Navigating Conflicting Agendas Is Critical To A Positive Youth Sport Experience
Understanding the landscape of youth sport makes us better shepherds for our youth.
Welcome to edition 187 of The Physical Movement.
I am fueled by feedback such as this from Darryll in Texas, USA:
I really enjoy your articles. As a strength and speed development coach, your articles have made communicating with the parents of my youth athletes a lot easier. The Athlete's Secret Weapon: The Strength & Conditioning Coach was a game changer. Thank you so much for all you do.
If you know a parent, athlete, coach, volunteer, official who can benefit from a resource designed to empower and share so we can provide a better experience, please do. We get charged enough in the youth sporting world, my commitment is to keep this newsletter subscription no charge.
This week we address the conflicting agendas we are faced with in youth sport.
Years ago, as a Physical Education teacher I was energized by providing opportunities for what young people needed: physical literacy.
The focus of every good teacher and coach is to provide something needed by those they serve.
Similarly, when I made the transition to business, I learned early on that success was defined by how well others were served.
In fact, when we dig deeper we quickly realize that the value we bring to everything is measured by how we contribute to the benefits of others.
In relationships, at work, in the sporting world, those that are most revered are measured by contribution.
We pay big money to go see performers, or read various authors or watch movies based on our interest in what they have to say or how they make us feel. We are consumers of those things that brings us value.
This concept of contribution to the benefits of others is important to keep top of mind as it is in contrast to much of the egocentric world of today. The “me, me, me” world is a driving agenda that puts our interests way in front of those of others. We see in on our highways, in our restaurants, everywhere. Too often the need of the individual are pushed front and center ahead of anything else.
And while this self centered component of our culture in 2023 is here to stay, reflection on how this plays out in the world of youth sport is worthy of our time.
Why?
Because the more we can step back and understand the agendas at play, the better we can support a positive experience.
Stay with me here.
First some background:
Depending on your source, youth sport globally is a $24 billion to $28 billion annual business with growth projections to $77 billion in 2026. That is almost 3x growth in the next 3-4 years.
In 2020, the sports coaching industry is a $8 billion business, according to the market research group IBISWorld. From 2012 to 2017 this industry, composed of more than 130,000 businesses, experienced 3 percent annual growth. The sports coaching field is expected to continue performing well in the years to come due to increased participation in sports for health benefits as well as to offset the high cost of college tuition through sports scholarships. Sports camps and academies are growing as parents seek sports coaches and programs to help their children stay active and improve their likelihood of receiving sports scholarships.
The 2 points above alone paint a picture of a very clear agenda for many behind the business of youth sport. Sharing this is not a condemnation but rather clarification of context.
The agenda of parents
The agenda of coaches
The agenda of administrators
The agenda of community youth sport organizations.
Everyone has their agenda, and often then run parallel. I purposely left one stakeholder missing from the above list. The agenda of the participant, the youth athlete.
Remember them?
Those most impacted often have the least amount of say. Primarily because we have removed their voice.
Kids like to play.
Kids need to move and develop physical literacy.
Kids need to socialize.
The youth agenda, their needs, should be the foundation of all.
Is it?
The point here is that as parents, coaches, stakeholders we must remain grounded in the foundational agenda serving the participants.
No one is begrudging offering services for money to assist and support this agenda, however, it becomes a challenge when the services take over the agenda or exploit the participant.
Examples?
· The “elite” youth sport organization promising exposure for young athletes in return for large sums of money.
· Sporting events that leverage playing time over development. Pursuing winning at the expense of the wellbeing of the athlete
· Skills coaches teaching skills that, well, are not always the foundation for success. This area of youth sport is unregulated, so we need a filter to support connecting the right coaches for our kids.
At the end of the day, not everyone is motivated by serving others. While there are a lot of benefits to youth sport being run as a business, it comes down to making sure it is run as a successful business. One that values people. One that builds its value through service to others.
Understanding the conflicting agendas, will help us support the youth sport experience.
