Youth Sports

On September 20, 2018, our class discussed the topic of Youth Sports. We covered all aspects of youth sport, varying from the background, trends, problems, pervasiveness, and more. In more detail, we touched upon the decline of youth sport within the last decade, dropping almost 10 percent from ages six through twelve. These days kids are more interested in the media and the latest Madden game on their game consoles rather than competing in a competitive contest. Others have also opted not to play sports that are at risk for brain injury including, soccer.

In a recent study by the Sport and Fitness Industry Association, US youth have been dropping the sport of soccer at alarming rates over the course of the last three years. Nearly 14 percent of children ages six through twelve have discontinued in competing in soccer, dropping the number down to approximately 2.3 million kids. According to Joe Drape of the New York Times the participation of youth sports, as a whole, has dropped down significantly within the past decade, as we previously discussed in class. The reasons for this drop-off? The youth have been more occupied with other distractions including their electronics, as well as participating in other sports such as baseball and basketball. Another reason for the decline is because of the financial demand. According to the statistics from the Sport and Fitness Industry Association, 35 percent of soccer players are generated from homes that have an income of approximately $100,000 a year whereas 11 percent come from homes that make approximately $25,000 or less a year.

On the other side of the argument, some say the problem doesn't lie within the sport alone but with the high demand for top-tier play. Other reasons include:

• high risk of injury as the annual injury rate for the sport of soccer is around 10,000 injuries
• increased emphasis on sport specialization which has led to overuse training/burnouts/injury
• soccer not serving all kids

Source: https://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Issues/2018/07/16/Leagues-and-Governing-Bodies/Soccer.aspx?hl=youth%20sports