Elite and travel teams can hurt kids’ confidence by setting up a dicey relationship among kids, parents and coaches.
That’s the view of Hal Phillips, a former sports parent and youth soccer coach, plus author of Generation Zero: Founding Fathers, Hidden Histories and the Making of Soccer in America.
Elite and travel teams are basically set up to be “pay to play.” Kids feel pressured to excel because their parents are paying–often big bucks–for them to be on these teams.
And, when they’re on these teams, kids may also feel pressured to get scholarships, he says. This can take the joy out of sports.
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