If you’ve ever found yourself on the sidelines of a soccer field or sweating through a tennis tournament in the middle of July, you know that youth sports are… complicated. It starts with your kid happily picking clovers in the outfield, and escalates into seeing them make one game-winning point and you think to yourself: “Is my kid… special?” Before you know it, you’re researching private lessons, signing them up for an intense travel team, and kissing your weekends good-bye.
A small percentage of kids will play in college or even go on to play professionally, but the reality is that most kids don’t. So how do we keep it all in perspective? This week on Laugh Lines, Penn and I sat down with former NFL All-Pro and broadcaster Greg Olsen, who also happens to be a dad in the thick of youth sports. He’s built his platform Youth Inc. around reimagining what youth athletics should look like.
The Pros of Youth Sports
“I want to be clear. It’s so easy to point out all the warts and all the things that we wish were better,” explains Greg. “There’s also so many incredible lessons and so many incredible experiences and so many incredible aspects of the youth sports landscape.” Penn and I agree wholeheartedly. We know that sports have taught our kids resilience, teamwork, and how to bounce back from failure.
Sports also teach kids about confidence and character. When our kids accomplish something on their own, whether it’s sinking a basket or finishing a race, the pride is real. Those moments can shape who they are. We’ve also had some of our closest friendships have come from bleachers and carpools. Being part of a team isn’t just for the kids—it gives parents a tribe, too.
The Cons of Youth Sports
While there are many pluses to youth sports, Greg admitted he’s fallen into the same trap we all do: pushing a little too hard, too early. Parents (including us) often become the problem when the kids just want to have fun. Gone are the days when kids could play three different sports until high school. Now, if you don’t pick a lane by 10, you risk falling behind. Greg sees that as a huge problem—and I agree.
Youth sports can also feel like a money machine—travel teams, endless tournaments, “world championships” in every city. Greg was blunt: it’s often more about profit than kids. Sometimes it feels like there are only two options for kids: a rec league that’s too basic, or a travel league that takes over your entire life. Penn came up with what might be my favorite solution yet—a medium league. It’s competitive enough that kids can excel, but not so intense that you’re waking up at 7 a.m. every weekend for tournaments. Basically, it celebrates being “medium,” and honestly, I think that’s perfect.
Changes We Would Make
Greg said if he were “czar of youth sports,” he’d require high school athletes to play at least two sports, and he’d bring back true seasons—no more baseball in December or basketball in July. “All four years of high school, I played a sport every single season,” Greg told us. “So even after I committed to go play college football… I was on the high school basketball team… There was a different level of experience. There was no pressure to go score 40 points… I loved my non-major sport because it was a break, it was a breath of fresh air, it was just to be one of the guys. Every win and loss was not the end of the world.”
Talking with Greg reminded me that the goal isn’t a scholarship or a Super Bowl ring. It’s making sure our kids are growing, learning, and—this is key—having fun. If they want to play hard, great. If they want to quit and try Ultimate Frisbee instead, also great. And if the whole thing ends with ice cream after a loss? Honestly, that might be the best win of all.
Listen to the show and let us know what you think!
