Not too long ago, kids played sports to have fun. Every day they would gather in the street, on a field, in a pool, or on a court to play sports. Little did they know the skills they learned from sports; confidence, collaboration, responsibility and leadership would help them throughout their lives. Over time, sports became more about winning and scholarships and wealth. Because of that sports became more serious. Because of that kids started to specialize in sports earlier and earlier, injuries became more frequent, and they got burned out. Until finally, kids stopped having fun, felt disrespected and quit the game.

Kids are electing not to participate in sports mainly because it’s no longer fun, but also because they have lost ownership of the experience, they’re afraid to make mistakes and they feel disrespected.

Because sports have become about winning, scholarships and wealth, not all kids have access to youth sports depriving them of the opportunity to develop these positive character traits in a healthy environment.