As this new year begins, it's helpful to remember the purpose of youth sports. Being a Champion Sport Parent is a wonderful opportunity to participate in the physical, mental, emotional, moral and spiritual growth of your child. In a broad sense, this is a response to a calling - a “summons” by God - to participate in the creation and development of the whole person your child is meant to be. Being a Champion Sport Parent means being a LIFE Coach for your child. A LIFE Coach is someone who educates, instructs, guides and encourages the development of health and life-promoting skills. These skills allow each child to become as God intended, the very best person he or she can be. A parent as LIFE Coach is a loving potentiator, participating in the building of the Kingdom of God by lovingly “coaching” each child to grow to his/her health and wellness potential in body, mind and spirit. This includes modeling and encouraging attitudes, beliefs and behaviors which optimize performance on the playing field, in the classroom, in the home and in the community, while allowing one to experience the joy and fullness of life. 

As 2025 begins, consider whether I am looking at my child’s sport in a holistic way (see above) or simply in a transactional manner - i.e. can my child earn a college scholarship? If you are tempted to view sports in the latter way, we encourage you to intentionally broaden your approach.

ATTITUDE: Encourage your student-athlete to have a positive attitude in life, especially when times are difficult, looking at challenges as opportunities to grow.

BELIEFS: Remind your student-athlete to give glory to God for each one of his or her gifts and talents.

BEHAVIORS: Support your student-athlete and encourage him or her to place humility as a top priority, treating teammates, coaches, opponents and officials with the utmost respect.

Focusing on these core areas can prompt a healthy approach to youth or high school sports and help you to fully embrace the role of being a Champion Sports Parent.

The Probability of Competing in College

One of the issues with a transactional approach to youth sports is that we can develop unrealistic expectations. Youth sports is an estimated $38 billion global industry, a competitive market that has incentivized many to sell the dream of playing a sport beyond the youth or high school level. The chase for college scholarships has spurred big business, but the reality is not so easy.

According to a study by the NCAA, the odds of a youth sport athlete becoming a scholarship athlete in college are less than 1 in 1,000 (o.1%). Yet, it is not uncommon to find that 30% to 50% of parents believe their child has a good chance to play at the college level. Unfortunately, of the nearly 8 million students currently participating in high school sports in the United States, only about 530,000 will compete at NCAA schools. Only a fraction of those elite athletes will move on to compete at the professional or Olympic level. The NCAA regularly publishes the chart above, which provides a closer look at the statistics by sport.

Click here to get a closer look at these statistics on the NCAA's website or download the full 2024 report here. These figures serve as an important reminder that a transactional approach to youth sports simply isn't the best path for our children. While only some very rare student-athletes will have the opportunity to take their game to the next level, every child benefits from having a Champion Sports Parent who encourages holistic development and supports positive attitudes, beliefs and behaviors.

Play Like a Champion Today Educational Series

PO Box 72, Notre Dame, IN 46556 | information@playlikeachampion.org

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