Updated: November 25, 2020
Originally Published: June 19, 2015
Last Saturday, as I settled into a folding chair on the sidelines of my 6-year-old’s softball game, I found myself pondering the future of youth sports. In our city, like many others of comparable size, the competition is poised to intensify as she matures. This reality is already daunting. Last fall, she participated in a so-called “non-competitive” CYC soccer league, which I found amusing since she spent most of her time on the bench, being the least skilled player on the team. And she was just five! Even at this tender age, parents are enrolling their kids in expensive camps, clinics, and private lessons. In a couple of years, select leagues will come into play.
Now, I’m not opposed to youth sports; I just prefer to avoid the intense atmosphere altogether. After all, where does all that time and money lead? A tiny fraction of kids will go on to play sports in college, and an even smaller number will make it to the professional level. Genetic luck dictates that my children won’t be among those exceptional athletes.
As I contemplated this, I realized that regardless of how much we invest in sports, we ultimately end up in the same spot—the local beer league. So why not skip the tedious journey to get there? Let’s create a B team! This would mean no spending weekends in distant hotels for pointless tournaments, no parents waiting until the wee hours for the high school football bus, no clinics or endless hours of grueling practice. No one yelling at referees. Just simple t-shirts instead of fancy uniforms, showing up to play and have fun.
I’m thinking about the long game here. The goal would be to foster enough coordination to avoid knee injuries in 20 years when a friend invites you to join her YMCA volleyball team. Break 100 during a casual bowling night with friends. Swim well enough to stay afloat. Master a few dance moves for parties. Kids would still make friends and learn about teamwork, while parents preserve their sanity without spending endless hours at practice.
I adored sports as a child. Despite my less-than-athletic build, I played softball starting at age five, followed by basketball and volleyball. I loved them—until high school, that is. Practices turned into grueling sessions where our coach was a heartbeat away from a meltdown, screaming at us to run laps until we nearly lost our lunches. The camp t-shirts boasted, “Sweat ‘Til We Bleed.” No thanks. I quit basketball after a week and preferred playing one-on-one against the crumbling hoop in our cul-de-sac. Volleyball was no different; I much preferred stringing a badminton net between trees and gathering neighborhood kids for a casual game instead of enduring hour-long practices in a gym.
The only reason I stayed with softball through high school was that my coach shared my laid-back attitude toward winning; we played for enjoyment. He valued losses in the grand scheme of life—minimal. I thought he was the only sane coach around, but it irked some of my teammates and their parents. Thus, the demand for an A team.
You might be thinking, “I cherish the memories of my hours spent on basketball drills and my parents battling sleep at my swim meets.” That’s great! You and your family belong on the A team. What I needed as a kid was a B team, and I know I’m not alone. According to the Wall Street Journal, youth sports participation is steadily declining. Why? “It takes too much time.” Kids are getting burned out and losing interest even before middle school.
Enter the B Team: a court and a ball, plus a bunch of kids (and parents) who don’t mind if they’re not stars because, at the end of the day, sports should be fun. It’s a blend of organized play and a neighborhood pick-up game. Enough structure to have a time and place, dependable attendance, and of course, snacks—but no one gets benched for making mistakes. No pep talks after losses. You might not even keep score because, let’s face it, it doesn’t matter.
I appreciate competition’s role, but kids will encounter competition aplenty as they grow up. Sometimes, I set out two cookies and let my kids compete for them to teach them a lesson about life. However, I believe what truly helped me succeed in my career was not my competitiveness but my understanding of teamwork. That, and I was an excellent leadoff batter for our company softball team.
If you’re interested in learning more about creating a supportive environment for families and children, check out this resource on pregnancy and home insemination. And for parents looking for fertility options, this fertility booster for men is a valuable read. If you’re curious about home insemination, consider exploring this informative blog post as well.
In summary, a B team for kids’ sports could provide a much-needed alternative that emphasizes fun, friendship, and basic skills over competition. It would allow children to enjoy sports without the pressure and burnout that often comes with traditional youth leagues.
Keyphrase: B team for kids’ sports
Tags: [“home insemination kit”, “home insemination syringe”, “self insemination”]