But is all adaptation inherently positive?
“The youth sport landscape has shifted dramatically over the last 20 years.
But the net outcomes have remained largely the same, in many cases (far) worse.
Does the final return justify the accruing expenses?
And I’m talking on a much deeper level than dollars and cents.”
-Ray Zingler on X
Just think back as few as 10 years ago.
Wildly different than it is today.
20 years ago almost feels like a lifetime ago in the context of youth sport.
I’m not implying that it didn’t have its issues and quirks back then, it definitely did, but here we are 20 years later and sure one could argue we’ve evolved, but have we?
Is all progress, “progress”?
Is all change, positive?
Or can it be just a product of adaptation that happens overtime that could actually be detrimental or negative?
Ask a cigarette smoker of 20 years. There was definitely progression and change, but it most definitely wasn’t positive, even most of them will admit that truth.
Now I don’t mean to compare youth sports to cigarettes, but the sentiment is that not all “evolvement” is inherently good.
Especially when we use facts and data to remove emotions from the equation.
This is very important for all consumers’ to do because our thoughts, ideas, and opinions can very quickly become skewed and biased because of the emotional involvement within the construct.
Because “my kid” is involved, it’s very very easy for the emotional levers to cause us to get lost in the sauce.
Look at it from a financial perspective.
Does the money we spend playing egregious amounts of travel ball yield a return when sports outside of football and some basketball only reward athletes with (heavily) partial scholarships?
Of course not. Full price bachelor’s degree programs are cheaper than the current costs of travel ball.
Is playing the volumes that they are playing constructive and healthy?
Of course not. There is nearly unlimited data warning (proving) to us the dangers of early onset sport specialization. The detriments range from a lack of athletic development to overuse injury occurrences.
From a mental health perspective, does tying their identities to sports that are played within a politically motivated, toxic environment yield long term positive adaptations in our kids?
Do I need to go further? Thanks adults.
All for what?
To end up with the same net outcomes, which is not making a living playing these games that are supposed to provide healthy, fun, positive youth experiences?
You don’t have to like facts. You can even argue them, but it doesn’t change them.
