Photo Credit: Courtesy of NAYS
When I founded the National Alliance For Youth Sports in 1981, one of the driving forces behind that decision was due to the alarming number of youth-sports programs that resembled those in the professional ranks. As most know--that’s not what youth sports are supposed to be about.
I knew that if programs continued down that path, more and more kids would become disenchanted with sports, bail out, and look elsewhere for something fun to do.
Sizing Up The Numbers
A recent Wall Street Journal article turned the spotlight on the rapidly declining participation in youth baseball. From 2000 to 2009, the number of kids aged 7 to 17 playing baseball fell 24 percent, according to the National Sporting Goods Association. Furthermore, the article reports, about 2 million kids played Little League last year, compared to about 2.5 million in 1996. That’s an overall decline of 25 percent.
