{"id":5035,"date":"2018-10-24T19:40:29","date_gmt":"2018-10-24T19:40:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/?p=5035"},"modified":"2025-08-11T05:48:28","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T09:48:28","slug":"why-are-younger-athletes-dropping-out-of-sports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/why-are-younger-athletes-dropping-out-of-sports\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Are Younger Athletes Dropping Out of Sports?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Reasons_for_Rising_Dropout_Rates_in_Sports\"><\/span>Reasons for Rising Dropout Rates in Sports<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/why-are-younger-athletes-dropping-out-of-sports\/#Reasons_for_Rising_Dropout_Rates_in_Sports\" >Reasons for Rising Dropout Rates in Sports<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/why-are-younger-athletes-dropping-out-of-sports\/#Whats_behind_the_dropout_rates\" >What&#8217;s behind the dropout rates?<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/why-are-younger-athletes-dropping-out-of-sports\/#If_your_sports_kids_arent_as_enthusiastic_about_sports_be_sure_to_make_time_for_play\" >If your sports kids aren&#8217;t as enthusiastic about sports, be sure to make time for play.<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/why-are-younger-athletes-dropping-out-of-sports\/#Remember_at_this_point_in_a_sports_childs_life_it_should_all_be_about_fun\" >Remember, at this point in a sports child&#8217;s life, it should all be about fun!<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/why-are-younger-athletes-dropping-out-of-sports\/#Related_Articles_on_Youth_Sports\" >Related Articles on Youth Sports:<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/why-are-younger-athletes-dropping-out-of-sports\/#Help_Young_Athletes_Boost_Confidence_in_Sports\" >Help Young Athletes Boost Confidence in Sports!<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>Recent studies have shown a 14% drop off in soccer participation between the ages of 6-12, says Benjamin Dudley, executive director, Positive Coaching Aliance (PCA), Portland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We also see these kinds of numbers in baseball, football, and basketball all around the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And the dropouts are getting younger and younger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Until now, the statistic most cited has been that more than half of kids drop out by the time they are 13.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Whats_behind_the_dropout_rates\"><\/span>What&#8217;s behind the dropout rates?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Part of it is the cost of participating, says Dudley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Only 9 percent of kids whose parents make $20,000 or less participate in sports. This is likely because &#8220;pay to play&#8221; has become much more prevalent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another issue, according to Mark Lawton, longtime coach and a volunteer PCA impact coach, is that we have removed sports&#8217; <strong>creativity<\/strong> and play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>&#8220;I think the financial piece reflects bigger issues,&#8221;<\/em> says Lawton. <em>&#8220;In this country, we sign our kids up for lots of classes and activities. What&#8217;s lacking is play. The rule used to be &#8216;Go outside and play,&#8217; and that&#8217;s the bigger challenge that we need to tackle.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lawton and Dudley argue that we have over-structured sports so much that it dampens <strong>creativity,<\/strong> one of the most significant benefits our sports kids gain from sports activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>&#8220;You can teach kids how to trap the ball in soccer, but if you say, &#8216;Go play,&#8217; they are making their own decisions, and their brains are wired to learn what works,&#8221;<\/em> says Dudley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He has a team of 7-year-olds and encourages coaches to give players space and create an environment for kids to reach their best performance. He also encourages them to scrimmage more, as opposed to doing drills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Parents should say, <em>&#8220;Here&#8217;s a ball,&#8221;<\/em> and let the kids go out and play and kick and let them figure things out by playing instead of having them engage in overly-structured activities, says Dudley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You want the sports kids to be making their own decisions and creating connections in the brain, which will help them learn and experience playing, not just mindlessly going through the motions of drills, he and Lawton argue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"If_your_sports_kids_arent_as_enthusiastic_about_sports_be_sure_to_make_time_for_play\"><\/span>If your sports kids aren&#8217;t as enthusiastic about sports, be sure to make time for play.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>For coaches, that means fewer drills and more scrimmages, more time for trial-and-error.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For parents, that means less <strong>focus<\/strong> on structured activities&#8211;and more on kicking a ball around with friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Remember_at_this_point_in_a_sports_childs_life_it_should_all_be_about_fun\"><\/span>Remember, at this point in a sports child&#8217;s life, it should all be about fun!<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Listen to the full interview here:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-5035-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/lisacohn.audioacrobat.com\/download\/lisacohn-20181023172248-2797.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/lisacohn.audioacrobat.com\/download\/lisacohn-20181023172248-2797.mp3\">https:\/\/lisacohn.audioacrobat.com\/download\/lisacohn-20181023172248-2797.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"related-articles-on-hockey-mental-game\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Related_Articles_on_Youth_Sports\"><\/span>Related Articles on Youth Sports:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/should-parents-only-focus-on-fun-in-youth-sports\/\"><strong>Should Parents Only Focus on Fun in Youth Sports?<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-parents-can-help-athletes-stick-with-sports\/\"><strong>How Parents Can Help Athletes Stick with Sports<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/young-athletes-must-trust-the-grind\/\"><strong>Young Athletes Must \u2018Trust the Grind\u2019<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"block-f49818fa-7c7a-4ee3-b5ee-66581aad2c71\">*Subscribe to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/sports-psychology-podcast-by-peaksports-com\/id152566009\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0on iTunes<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Help_Young_Athletes_Boost_Confidence_in_Sports\"><\/span>Help Young Athletes Boost Confidence in Sports!<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/ultimate-sports-parent-small.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"225\" height=\"250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/ultimate-sports-parent-small.jpg\" alt=\"The Ultimate Sports Parent\" class=\"wp-image-11157\" style=\"width:167px;height:auto\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Every day, we receive letters from parents like you who want their children and teens to excel in sports. However, these parents can <strong>see fear, doubt, and frustration on the faces of their kids<\/strong> who struggle with the \u201cinner\u201d game of sports. But these parents have no idea how to help their kids <strong>overcome the worries, expectations and self-defeating thoughts<\/strong> that prevent their young athletes from feeling confident and successful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can benefit from our 1<strong>5-plus years\u2019 of work in sports psychology and sports parenting research<\/strong>. Now, you can <strong>tap into our secrets to sports success<\/strong> through a cutting-edge, 14-day program that helps young athletes overcome the top \u201cmental game\u201d challenges that sports parents face\u2014and the top <strong>challenges young athletes face<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-fbab03ed\">\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-fa7bf2e7 gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/ultimate-sports-parent-workbook-cd-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">GET DETAILS<\/a>\n\n\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-33bcee1d gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.peaksports.com\/products\/the-ultimate-sports-parent-digital\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BUY NOW<\/a>\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Reasons for Rising Dropout Rates in Sports Recent studies have shown a 14% drop off in soccer participation between the ages of 6-12, says Benjamin Dudley, executive director, Positive Coaching Aliance (PCA), Portland. We also see these kinds of numbers in baseball, football, and basketball all around the country. And &#8230; <a title=\"Why Are Younger Athletes Dropping Out of Sports?\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/why-are-younger-athletes-dropping-out-of-sports\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Why Are Younger Athletes Dropping Out of Sports?\">Read Sport Psychology Tip<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3780,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,17,292,7,6],"tags":[259,419],"class_list":["post-5035","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports-dropouts","category-sports-parenting","category-sports-parents-success-tips","category-sports-psychology-for-kids","category-youth-sports-psychology-blog","tag-sports-parenting","tag-why-kids-drop-out-of-sports"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5035","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5035"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5035\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3780"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5035"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5035"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5035"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}