The Decline of Boys Participating in Youth Sports
Boys are abandoning youth sports at alarming rates—a troubling trend fueled by lockdown fallout, screen addiction, and a culture that’s forgotten how to play for fun.
The kids are not alright.
Youth sport participation among boys in the United States has been declining rapidly over the past ten years. The cancellation of sports seasons during the unscientific and draconian COVID lockdowns has only exacerbated this devastating trend.
According to a survey conducted earlier this year by The Sports & Fitness Industry Association, the percentage of boys who regularly competed in sports dropped by nine points over the past decade—while the participation rate for girls, while still less than boys, has increased slightly.
The increased youth participation rate among girls should obviously be applauded, but the significant drop among boys is cause for alarm.
So, what exactly is to blame?
There are several contributing factors, including a disturbingly high increase in screen time, with most of that time being spent on social media and video games. According to Pew Research, 85 percent of U.S. teens say they play video games, and about four in ten do so daily.
The top five reasons that youth athletes play sports are for the enjoyment of competition, meeting new people, getting in better shape, having fun, and building teamwork.
But by the age of thirteen, a staggering 70 percent of youth athletes quit playing sports altogether. The primary reason (surprise, surprise) is that sports competition stops being fun. Other reasons include not getting to play, being scolded by coaches and parents, loss of interest, burnout—particularly among athletes who play one sport year-round, too much of a time commitment, too much emphasis on winning, and too much pressure to perform at a high level.
It is certainly understandable why an adolescent who has spent the majority of their childhood rushing off to soccer or tennis tournaments might one day decide they would rather spend their weekends hanging out with friends in a less competitive environment. Likewise, it is also understandable why a less athletically gifted athlete might decide they would rather devote their time to an activity where they feel more confident and better about their ability.
I get it. Not everyone loves playing sports, not everyone enjoys competition, and not every sport is easily accessible or affordable. We don’t all have homes slopeside in Park City or within minutes of Pebble Beach.
That being said, in this day and age, it is unlikely that there isn’t at least one sport that an individual can excel at without bankrupting their family. Sorry, Wii golf doesn’t count!
The average monthly YMCA membership cost for a child ranges from $15 to $30 for youth memberships and $70 to $100 for family memberships. Sometimes, half the battle is just showing up and trying something new.
Respectfully, just because you can’t hit a baseball, serve a tennis ball, or catch a football does not mean that there isn’t a sport or physical activity out there for you. It’s also not an excuse to be lazy. Swimming, biking, karate, rock climbing, or, dare I say, pickleball, are just a few of many alternatives.
Yes, it’s true that some parents and coaches can put too much pressure on young athletes to succeed. But the goal does not necessarily need to be “collegiate recruit or bust.” The point is, by failing to even participate in an athletic endeavor, not only are our youth destroying their health, developing lazy habits, and becoming more socially isolated, but they are also missing out on valuable lessons that sports can teach.
Baseball, as in life, teaches you that it’s okay to fail. Even the best hitters only get a hit three out of ten times. But just because a player strikes out in their previous at-bat does not mean they won’t have a more positive result the next time up. Having the right attitude and confidence in your ability to execute is almost as important as having the right mechanics and strong eye-hand coordination. As an aside, there is almost nothing more fun than sitting in a dugout and laughing with your teammates. Even if you can’t hit or field, maybe you can still boost player morale!
Basketball teaches you to trust your teammates as much as you need to trust yourself. Most players will never shoot or dribble as well as Stephen Curry or grow to be seven feet tall, but that does not mean that you can’t still prove that you belong on the court. Maybe you know how to move without the ball and trust your teammates to find you, making a backdoor cut under the basket—for an easy layup. Or maybe you can take pride in being a great rebounder or a strong lockdown defender who makes it difficult for your opponents to score. Talent is important, but so are communication, effort, and hustle.
If team sports aren’t your cup of tea, then why not give tennis a try? Yes, it’s lonely out there, especially when your serve is misfiring, the timing on your backhand is off, and you’re standing flat-footed like you’re in quicksand. But is there a better feeling than problem-solving, honing in on your opponent’s weakness, refusing to miss, and chasing down every single shot until the guy on the other side of the net starts screaming in an inaudible language at anyone and everything in his direction?
Finally, there’s golf, which teaches preparation, patience, and mental toughness. Although it may not be as accessible as other sports, there are still plenty of public courses that are relatively inexpensive. If the course is in rough shape, that’s even more of a reason to learn how to keep it on the fairway, which is what the driving range is for. Yes, it may be one of the most frustrating games ever invented—but at the end of the day, you’re outside with nature, and if you stick with it, there are very few things more rewarding than hitting a hole-in-one.
I could go on about the benefits of playing other sports, but I think you get the idea.
Aside from the obvious fact that physical activity is better for your mental and physical well-being than spending hours sitting in a dark room on a beanbag chair, eating Cheez-Its, and screaming through a headset while playing Fortnite, it is also true that it improves your sense of time management, teaches discipline, and provides camaraderie.
It sure would be nice if the adults in the arena spent less time worrying about promoting the pronoun Olympics and more time promoting the obvious benefits of youth sport participation.