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Burnout Takes Out Many Young Athletes

Posted: December 29, 2003

It's not talked about too often, but the statistic is out there. Many parents who chauffeur their athletically oriented youngsters from one sport to another might not even know it exists. But they must confront it, because the number doesn't lie: According to the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports at Michigan State University, 70% of kids will quit playing sports by age 13.

Nearly three out of four? How? Why?

It's perfectly harmless in some cases. Some youngsters are simply going through adolescence and discovering other interests. They want to try out for the school play or devote more time to their musical pursuits. Others may want to find a job to make some money or spend time with friends who aren't athletes.

What's troubling, though, is that so many quit because they've become victims of burnout. They say, "It isn't fun anymore." It can happen when a youngster is devoted to one sport year-round or jumps from sport to sport with many seasons overlapping. With the pressures on young athletes greater than ever, burnout is a huge concern.

It's a hard realization for parents who have spent countless hours driving to practices and a lot of money buying the best equipment. The almost daily commitment to youth sports has been part of their lives since their children were five or six years old. Now, just seven years later, the youngster no longer wants to get up early to swim or finds soccer practices tedious. Sports are more burden than pleasure.

Many well-intentioned moms and dads say, "Sure, my 12-year-old has enough energy to play for two soccer teams. She loves to play, and the extra games will give her added experience and a leg up on the competition. And it still won't be too much for her to also dabble in other sports like volleyball and softball." For many kids that may be true. But for others such devotion makes them tire of sports, and their parents often don't recognize it.

Parents are also surprised to discover that they have become part of the problem instead of the solution. They continue to put their own expectations for a child's athletic career ahead of the child's desire to have fun. They don't

understand that teens want to try different things and start to make their own decisions—an important part of the

maturation process. And sadly, parents don't change their tune even when they know the child wants to slow down. Too many turn up the heat instead of trying to understand what's happening. "C'mon," they say, "you have to work harder at your game if you want to get better." That is precisely the wrong approach.

Instead parents should talk with a youngster showing

fatigue, disinterest or other signs of burnout. It's always healthy for kids to get their concerns and anxieties off their chests. Ask them what parts of sports they enjoy and if they get as much out of competing as when they started playing. If they don't, fine. Maybe it's time to take a break. Let them decide what to do, and support the decision they make.

If they do want to keep playing, help them avoid burning out again. Tell them it's O.K. to scale back their athletics and develop other interests, and encourage them to do so. There's never a better time to make sure they realize youth sports are about only one thing: having fun.

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