Parents in the U.S. are led to believe that children need to be competitive and be placed in tournaments when they are as young as six years old. While this may be “fun” for parents and families, it certainly is not fun for young athletes. Dropping a fly ball, striking out, and walking hitters as a pitcher is seen as failure. Then a lesson is needed to “fix” the problem. The spotlight is white hot. Younger players fear letting their families down, and often this pressure makes them stop wanting to play. According to an Aspen Institute/Utah State University survey from 2019, the average youth baseball player in the U.S. spends 3.3 years in the sport and stops playing at ten-and-a-half years old.
Ten-and-a-half!
If we look at Latin players, they do not fear failure. Their early years in the game are not judged by adults. They perform countless reps without adult interference. There is no fancy equipment, and there are no organized games or umpires. They play stickball. They play at local playgrounds. They play in the streets. They play catch and pound nails into softballs to add weight to balls as they get older. They find ways to create competitive games regardless of how many are on each team. Their actions are fluid and athletic because they aren’t taught to fear failure. They’re strong. They simply play more, and learn from both physical and mental mistakes—and they aren’t traveling 400 miles in a weekend to play some kids from the next town over to do it.
So why are U.S. parents doing this? Many blame it on the pursuit of college scholarships or professional opportunities. However, talk with parents of younger children and you'll hear things like "I hope he makes the school team" or "I just want him to be able to play for his town." They're spending thousands on sports during early and middle childhood in hopes that their child will simply be good enough to play in high school.