Sports programs are a big part of returning kids to “normal”
By John Engh
Whether there is a decrease in teen pregnancy among girls or reduced drug use among boys, hundreds of studies (backed up with statistics) show that, just by participating in youth sports, children are more likely to turn into better citizens later in life. As someone who has spoken regularly at conferences and provided interviews many times during the last 30 years about the benefits of youth sports, I cite these studies and their conclusions all of the time.
During the pandemic, many stories and new studies have shown the unfortunate results when children don’t have the opportunity to get out, compete, and play. The increases in depression and teen suicide are the most troubling, which seem to be directly related to kids being forced to stay home.
A recent study shows that drug and alcohol use is lower among high-school students with “happier memories,” and that they are also more likely to enjoy learning. Of course, there are many factors in a young person’s life that contribute to carving out all-important happy memories, but when I think back to my special childhood memories, most revolve around sports participation.
I remember countless summers of youth baseball and the great fields my friends and I were lucky to play on, the colorful uniforms, and the volunteer coaches who were a part of those terrific experiences. Having parents and friends in the stands cheering us on, and all of the great friendships formed while playing, are some of my most treasured memories. Those good times can easily be traced back to someone at the recreation agency who lined up great volunteers, set up the schedules, made certain the playing fields were safe, and performed so many other duties that go into running a successful youth-sports program.
Thinking about all of this really makes me understand the importance of getting children back to a point where they are playing sports again—and making memories. It seems almost every newscast talks about the importance of getting kids back in classrooms, but people must understand that out-of- school activities can help solve the problems of so much isolation over these many months. As youth-sports administrators, we have to be creative until a new sense of “normalcy” returns.
So, from one of the many millions of people fortunate to have fantastic memories, thanks to all of the youth-sports administrators working hard every day to help make these memories happen for today’s generation!
John Engh is executive director of the National Alliance for Youth Sports (NAYS) in West Palm Beach, Fla. He can be reached via email at jengh@nays.org. To join more than 3,000 communities by starting a NAYS Member Organization, visit www.nays.org, email nays@nays.org or call (800) 729-2057.