Sunday, March 25, 2012

Kids and Sports--ROI?

Kids playing sports--what's not to like? Many parents encourage their children to get involved in sports for the following reasons:

  • Exercise
  • Life long appreciation of being active
  • Team work
  • Building confidence
  • Good sportsmanship
  • Competitiveness
  • Keeping them busy with sports keeps them away from other potentially negative activities
  • Potential for college scholarships

While all those results from participating in sports are positive for children, I urge parents to take a minute to evaluate all the aspects of sports to make sure that both the level of participation is healthy for their child and the costs involved fit within their spending plan.  I know several parents whose children are on a team that competes regionally, meaning that they have thousands of dollars in expenses with travelling to these competitions on top of fees they have to pay to the team. Added to these costs are the equipment their own child needs and the required fundraising for team expenses. These costs are not within the spending plan for these families and they are now facing the dilemma of either going into debt for the costs or telling their child they can't go to the competitions.

Additionally, it's critical to evaluate how your child is doing with their sport--is the coach a good fit for them-are they encouraging and positive? Is your child safe playing this sport? Is your child stressed by the experience or enjoying the experience? It's can be difficult to balance the goal of not wanting your child to quit when they're not having "fun" with the goal of your child's positive mental health but it's important for parents to talk to their child if they are struggling with the experience--and be prepared to pull their child out if necessary.

To ensure that playing sports is a positive experience for their child, parents need to take the time to think before jumping into a sport, be realistic as to the expenses they can afford to pay and check throughout the time that their child is with the team, that this is a heathy experience for their child.

For more info: Safe Kids; President's Council of Fitness, Sports and Nutrition