All while they are learning lessons & behaviors that are counter to what creates & sustains success in the real world?
“Many believe the goal of playing sports is to earn a scholarship (partial discount).
Our modern youth sports model costs more than the scholarship they’re after. By a lot.
The goal of youth sports is to learn & leverage lessons within them that can be used beyond them.
We’re missing it.”
-Ray Zingler on X
Outside of major college football and men’s basketball, when you hear, “scholarship” it doesn’t mean “full ride”.
It means they give you a 30% “discount” on the price of the “education” they charge an arm and a leg for.
And if you get “academic money” who do you think gives you that?
The school?
Or the taxpayers? Mmhmm.
Now that that’s out of the way, what are we teaching our kids in youth sports?
Are we teaching them about being a part of a team?
Overcoming adversity?
Bonding and building camaraderie together as we all work together to pull the rope in the same direction?
Or are we quitting?
Transferring?
Running to perceived greener grass?
Focusing on ourselves?
Obviously this isn’t the case for everybody, but many kids are focused on “themselves” and creating “their” opportunities..
And if you’re playing team sports, you could see how this would be completely counter to what sports are all about.
But why is it like this?
Is it the kids fault?
Do you think kids created showcase and transfer culture?
Of course not.
Adults have conditioned kids to believe and act this way.
And do you realize what happens when you teach kids that the correct behavior is to focus on themselves and/or pick up their ball and go play elsewhere when things don’t go their way?
It breeds into them a sense of selfishness & entitlement that they take with them into the real world, because again, this is what they have been conditioned to believe is appropriate.
The problem, though, is the world doesn’t carry who your daddy is, or what you got away with when you were younger.
It cares only about your ability to create value.
Let me paint it for you:
We’re spending more on youth sports than the cost of the elusive scholarship they’re after, all while teaching them behaviors and lessons that are counter to what creates and sustains success in the real world.
And if you don’t believe me. Look at the modern kid entering the real world.
Well, you’ll have to look at the top of their head because they don’t even know how to look you in the eye.
We’re missing it.
And we’re missing it big.
