I am really thankful for sports in my life, and grateful for all of the opportunities I’ve had to experience the power of play, as an athlete, coach, and administrator. But more & more kids don’t have these opportunities, or decide to quit sports in adolescence.
Why do kids not play sports? Why do kids stop playing sports? The number of kids playing team sports is dropping fast, and it should be a cause for concern for all of us who coach, teach, or provide sports opportunities for young people. More than 26 million children ages 6 to 17 played team sports in 2014, down nearly 4 percent from 2009, according to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association. A whopping 70% of kids quit sports by age 13. We need to figure out how to reverse the trend, and it starts with listening to what kids tell us.
Researchers in the field of sport psychology and exercise have, through the years, regularly asked kids why they play, and why they stop playing sports. When asked why kids play sports, the top five answers are consistently things like having fun, social reasons — being with friends, meeting new friends, learning new skills, or exercise. Guess what’s not here? you got it – winning.
Most kids do not play sports to win. Perhaps that is an outcome, or a result of their participation, but it is not the main driver.
Amanda Visek, an exercise science professor at George Washington University, recently surveyed nearly 150 children about what they found fun about sports. (Her sample included kids who play travel and recreational sports.) The kids identified 81 factors contributing to their happiness. Number 48: winning. Wow, 47 things that kids find more fun than winning when they play sports. That’s a lot of things!
Besides winning, low on the list were playing in tournaments, cool uniforms and expensive equipment. High on the list: positive team dynamics, trying hard, positive coaching and learning. Visek said that she sometimes receives push back from parents when she presents her research. Yet as hard as it may be to digest, the No. 1 reason why kids quit sports is that it’s no longer fun. plain and simple.
So for all our kids’ sakes, we need to start listening. Focus on FUN in youth sports, and good things will happen.
