated in youth sports. 8% might not seem like much, but that age group is approximately 25 million, so instead of 8%, 2 million is the number to look at as that's how many less children are playing youth sport. 

Another alarming statistic is that 70% of children participating in youth sport drop out at the age of 13. The reason for the departures is mostly due to negative parents and negative coaches. The environment is not suitable for kids and the sport is no longer fun to them.

Here is a video on Poor Parenting in Youth Sport

To further add on to the troubles of youth sport, the cost of participation is on the rise. On average, parents with kids participating in youth sports spend $693 per year, per child. But parents that have kids that are in high-level programs often spend $12,000 or more and that doesn't include the travel expenses or training camps. This is a problem for low-income families, as their kids don't get the same opportunities as high-income families. 

Number of children in the U.S. by age 2020 | Statista

Participation in Youth Sports is on the Decline. Who’s to Blame? | HealthNews

Cost of youth sports: Issues & benefits | MassMutual

When Should Your Child Start Participating in Organized Sports? - YEG Fitness