It was in the 1980s when youth sailing was modeled after other youth sports, and this paved the way for age-based boats and focused coaching. It also created a bubble of youth events which impacted the transition into adult sailing.
The shift increased the focus on improvement while limiting exposure to other sailing opportunities, and for a lot of kids, they never found the fun in the sport. This was not a unique problem to sailing, and is the basis for why John O’Sullivan founded the Changing the Game Project.
He wanted to put the ‘play’ back in ‘play ball’ and recently testified before the United States House of Representatives Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education.
The hearing was titled “The Crisis in American Youth Sports and Its Cost to Our Future.” And that title says everything. This conversation was about burnout. Dropout. Rising costs. Pressure. And the millions of kids walking away from sports that were supposed to help them grow.
John shared what has been seen for years through coaches, parents, and athletes across every level of sport. When competition outweighs connection, kids leave. When adults lose perspective, kids pay the price.
Youth sports should be a place where children build confidence, character, and community. Instead, too many environments are pushing kids out before they ever get the chance to fall in love with the game.
This update from Changing the Game Project was posted on Facebook which prompted significant commentary.
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