The cost of youth sports
Written by: Phil Roberts (Executive Director of The Yard @ Wire Park)
Why do youth sports cost so much?
One of the questions we hear the most at The Yard is “Why do youth sports cost so much?” Our answer is not a simple one. The cost of youth sports is immeasurable. The amount of time and money that have become the “norm” for parents and families to invest in their young athletes is significant. I strongly believe, with the right perspective, that the investment is worth it. Obviously, there are different levels of investment, but youth sports (specifically baseball and softball) teach young athletes lessons and provide opportunities that can be difficult to find outside the world of sport. The rewards that young athletes learn will allow them to grow into value-driven adults.
Reward # 1: Proof that It takes hours and hours of hard work to create excellence
One of my favorite books is Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell. In his work, Gladwell points out that the majority of people that truly “master” as skill, reach that mastery after at least 10,000 hours of practice. This amount of “practice” is not for everyone, but one of the things I love about athletics, is that it teaches young athletes that God-given talent is not enough to guarantee long-term success. Achievement is earned by “practicing” for hours and hours to become a “Master” in a field. That field may or may not be sports. However, the results are extremely clear for young athletes…hard work is a critical part of the formula to create excellence!
Reward # 2: Youth sports create opportunities to overcome failure
Major League Baseball Hall of Famer, Derek Jeter is known for giving kids a famous piece of advice…Learn to deal with failure! This sounds much easier that it is. Two factors play a role in learning to deal with failure: 1) An opportunity to fail and 2) The discipline to do so. As our next generation is prepared for school, work, and making a difference in the community, we don’t believe they need much practice to handle success. This is easy. Very rarely do we have conversations with athletes because they are struggling with how to handle success. However, how they handle themselves when things go wrong will be part of the definition of their make-up. Successful companies are built by people that can handle failure. Successful sports teams are no different. EVERY day in youth sports is an opportunity to fail. At the same time, it is an opportunity to respond to that failure. This opportunity is priceless. We tell our athletes that failure is inevitable. Make a plan for how you will respond. That will determine how far you go!
Reward # 3: Youth sports can provide life-long friendships and memories
Two of the greatest desires for most of us are “To know people and to be known by people.” The athletes that come into The Yard love to be greeted by our staff. One of the best parts of my day is to see their faces when they walk into the door. It’s not because our instruction is that much better than everyone else’s. It’s not because we’re giving away ice cream to each of them. It is because they KNOW our community and are KNOWN by our community. Youth sports give an unparalleled opportunity to make life-long friendships and create memories. In a culture where backyard football games and neighborhood gatherings are dwindling, youth sports create a unique opportunity for community. This community or “tribe” is WHY we opened The Yard. Seth Godin describes this longing as “A tribe is a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea. For years, human beings have been part of one tribe or another. A group needs only two things to be a tribe: a shared interest and a way to communicate.” Youth sports provide both of these things.Therefore, we believe the cost is well worth it.
In a culture where “costs” are steadily on the rise, we all have to look at our choices and decide what is worth the cost. For some, youth sports are not an option. For others, they can find a better use of their time and money. I’m confident that for those who choose to invest in youth sports, the lessons are infinite. These lessons that young athletes learn will help them become value driven professionals that lead strong families in our community. That is our hope. That is our mission. The reward is greater than the cost.
