Why Sports Participation Has Fallen Significantly Among Kids

Over the past few years, sports participation has declined significantly among American kids by great numbers. According to SFIA (Sports & Fitness Industry Association), youth participation has dropped around 8 percent in the last few years. The lack of participation in physical activities among kids has become a major issue as there are numerous consequences of physical inactivity.

Kids who play sports remain active in terms of physical, emotional, educational & social aspects whereas who don’t play sports are more likely to develop various health problems. Youth sports in America is also suffering due to high costs and bad coaches. Due to the immense disparity between privileged and unprivileged kids, sports participation is falling as most talented young athletes have to quit sports due to shortage of funds.

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The American youth sports is in the middle of a crisis as not even a quarter of children are actively participating in sports activities. A step in the right direction should be taken to write off this growing issue.

Some of the reasons behind the decline in youth sports participation are:

High cost:

One of the major reasons behind the decrease in participation is because of the high cost of pursuing athletic dreams. Its expensive nature makes it difficult for children from lower income background to continue their interest in sports. Sports landscape has become so money-oriented that people from humble background find no place for themselves in it.

Bad coaches:

Another major reason behind the decrease in sports participation is inexperienced coaches who don’t encourage long-term participation in sports among children. They only focus on certain kids who perform well on the field and criticize the one who fails at performing up to the mark. They tend to forget that sports should be played in a fun way so that it can help in boosting their mental & physical health.

Excessive pressure to specialize:

Another major reason behind the decline in the sports participation is due to the pressure this society puts on to the children to specialize in one sport which eventually increases the stress level in kids so they end up opting out of the sports. Due to the trend of selectivity, youth sports is on the decline.

Final Thoughts

To end the declining youth participation in sports, it is essential to make the kids understand how sports can add more value to their life. Also, the sports community needs to take ample steps to make sports more accessible to kids.