Parents who are considering the pros and cons of youth sports are typically wondering if registering their kid for a sports team will be a good experience. Given my deep enjoyment in being a sports dad, I will try to set aside my bias to give an objective overview of the advantages and disadvantages to youth sports as well as my own secret for making the season more enjoyable.
Pros of Youth Sports
Exercise:
Let’s face it. Cell phones, tvs, and electronic devices in general dampen kids’ desire and willingness to play. Youth sports helps make them get active and engage with other kids in real time in the real world.
Extended Athletic Career:
Youth sports can be the foundation for intercollegiate sports or even professional sports. Just do a search for professional athletes who got their start in youth sports and you’ll find countless adorable photos of your favorite athletes as kids posing with soccer balls, tennis rackets, snow boards and more.
Learned Skills:
Sports have a lot of life lessons to offer those who are willing to learn. Social skills, time management, and sportsmanship are on the list. For a more indepth list of benefits, check out my blog 7 Benefits of Youth Sports. (LINK)
Cons of Youth Sports
Time Requirement:
This is probably one of the biggest complaints sports parents and athletes alike will voice. The time commitment between practices, games, and end-of-the-season parties can become burdensome. If you have more than one child interested in sports, you can multiply that time commitment by the number of teams they are all on.
Injury:
An increased risk of injury comes with youth sports. The number of bruises, scrapes, and sprains will start to add up. However, I have to insert my opinion here, the minor injuries, even breaks, can be worth it. Your kids will thank you later for your investment in their quality of life, even if they got injured.
Extended Athletic Career:
Hopefully, you noticed this category was in the positive list as well. I list this as a disadvantage from a money aspect. If you see sports as an investment in your child’s athletic future, be that collegiate, semi-professional, or professional, you might not recoop what you invested.
Fundraising:
After time commitment, fundraising is parents’ least favorite part of youth sports. Without it, the cost for playing on a sports team would be way too high. Unfortunately, most fundraising options require too much time and not enough profit.
This is where I get to tell you about my best trick for enjoying sports season. When I was coaching my son’s travel baseball team in 2013, someone told me about a laundry detergent fundraiser. Having had less than desirable results from other fundraisers, I thought I’d give it a try. I haven’t gone back since. In fact, that experience launched me and my family into starting our own fundraising programs. It all started with high-quality laundry detergent. That remains our best seller, but we have now added many more household essentials and wellness products to our offerings. These items allow teams to easily sell things people actually want and to make a lot of money, 30% of all sales to be exact. That really adds up when you are selling more valuable products than chocolate bars or popcorn.
Again, I am biased towards youth sports and our fundraising system, but you can try it for yourself. Order a free sample from Sudz Fundraising today and experience our awesome line of products!
