Written by I was recently speaking to a parent of a very young athlete about the importance of youth participation in sports, specifically team sports. There are many benefits of children participating in sports, to include learning about teamwork, appreciation for sports, healthy competition, self-confidence, resiliency, trust, and supporting teammates are to just name a few. For extremely young athletes, this should be the primary focus of participating in sports.
This parent is solely focused on their child becoming a professional basketball player. The thousands of dollars spent, seven days a week of practices or travel competitions, extra shooting lessons, and constant family talk about basketball may be overwhelming for an eight-year-old. However, this athlete has been practicing, training, and competing like this for the last two years. Some of the questions for parents, coaches, or organizations to reflect on are:
- Can this level of intensity be sustainable for at least the next 10-11 years in order to get selected in the NBA draft, play in a foreign professional league, or go on scholarship with a prestigious basketball university?
- Will the athlete still love sports, specifically basketball, in 10-11 years?
- Will the athlete’s body and multiples get the rest that they need in order to perform day over day, year over year for the next 10-11 years?
- How will the athlete mentally and emotionally grow if their sole world is basketball and everything else is secondary?
There are so many other questions one may ask or reflect on seeing a six- or eight-year-old solely focused on becoming a professional athlete. While there is a time and place for athletes, parents, and the athlete’s support structure to decide to become more serious in sports and competition, but is it really the right time when an athlete is just six or eight years old?