According to surveys conducted in 2018, about 38 percent of kids between the ages of six and 12 were registered in organized sports. That is seven points lower than the 45 percent registered in 2008.
Don’t forget that this was before the pandemic, those years of lock down, when kids’ sports were wiped right off the table.
The pressures and demands that organized sports have been placing on kids and their families to finance their sports, to travel great distances, and to always be in need of a check in the win column have taken their toll. Neither the kids nor their families are as willing to commit to the irrationality of competitive, organized sports as much as they were not that long ago.
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In a way this is a shame. It is one of those throwing out the baby with the bathwater scenarios. Organized sports have a ton of endorsements supporting their activities. They can do wonders for a child’s self esteem and they can help a child learn the ins and outs of teamwork, self-discipline and social interaction.
Various studies have documented the correlation between organized sports and academic success. This is a positive one. Many of those who do well in the classroom are equally successful in whatever is the arena in which they are playing their chosen sports.
Given the right sport with the right people, kids can learn something about enjoying themselves, a prerequisite to life in the fullest.
To resurrect organized sports in a community, residents will most likely have to figure out a way to include the kids in regular recreational commitments without putting the financial and emotional stress and strain that is presently on families.
Let me give an example. The bill for a child to play hockey can be very high. Even with Kids Sports helping families as much as it can, in fact many families cannot afford to have their children play hockey.
The way out, in some places, is something called noncompetitive hockey. Kids play hockey once or twice a week, they know in advance when they are playing, and there are no tournaments or unexpected expenses challenging their families. That competitive edge, to win all to be all, is gone and the kids are once again enjoying themselves at the skating rink without driving their parents to ask for extensions to their lines of credit.
The more that we can to that, the more that we can reduce the financial and emotional burdens organized sports bring to bear, the greater are our chances to resurrect organized activities for our children. The bottom line for all of this is simple: let’s have fun.
Jacklin Andrews is a family counsellor from Saskatchewan. Contact: jandrews@producer.com.
