There’s a youth sports crisis in America and it’s not about wins or losses. It’s about burnout, early specialization, inequity, and a loss of joy. In this blog post, I dive into why 70% of kids quit organized sports by age 13, and how we as sport leaders – including parents, coaches, administrators – can do better.
This one’s personal. I’m a sport leadership professor, but I’m also a dad with a 6-year-old son trying out everything from baseball to flag football. As I watch him navigate this world, I’ve been reflecting on what we’re doing right in youth sports, and more importantly, what we’re getting wrong.
The Youth Sports Machine: More Chaos Than Fun
Take a look at most youth sport complexes today: games running from dawn to midnight, $10 parking fees, gear vendors hawking “must-have” training tools, and a packed family calendar that looks more like a Tetris puzzle than a childhood.
Add it all up, and you start to wonder: Is this still fun for the kids?
The stats say no. According to research from the Aspen Institute and pediatric scholars:
- 70% of kids quit organized sports by age 13.
- The #1 reason? “It’s not fun anymore.”
We’ve created an environment that’s adult-driven, performance-focused, and profit-centered at the expense of kids’ development and enjoyment.
The Problem with Early Specialization
We push kids into competitive play early, hoping they’ll get a scholarship or turn pro, but the data doesn’t support that model.
- 60% of youth athletes specialize before age 12.
- Only ~6% of high school athletes will play in college.
- Only 1–2% will receive any form of athletic scholarship.
- Even fewer will receive a full ride.
Instead, early specialization leads to:
- Overuse injuries (especially in single-sport kids)
- Sleep deprivation
- Emotional burnout and performance anxiety
And ironically, most college and pro athletes were multi-sport athletes growing up.
A Better Model: Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD)
So what’s the alternative? It’s called Long-Term Athlete Development, or LTAD.
LTAD is an age-appropriate, stage-based approach to sport that emphasizes:
- Physical literacy
- Multi-sport participation
- Delayed competition
- A lifelong love of movement
Here’s the breakdown:
- Active Start (birth–6): Just move. Explore. Play.
- FUNdamentals (6–9 boys, 6–8 girls): Emphasis on fun, not drills or scores. Think imaginative coaching – nicknames, games, movement. Learn how to play a sport, but competition should not be emphasized.
- Learn to Train (9–12 boys, 8–11 girls): Start teaching sport-specific skills, but keep the ratio ~75% practice, 25% competition. The focus should still be on the continued development of sports skills, but competition is ok. Use scores and standings with caution, make sure everyone gets to play.
- Train to Train (12–16 boys, 11–15 girls): Start to specialize if the child desires. Focus on skill refinement, not just playing games. Competition can begin to be encouraged at this stage.
- Train to Compete & Win (16+): Now is the time for elite competition, after a solid foundation has been built.
- Active for Life: The real goal! Kids who keep moving, stay healthy, and love sport.
Leadership Lesson: Smart leaders play the long game. Short-term trophies don’t matter if the kids are exhausted or gone by age 13.
Barriers to Entry: The Equity Gap
There’s also an access problem:
- 70% of kids from high-income families play sports
- Only 31% of kids from low-income families do
We’ve priced out too many talented kids with high league fees, travel costs, and equipment expenses. This isn’t just a development issue, it’s a leadership failure. We need to remove barriers, not build them higher.
If I had the money, I’d build a league where cost doesn’t matter. Just show up and play. It routinely costs my family well over $100 for each sport my son plays – and these are recreational, instructional teams! Playing backyard baseball and driveway basketball were some of the best memories of my life – and they made me a better player and leader.
Bring the Joy Back
Want a simple way to improve your team tomorrow? Try this:
🔹 Give kids 10 – 15 minutes of free play before practice.
🔹 Let them design their own game.
🔹 Step back. Let them lead.
When kids are engaged, creative, and autonomous, they thrive.
Final Thoughts: Why Are We Playing?
As parents, coaches, and sport leaders, we have to ask: What’s the point?
If it’s not for joy, growth, health, and life lessons, then we’ve missed the mark. Sport should develop kids physically, socially, and emotionally, not exhaust or exclude them.
So next time you design a program, run a practice, or cheer from the sidelines, ask yourself: “Is this still fun for them?”
Because if it’s not, we’re doing it wrong.
My son, Ryne, had an amazing coach this summer for tee ball and made the entire experience fun.
Linkedin: Brandon Podgorski
Program Director, M.S. in Sports Leadership, B.S. in Sports Leadership and Management – Abilene Christian University
