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You go, Lenore!

No one says it better than Lenore.

I am sorry your son (& you) are going through this. The book "Range" is so helpful on this score. David Epstein shows that by doing a RANGE of things--including sports--most of us end up less burnt out/more well-rounded & AHEAD! Kids aren't pros. Thanks for this poignant tweet.

Arne Gullich has been studying this for years and his research regularly finds that the top athletes played multiple sports growing up and didn’t specialize in their “main” sport until later in life.

And, most elite adult athletes didn’t specialize while young.—they played multiple sports and organized their own play. “Elite teams” for children are a scam.

Good for FIRE.

To be effective, coaches should adopt a mentor’s mindset. More insight from David Yeager. kqed.org/mindshift/6508…

I would add a few suggestions: 1. Adopt silent Saturdays at games. Parents can clap but mustn’t speak. 2. For some games, no spectators allowed. 3. Have kids ref their own games. 4. ADs enforce zero tolerance for fan/coach misconduct. Fans go crazy because it’s allowed.

A silly fixation on participation trophies misunderstands the genuine problems with youth sports: the feast or famine nature where some kids have too much and others not enough. The “too much” group is pressed to play too much too soon—injuries & burnout result, not excellence.

In America, some parents are arrested for letting their kids walk outside alone! Lenore Skenazy (Lenore Skenazy) fights back. She got childhood independence laws passed in 8 states. Learn more about her “Free Range Kids” philosophy in this extended interview:

6. If your kid is going to be good or even great at something, they’ll figure it out. Private coaching, travel teams, and so forth aren't going to make or break your kid. They'll get there if they are good enough to make it at the highest level. I know this sounds sacrilegious.

Maybe it’s time to keep parents out of the stands entirely. During COVID, when parents were shut out, kids reported enjoying their sport more.

I’ve been parroting Steve’s advice here every chance I get. Our country’s youth sport ecosystem serves neither the most promising young athletes nor the middle of the packers. Parents: reclaim your agency!

I wish I could be there. More Than Play is a significant book that everyone involved in youth sports must read.

This is an outstanding analysis of the decline in boys’ sports participation. One key reminder: we lack clear understanding of “causal mechanisms” that link playing sports with better outcomes. More research, please.

Spot on as usual.

Great to interview Melinda about “Hello, Cruel World,” her perfectly named and jammed-with-info guide to parents. The book is full of persuasive data and compelling stories. Read it! So, so good.

Another fun fact about children who specialize early in a single sport: most do not go on to play as adults. In my view, the whole point of youth sports is to develop a love of the game and appreciation for regular exercise. Early sports specialization kills both.

Jess Grose always nails it.