Fred Bowen's "The Score" column,
April 16, 2004, Washington Post

Youth Sports Is No Longer Kid Stuff

I see it every week and it makes me mad. It's a listing in the back of my local newspaper. A soccer team is looking for "committed players to add to its spring and fall rosters" and "experienced, athletic and competitive players who are enthusiastic and passionate about competing at the highest level . . . are invited to arrange tryouts."

The listing is not for a pro team or even a team of college or high school kids. No, it's for an under-9 team. That means second- and third-graders.

Committed? Experienced, athletic and competitive? Most of the 8- and 9-year-olds I know like cartoons and think it's kind of neat to make milk come out of your nose. I thought kids played sports to have fun.

Now I don't mean to pick on one team or coach. Or even one sport, though soccer has become the worst offender. It's just every time I turn around I see parents and kids taking youth sports way too seriously. There are more all-stars, more tournaments and more travel and select teams at younger ages. Lots of kids, even 8- and 9-year-olds, have to try out for teams knowing that they might not make the cut.

Things have gotten so crazy that the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) sponsors national championships in soccer and boys basketball for kids 8 and under. And there's an international championship in baseball for kids 10 and under.

I know what some of you are thinking. What's so bad about some kids, even younger kids, playing on more serious teams? In fact, playing in a national championship sounds kind of fun.

The problem is that when folks make kids' sports more serious and competitive at younger ages, it sends a message to the kids who don't make the select or travel or all-star teams that they are not good enough to play the game.

So what do kids do? Lots of them stop playing. In fact, most kids drop out of organized sports by the age of 13. That's way too early for kids to give up. Plenty of kids are still developing, still getting better, all the way through high school.

So I wish that I would never see that listing in the back of my newspaper, or others like it, ever again. I wish there were more intramural and recreational teams -- and fewer select and travel teams -- for kids all the way through high school. Or how about after-school leagues where the kids pick the teams, make the calls and run the show? No refs, no cuts, no all-stars.

Maybe once a week teams could play pickup games instead of having another practice. Maybe kids could spend more time playing catch in the front yard or shooting hoops with friends at a neighborhood park, rather than trying out for some team that might play for a national championship.

I wish all the time and energy spent trying to find the best players, the "experienced, athletic and competitive" ones, went into getting more kids just to play their best.

Fred Bowen writes KidsPost's Friday sports column and is the author of sports novels for kids.