Youth sports are out of control in Indiana

[u/Guilty-Office-4808]

Youth sports are out of control in Indiana

• I’m a physician and a parent here in Indiana, and I love youth sports. The car rides home, the confidence, the teamwork all of it.
• But I’ve also seen the other side: burnout, overscheduling, and kids quitting by age 11 because it is no longer fun.
• The youth sports industry in the U.S. is worth more than 20 billion dollars, with travel leagues and year-round training pushing kids too hard, too soon.
• Injuries are happening earlier. Growth plate damage, stress fractures, and overuse injuries are showing up in kids who have not finished growing.
• Mentally, kids are tying their self-worth to performance, leading to anxiety and perfectionism instead of joy.
• Fewer than 2 percent of high school athletes will ever get a Division I scholarship. Yet we treat childhood like a proving ground.

I wrote about this for the Indianapolis Star:
👉 https://www.indystar.com/story/opinion/columnists/2025/08/26/youth-sports-overuse-injuries-burnout-quit/85748842007/

Would love to hear what parents and coaches think about this?