By Mallory Mattingly
When asked “What do you want to be when you grow up?” many children will answer a “professional athlete,” and while it’s great to encourage our children’s dreams, putting too much pressure on making that dream come true could hurt their childhood.
In fact, most children in youth sports don’t actually go on to make it into the professional sports world.
Two studies analyzed “what parents expect out of their kids’ youth sports journey.”
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A study by the University of Florida and The Ohio State University found “that parents of kids who filled out that box on the chalkboard with ‘pro athlete’ were the ones who were more likely to believe their kid would grow up to be a pro athlete,” according to Parents.
In fact, according to Talker Research, 17% of parents believe their child is meant to play professional sports.
But, the reality is that if your child does play sports all the way through high school, only 6% of varsity athletes go on to play at the NCAA Division I, II or III level and the NAIA, NCCAA level. An even smaller 2.5 % of varsity athletes will go on to play at the Division I level.
And while there is nothing wrong with supporting your child’s dreams of playing in college or as a professional, it’s important that parents and kids alike have a realistic understanding of what it takes to get there.
“There was a legendary coach in the volleyball landscape, Russ Rose. He coached at Penn State. And I’ve always remembered what he said about recruiting. He said, ‘If it’s not the best kid you’ve ever seen, she probably can’t play for me.’ That kind of sets the water level because the level [of play] is so high,” Dan Meske, head coach of the University of Louisville Women’s Volleyball team, told Parents.
Parents can end up driving their child’s youth sports career as they push them to sports stardom, but in reality, moms and dads need to “support the dream, but hold the outcome loosely.” Meaning, do all you can to help your child be as successful as they can, but at the end of the day, your child has to decide how badly they want it. Make sure your child knows that you love them no matter what happens with their particular sport.
Extra pressure can bring an onslaught of mental health struggles to young athlete.
“The end result of all this pressure is that student athletes are experiencing mental health challenges, including moderate to severe levels of stress, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem and burnout,” Jerry Weichman, a clinical psychologist, explained.
Resources like The Courage First Athlete Helpline provides “24-hour support for young athletes, as well as parents, coaches, or anyone concerned about abuse and mental health in youth sports.”
Most importantly, make sure your child knows that their identity and their value are not based on the sport they play. You can point to the many athletes who root their identity in Christ, not their game play.
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