It’s time to abolish college sports. That might be a bold statement, but it’s time to return the focus on campus to education and acquiring career skills. More importantly, this might have a trickle-down effect to lessen the pressure of youth sports. The $10.6 billion revenue of NCAA sports is matched by a youth sports economy that brings in about $15.3 billion, a 55 percent increase since 2010. Like college sports, youth sports have become a huge moneymaking machine for adults, and kids are suffering because of it.
One 2016 study found that the greater the financial investment parents made for their child’s sport, the more pressure the child felt to perform, lessening their enjoyment and commitment to the activity. A recent Bryant Gumbel HBO segment profiled a family that admitted spending about $15,000 a year on each of their two children. Both parents readily admitted that the goal was attaining a college scholarship, despite the reality that only about 1 to 2 percent of high school athletes earn athletic scholarships. Saving that $15,000 per year for 10 years would pay for college.
Kids now are being pressured by coaches to play fewer sports each year, with specialization beginning at an earlier age. This, despite the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendation to delay sports specialization until at least age 15 or 16 to avoid overuse injuries and burnout. A UCLA study found that 88 percent of all Division 1 athletes played an average of two to three sports as kids. College coaches are now scouting grade-school kids at showcase tournaments all over the country. It’s gotten way out of hand, and one place to start change is from the top: college sports.
Each professional league should have its own training league that players can join right out of high school, like professional baseball. Cities and states could get behind their local minor league teams.
The only sports on college campuses should be intramurals, and the expensive sports facilities should be open to everyone on campus. Some would argue that high-profile football teams attract students, but enrollment could be based on the university’s top design department or business school. Everyone would be there for the education, not as a stepping stone to a pro sports career. Universities could find new donors. Amazon is looking to build a second headquarters with 50,000 white-collar jobs, and it requires a city with a highly educated labor pool and a strong university system. I’m guessing it would invest in the new city’s educational institutions.
When kids participate in unstructured sports activities, overuse injuries and burnout are rarely seen. It’s only when adults step in that troubles ensue. Instead of the focus being on having fun, it’s on a win-at-any-cost mentality with college scholarships and the pros the Holy Grail. Many kids quit playing sports by middle school because it is too intense.
Perhaps if we take away the the enticement of college sports scholarships, parents and coaches could get back to treating kids as kids, and we could greatly tone down the developmentally inappropriate levels of pressure placed on young athletes.
Tim Jordan, M.D., is a behavioral pediatrician who specializes in counseling girls ages 6 through college. He recently launched an online video parenting course, Taking Flight: Everyday Parenting Wisdom to Help Girls Soar. For more information, visit drtimjordan.com.