Some personalities struggle with performance-based anxiety more than others. However, every self-proclaimed athlete has felt the pressure that comes with the game at some point in time. Even though this has been the case for decades, many people wonder if the growing stress on our teenagers today is the direct result of a new, ultracompetitive environment. With the steady rise of club sports’ popularity and school two-a-day practices (even on holidays and weekends), teen and young adult anxiety and burn-out also seem to be skyrocketing.
Sports used to be a way of escape. Playing pick-up basketball with neighbors was fun. Hitting the volleyball around with your family and friends was not viewed as a way to measure your worth or skills outside of normal practices. As a middle-schooler in the 2000s, you did not have to worry about “undoing your hard work” by playing with people who were not as experienced as your teammates, or taking a day off altogether.
In the last decade or so, club sports’ popularity seems to have increased exponentially. However, there are few studies exploring the impact of these club teams (and the effects of viewing a sport as a job) on young athletes. In the book “Until It Hurts: America’s Obsession with Youth Sports and How It Harms Our Kids,” Mark Hyman argues that the adult takeover of kid’s sports has negatively impacted their sense of worth and self-esteem. That carries over into the world of college sports as well. However, Psychology Today asserts that balance is the key.
In high school, in order to survive cuts on large school’s team, playing for a club team is almost a necessity. With year-long practices and a shortage of variety, it is no wonder why teenagers are experiencing burnout at younger and younger ages. Most teenagers assert that they would not want to play competitive sports in college, since high school practices are stressful enough.
Ironically, at their best, sports are a great stress-reliever. The exercise keeps kids in shape, increases endorphins, and gives players a sense of value and purpose. Playing several different sports throughout the school year can also improve overall hand-eye-coordination and create well-rounded athletes. Sports also cultivate deep relationships and teach kids how to work through conflict or high emotions. Becoming a competitive, emotionally-tough individual is arguably one of the biggest advantages. However, when a sport becomes a job, athletes become anxious, and students get overly stressed.
Most millennials do not remember spending every weekend at a warehouse filled with sports equipment and sweaty 13-year-olds for club basketball tournaments. For Gen Z, this is considered normal. If you are not playing club, you are most-likely a straight A student or working at your local fast food restaurant. What happened to going to school during the day, practicing for your school’s basketball team in the afternoons, and then taking the weekends off to be with your friends or go to church with your family?
Of course, sports are fun and super rewarding. Nothing can match the adrenaline rush you feel when you get a kill during a sand volleyball game or getting away with elbowing another soccer player after they “accidentally” trip you. Rushing down the football field with another coed, intramural athlete hot on your heels is the ultimate high. However, once classes, jobs, and your faith become a part of the equation, it might be time to cut back on athletics. If you are a college athlete or even plan to go on to play professionally, that’s awesome! The rest of us can focus on having fun while we still have the chance. Balance is key, and the pressure is off. Remember why you started playing in the first place.
