Another friend’s son, this one in Los Angeles, starts Amateur Athletic Union basketball practice at 8:00 p.m. Kids like him eat fewer family dinners. They have less time for church, volunteering, and homework. Time spent with classmates and neighbors is replaced by time with teammates, who tend to be wealthier. For these reasons, obligation to a club team can mean less connection, not more; lower grades, not higher. And it can limit extracurriculars like debate, chess, and, as with my daughter, other sports.
Early sport specialization also increases burnout rates, and club teams tend to create an evaluative environment where kids are sized up at tryouts and perform under the threat of getting benched. Constant evaluation can lead to a contingent sense of self-worth and increase not just anxiety and depression, but also insomnia and perfectionism.
