The Corruption Of Youth Sports
Let kids be kids. Let them have fun. And if they have the talent, help them nurture it without forcing them to use Instagram.
Welcome back to Mr. Right, a newsletter about navigating modern manhood for normal guys in a not-normal world. This week, we discuss the corruption of youth sports thanks to social media and overbearing parents, and how to survive Daylight saving time and seasonal blues.
The Corruption Of Youth Sports
Is social media corrupting youth sports?
Last week, Fox Soccer analyst Stu Holden pointed out a disturbing trend among travel and club youth soccer teams: some kids under the ages of 15 and 16 are being mandated – yes, mandated! – to have Instagram profiles to highlight their skills.
Some of this pressure, I suspect, comes from overbearing parents who are too obsessed and controlling. We all know those kinds of parents who were way too intense with their kids when it came to sports, and would act like a t-ball game was Game 7 of the World Series.
I understand that if a kid is very talented and has aspirations to play in college or even beyond they will need to have a catalog of their highlights and games. When I was in high school, most kids stayed strictly on MaxPreps, a website dedicated to tracking high school sports and athletes, and would post their stats or videos for potential college recruiters. No student athlete was posting their highlight clips onto Instagram. They would usually make an unlisted YouTube video, which could then be sent to college recruiters.
These talented kids also had a parent, maybe a sibling, or a coach, who pushed them to be better and train in the off-season. Which is totally healthy and normal. In fact, that should be encouraged. There’s nothing wrong with kids, as they get older in high school, playing and practicing their sport year-round if they have what it takes to eventually compete in college.
But a lot has clearly changed since my days in high school. Middle school soccer players – and I’m certain this is the case in other sports – are creating sports Instagram accounts, parents are getting too involved in social media, and I cannot imagine what kind of anxiety some of these young boys and girls are feeling.
Frankly, I am almost getting second-hand anxiety just hearing about it. Before some of my high school soccer games, I was so nervous that I would do a zen meditation before leaving my house. Sometimes – and this is a major TMI, so I’m sorry – I even had diarrhea brought on by nerves in the porta-potty by the field. And, not to sound like Uncle Rico from Napoleon Dynamite, but I still have recurring nightmares about high school games in which I played poorly. I know it sounds absurd, but that was real anxiety I felt nearly a decade ago. It has stuck with me.
So, I cannot imagine having social media on top of those nerves, for kids as young as 12. I feel bad for them, and I hope that their parents and coaches reconsider whether forcing kids to have Instagram is worth it.
As Holden argued, youth sports should be the realm where kids have the opportunity to escape social media and screens. The desire to participate should be pure. It’s about learning the game, nurturing a passion for it, making friends and socializing, and having fun.
And, realistically, most kids will likely play in high school, a tiny minority will play in college, an even slimmer minority will play D-1, and the tiniest, tiniest sliver will become pro. It’s okay if your kid cannot fulfill your high school dream of winning the state championship or playing for your favorite SEC school. It’s not the end of the world.
Let kids be kids. Let them have fun. And if they have the talent, help them nurture it without forcing them to use Instagram.
Dear Mr. Right: Daylight Savings Ruined My Life
Dear Mr. Right,
Since the clocks were rolled back last Sunday, I have been feeling off. The days are all blending together. I leave home for the office in the dark and come home in the dark. I feel like I am locked inside. I have already fired up Game of Thrones, a binge show I usually reserve for the deep winter, like late February. It’s incredibly depressing, and I don’t know how people in Alaska do it in the winter when nights go on forever. Do you have any advice for how to survive the shortening days?
- David from Boston
Dear David,
I feel your pain. Although I am a morning person and enjoy that extra daylight, I would still rather have it at the end of the day. The lighting around 4:30 p.m. these days reminds me of forlorn, somber fall Sundays as a kid, when all I wanted to do was watch football, but I had to study for a math test. Even then, as a middle schooler, I could feel time slipping through my fingers.
As an adult, that feeling is more acute. But, yes, I have some advice for you.
Limit evening screen time as much as possible. Instead of watching three episodes of Game of Thrones, get the actual books and read 30 pages.
If you get a lunch break for work, eat outside in the sunlight. Go for a walk during this time. Exercise as much as possible.
Vitamin D supplements and, if you are ambitious, a red light machine. I have started my mornings recently with some red light exposure while reading. I’m not trying to BS you; I feel a difference. The light feels like a warm blanket. It helps me wake up without having coffee too early.
Godspeed, David. Winter is coming, and I wish you more than luck.
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