We don’t need to romanticize the past or rant about the future — we can celebrate what’s good while helping families navigate the challenges of today. Specialization, costs, and sideline drama are real — but so are the life lessons, friendships, and resilience kids gain through the game.
As someone who works in the youth sports industry and is a dad to young athletes, I’ve spent more than a decade living this world. I’ve coached, parented, and navigated the ups and downs of school teams and travel clubs across multiple sports. I’ve stood on sidelines, sat in rental car lines, and slept in too many hotel beds to count. I haven’t seen it all, but I’ve seen a lot. And here’s what I know: I’m tired of the constant narrative that youth sports is “broken” or “out of control.”
We’ve all heard it:
- Kids are specializing too early.
- Parents are reliving their dreams through their children.
- Coaching is full of nepotism and inexperience.
- Refs are being berated so badly that shortages are real.
- Costs are spiraling.
I’m not blind to these challenges. They’re real, and they matter. But here’s the truth: society itself has changed dramatically over the past few decades. Longing for the “good old days” won’t solve anything — and they’re not coming back.
Systemic change is slow. The U.S. doesn’t have a centralized sports governance model like many other countries, which makes turning the ship even harder. That’s why at Youth Inc.; we support serious efforts like Project Play’s 63 x 30 initiative and ESPN & Positive Coaching Alliance’s Take Back Sports campaign. These long-term pushes for access, affordability, and sanity are critical, and we’ll actively champion them.
