Why Are So Many Communities Left Behind In Youth Sports
Before we start blaming video games and social media, what else can it be?
Sports are considered the ultimate environment for meritocracy, the only area where sheer talent and true hard work surpass organizational restrictions that usually exclude minority communities. Some of the most famous sports athletes of our time have reached stardom even though their beginnings were pretty humble. We are referring here to LeBron James, Connor McGregor, or Serena Williams.
The prestige of these athletes is based on the stellar performances in their fields but also influenced by the obstacles they’ve faced during their journey.
Everybody loves the underdog story, especially sports fans. There is something that resonates with audiences when they hear about a child’s success story, how they overcame every barrier and reached superstardom. Placing them among the most successful athletes is the confirmation of that American dream, which is based on the concept that all it takes to succeed in life is hard work.
However, these stories became rare as income discrepancies have crept in and took over the realm of youth sports.
Studies show that youth participation has declined in the last years, reaching alarming rates, showing a drop in interest. And before we start blaming video games and social media, we need to take a look at a few revealing statistics regarding youth sports.
Social Inequity
Lately, there has been noted a lack of access for children from minority communities. When we look at sports participation, percentages for white children surpass that of African-Americans, Hispanics, and Asian children. Data about other disadvantaged communities such as Native-American kids are not even listed.
For instance, in the Native American community of San Felipe Pueblo, N.M, the sole organized sport alternative is the after-school soccer program designed for 250 of the 1,500 children living there. And this program is established by a non-profit that deals with childhood obesity in tribal regions.
There are so many communities left behind. Let’s take, for example, the Latino/Hispanic community. Just in Harlem, where half of the children are below the federal poverty level, the most popular sports (skateboarding, fencing, and ice hockey) Latino youth would want to try are not accessible to them.
Enough space for play and sport is one of the largest obstacles for the local leagues in Harlem, as many areas are controlled by programs that aren’t helping residents. We must also consider the transportation barriers that limit the reach to the Randall’s Island sports complex’s athletic facilities. Studies also reveal that Latino children are being left behind in the U.S. pay-to-play soccer program as well.
Another example of inequity is among youth with disabilities who still fight for access, despite an increase in sport alternatives inspired in part by anti-discrimination regulation. This takes us to the approximately one-third of Alabama households who have a child with a disability and stated it is challenging to access recreational alternatives.
Most often, the greatest obstacle is the lack of awareness regarding the engagement with children having special needs. Did you know that children with disabilities are 4.5 times less active and experience obesity rates 38% higher than other kids?
Access to youth sports is also influenced by location and gender. In underprivileged schools, of the kids who benefit from free or reduced-price lunches, only a third of eighth-graders play sports. For privileged schools, it’s 36.1%. Although the participation of girls in youth sports experienced a notable increase over the past four decades, the participation rates for girls remain lower than for boys.
Inequalities are influenced by the state, too. The Northeast and Midwest states usually provide more sport alternatives than those in the South and West. For example, Georgia holds the lowest rate for girls (22%) and Florida the lowest for boys (30%).
Although youth participation in team sports is down and kids participating in youth sports coming from families with a yearly income of less than $25,000 yearly declined by 8%, children attending youth sports and coming from families with yearly incomes over $75,000 has increased by 3%.
There are plenty of factors that can demonstrate the drop in youth participation in underprivileged families, but maybe the most notable reason includes the overexploitation of youth sports over the past years.
Today, youth sports are viewed as an industry. There is an estimate that this industry is valued at $24 billion, which is more than the value of some of the most prestigious teams put together: New York Yankees, Dallas Cowboys, and Los Angeles Lakers.
We don’t even need to say it. That is a lot of money.
Income Disparity
The youth sports industry has profited from the popularity of some sports, like soccer and basketball, which influenced partly the exaggerated athlete salaries and turned professional sports into a profitable career than ever before.
Besides, youth sports have become the red carpet for scholarships, with students earning admissions to renowned universities based solely on their athletic abilities. Therefore, so kids could enjoy a smooth ride to a successful career, their parents have been striving to register them in as many sports programs as possible. Our stand is not that these parents should be criticized for wanting the best for their kids, however, we can’t ignore how this advantage is attained.
Firstly, we have to examine how youth sports have developed. We don’t talk anymore about a local coach rallying kids from the local community and coaching them as best as they can at a nearby public field. Rather, youth sports have become a competitive arena filled with professional coaches, performant training facilities, high-end equipment, and inter-city training and competition.
All of these improvements have drastically boosted the price of registering kids in youth sports activities, these costs being out of the range of underprivileged families. As a consequence, these children are less inclined to shine in sports, while more privileged kids have the chance to excel in a thriving sports environment. This will only increase the income discrepancies in sporting communities and enhance class disparity.
This becomes a problem since, as a concept, sports should operate on standards of fairness and equality, where everyone’s background is irrelevant, and skills and talent surpass any other factors. Nevertheless, in the current notion of youth sports, sheer talent is pointless if kids don’t have the necessary financial situation that competitive coaches are looking for.
Turning youth sports into an industry is harmful to children of underprivileged families, not just because it limits their entrance to sports scholarships and the famous world of professional sports, but because it limits their opportunities of developing essential life skills reached only through sports.
Soft skills such as self-control, perseverance, and collaboration have real-life applicability and can define the success of a child in many areas, but if children coming from underprivileged communities are deprived of these lessons, their skills and ability to succeed are affected beyond the benefits coming from the physical activity.
The evidence behind this statement is the 70% of children drop out in youth sports by the age of 13, the age at which the youth sports industry takes into consideration aspiring candidates to careers in sports. However, training begins pretty yearly, around six years old.
There Is Hope
There is no simple answer or solution to this situation, as kids in more privileged families seem to always have a competitive advantage because a better income ensures more chances to enhance their skills.
Nonetheless, our role as a constantly aware society should be to give equity a chance and even the youth sports playing field by creating successful programs for underprivileged children and giving them access to similar facilities as kids in thriving youth sports programs.
All of our children should enjoy equal opportunities to learn and grow without barriers, of any kind, in sports and life. If you want to support youth sports participation, join our initiative and check out our latest project. Do you know where our children play?
We have organized a virtual fundraising event in May that emphasizes the importance of mental health in the sports culture. There will be a panel of experts who provide advice and guidance on how you can build a healthy relationship with your children. Your attendance at the fundraising event can play a small part in shaping your child’s life for the years to come. We hope to see you there!
More information at www.whereourchildrenplay.org!
(thank you to Andreea Purel for contributing to this article)
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