Survey reveals extent of pressure parents put on kids through sports

Why do children participate in sports, quit sports or maybe never even start them in the first place? We can’t underestimate our role as parents in those processes. The Aspen Institute’s Project Play initiative partnered with Utah State and Louisiana Tech Universities for a national youth study (almost 4,000 youth ages 10-17) to understand children’s experiences in sports.

Among the key findings from the report , shared with USA TODAY Sports prior to its release on Tuesday April 28: Support or pressure applied by parents can make or break a child’s experience in sports. Kids who quit sports experienced a steep drop-off in foundational support and capacity from their parents. Former youth players reported much higher rates of negative parental behavior when they played.

A toxic combination of high negative pressure and a lack of foundational, logistical and emotional support is associated with youth abandoning sports entirely. The survey, conducted with kids Aspen describes as “current players, former players and never players,” found that girls who quit sports reported significantly higher rates of negative parental behavior than boys who did. “It feels like as a society we are determined to not listen to kids about why they play sports,” Jon Solomon, research director for the Aspen Institute’s Sports & Society Program, told USA TODAY Sports .

As sports parents, we can all look inside ourselves more to give our kids the best sports experiences, which they can carry with them into life. Here are five takeaways from Aspen’s latest survey to help guide our actions: Are we pushing female athletes too much? While medical research indicates girls face a greater injury risk playing sports than boys , Aspen’s recent study found that 18% of female former players (compared to 11% of male players) said their parents focused more on winning than having fun.