2517: [Part 1] Let’s Regain the Proper Perspective About Sports in Our Kids’ Lives by Jay Harrington of Life and Whim

[00:00:00] This is Optimal Relationships Daily. Let's Regain the Proper Perspective About Sports in Our Kids Lives, Part 1 by Jay Harrington of LifeandWhim.com It's that time of year again. Spring sports season, time for kids to pick dandy lions, suck down sugary juice boxes, and for parents to lose their minds. Seriously, how did we get to this point?

[00:00:25] Here in the Midwest, we're only a few short weeks away from soccer fields full of toddlers tripping over two big t-shirts while wandering aimlessly about like a scene from The Walking Dead. The baseball diamonds will soon be buzzing with excitement as small children man the infield and construct intricate piles of gravel while waiting, not so patiently, for the game to end and snack time to begin.

[00:00:48] And all the while, anxious, hopeful, and overly amped up parents coax and cajole their little ones to score, shoot, and run from the sidelines. Youth sports is a bubble that is bound to burst. It's getting ridiculous. A return to sanity would be a positive development for both kids and their parents, but it will require parents, like me, to get a grip. It's said that, quote, if you're not part of the solution, then you're part of the problem, end quote.

[00:01:18] Don't get me wrong, I am part of the problem, but I am trying to learn from my past mistakes. The problems rampant in youth sports have been well cataloged. Here's my attempt to add something to the dialogue. My Experience with Sports Organized Sports Organized sports were a big part of my childhood, but not my early childhood. That was due in part to the fact that there were fewer options available.

[00:01:43] The other part was the fact that my parents encouraged disorganized play with friends as opposed to the structure of a team. I didn't play organized baseball until I was nine years old, but I went on to play Division I college baseball. I joined the Bowling Green State University baseball team, a member of the Mid-American Conference as a preferred walk-on. That means I was guaranteed a spot on the team, but had no scholarship. I later went on to earn a scholarship. We were a good team. I was a decent second baseman.

[00:02:12] The highlight of my four years was my senior year when we won both the regular season and postseason MAC Conference Championships and earned a spot in the NCAA College World Series Regional Tournament. We traveled down to Coral Gables, Florida to play the number one team in the country, the University of Miami Hurricanes. The Hurricanes were stacked. They had a bunch of future professional ballplayers on their squad, including Pat the Bat Burrell, Bobby Hill, Jason Michaels, and Aubrey Huff.

[00:02:42] We played them under the lights in front of a capacity crowd of thousands at their home field. We jumped out to an early lead in the first inning. The Hurricanes clawed back and led 4-3 in the fourth inning when I came up to bat with two outs and a man on third. I swung wildly and missed the first two curveballs thrown to me. The count was 0-2. The pitcher made a mistake because you never throw Harrington an 0-2 curveball.

[00:03:07] Actually, you should always throw me an 0-2 curveball or a fastball up and in or a changeup down and away. I wasn't a very good hitter. But in this instance, I got lucky and hit an opposite field two-run home run putting us up 5-4. And then the wheels came off. Burrell hit two monster home runs and we ended up losing 21-6. But, what a blast! After the game, I got PED tested by the NCAA. Seriously.

[00:03:35] Two teammates and I were quarantined in a trailer until we were able to pee in a cup, which took a while given the hot, humid Miami weather. I passed, in case you were wondering. I also participated in the post-game press conference and gave some lame answers to questions posed by a couple of reporters from Toledo, Ohio news outlets who were down to cover the game. It could have been worse. After we were knocked out of the tournament, my teammates and I found ourselves in Miami for a night. School done and the season over.

[00:04:03] A group of us bailed on curfew and jumped in a cab and headed to South Beach. I don't think the jean shorts, tank tops, and baseball caps went over particularly well on the club circuit, but we had a great time. Playing sports was the most valuable experience I had while in college, by a long shot. But that was it. I had no chance of advancing beyond college sports and I knew it from the moment I stepped on campus. But, apparently, things have changed.

[00:04:32] Unfounded Expectations and Misplaced Dreams According to a recent study released by the NCAA, a ridiculously high percentage of student athletes believe that it's not just possible, but likely that they will become a professional and or Olympic athlete in their sport after college.

[00:04:51] This includes 78% of hockey players, 73% of basketball players, 72% of golfers, 64% of football players, 53% of soccer players, and 49% of baseball players. The reality? The NCAA publishes separate statistics regarding the probability of competing in sports beyond high school. They are striking.

[00:05:17] Of the approximately 1 million kids that play high school football, 6.5%, approximately 65,000 athletes, will play in college, Divisions I, II, and III. Only 1.6% of college players get drafted by the NFL. That's 1,000 football players out of the 65,000 that play in college, and 1 million that play in high school.

[00:05:40] While 1,000 get drafted, far fewer ever sign a contract or make an NFL roster, let alone make a living at it. The story is the same to one degree or another in all sports. Only 1 in 2,541 high school basketball players will get drafted by an NBA team. And it's not just student athletes with delusions of grandeur. According to a survey conducted by National Public Radio,

[00:06:06] 26% of parents whose children play high school sports hope their child will become a professional athlete one day. That number rises to 39% among families with a median income under $50,000. So, that's the data. But, what does it all mean? There's nothing wrong with high aspirations and big dreams. But, the problem is that the dream is oftentimes the parents, not the athletes. And that is where things go awry. To be continued.

[00:06:39] You just listened to part 1 of the post titled, Let's Regain the Proper Perspective About Sports in Our Kids Lives by Jay Harrington of lifeandwim.com. Smartphones break down our lives. They open up many possibilities. We stream our favorite songs, share special moments and are all available. But often we lose our endless scrolling. Use the network more to inspire you from new places,

[00:07:09] plan your experiences and connect with your loved ones. Go We Live. Live now instead of the network. Vodafone. Together we can. All right, and thanks to Jay for a good start here, filling us in on his background and for those great study results. Already something for parents to start pondering, I would hope, regardless of what you may be pushing for your child to become world-class at, whether it's sports or something else.

[00:07:36] I already see a commentary starting about expectations versus reality and why such expectations need to be there in the first place. Food for thought as we wrap up and get ready for the meat of this post, the second part, which we will feature in tomorrow's episode. So don't miss out. I will have more commentary there. Come on back for more in tomorrow's Friday show, where your optimal life awaits. Another way we'll try to find out. We'll try the best. However, we will be competent in the public. The next day is a investigation of the kolay class to help us. How can we do that?