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Since 2010, youth sports has grown more than 50% and become a $19 billion industry with approximately 60 million kids participating across the United States. To put that in context, the youth sports industry is larger than either the NFL or NBA, America's two largest professional sports. That's big business. So it should come as no surprise that as the industry has grown, the game has changed for youth and high school parents and children. Looking to capitalize on a booming market, a rising number of clubs, coaches and manufacturers have entered the scene, incentivized to convince parents that starting early and going "all in" is the only way to go. The resulting rise in specialization has had dramatic affects, nearly all of them negative: families are spending more than ever, while each year more athletes drop out of sports due to burnout or significant injury caused by overuse.
What if there's a better way to develop our young athletes? In the video above, Play Like a Champion's Peter Piscitello provides a glimpse into the latest research on athlete development and explains why experts agree that specialization is not the answer. Instead, parents should consider multi-sport participation a key to development, allowing their young athlete to try a variety of sports while emphasizing fun and appropriate physical growth. Parents: consider how many sports your child has played in the past year? This week, ask them what new sport they would like to try and make a commitment to promote variety, playing at least 2-3 different sports over the course of the next year.
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