High school sports have lost athletes to private clubs, but schools can maintain them by focusing on character development

Until recently, high school students who wanted to play soccer, basketball or another sport had little choice but to try out a school team. And it was the high school gymnasiums and fields that recruiters flocked to find talent for college and strengths.

This has changed over the past few decades, with the emergence of private clubs and increasing popularity across the country. Today, children interested in almost all sports have multiple clubs and leagues to choose from, instead of playing for high school varsity teams. The club is particularly good at attracting the most talented student-athletes due to their intensely competitive nature.

As a result, parents are increasingly debating something that they might not have thought of a few generations ago. Where should children play sports?

As a former K-12 athletics director and as the current parent of three young athletes from elementary to college level, I know it would be a difficult choice. I have seen first hand the pros and cons of playing sports in both high school and clubs.

While clubs may be best for the most talented athletes, I don’t think schools can beat it because of the wider focus that can focus on character development. I think school focus should be, as the majority of student-athletes don’t play in organized leagues beyond high school.

My own unpublished research shows that it is also a more way to continue students who played sports as young children in high school, highlighting the enjoyment and social aspects of athletics.

The rise of the private youth sports industry

I am a non-apology advocate for school-based track and field, but I recognize the benefits of participating in clubs and private league programs.

However, prior to the 1980s, private clubs were not common. Before high school, the children played in teams hosted by schools, local parks and recreation programs, or nonprofit organizations such as the YMCA. After that, the only option for most people was high school sports.

According to the research I did for my paper, the first major step into a highly organized, privatised youth sports programme occurred during what was called the “Reagan Revolution.” President Ronald Reagan’s funding cuts have pushed more costs to states and cities across the government, limiting the capacity of local parks and recreational sector youth programs. This left many of them with enough funds to maintain the facility.

At the same time, the district began systematically reducing the number of physical education classes offered instead of focusing on subjects such as mathematics and science. These two factors have taken away the most affordable options for the participation of many families.

With the reduction in public, the gap in youth sports programming was met by private clubs and leagues, with an emphasis on athleticism, competition and sometimes elite style training. And it has become a big business for the adults running these programs.

While good numbers of these leagues are difficult to get, multiple data sources show that the privatized youth sports market has experienced significant growth in recent years. Recent estimates show that total expenditure on youth sports exceeded US$40 billion in 2024, compared to the 2010 estimate of $10 billion in the youth sports economy.

But despite their growth, one of the plain statistics for aspiring elite athletes remains true. Only about 7% of teenagers who play organized sports go above the university level.

I think it’s important for school administrators to place premiums in running athletic programs that focus not only on winning games, but building the skills needed as adults, as they know that 93% of high school athletes will end their competitive careers upon graduation.

Why most students play

My own research supports this.

In my previous role as athletics director at a public school in Grand Forks, North Dakota, I routinely looked at athletes at the end of the season on a variety of aspects of team experience. Among these questions, I would like to tell athletes what are the three most important reasons why they chose to play that sport for that season, and whether they plan to play again with the team next year.

Naturally, the top three reasons were to consistently enjoy themselves, spend time with friends and stay physically active. You will realize that you won among them or that it wasn’t because of the competition.

Conversely, when asked why students chose to drop out the following year, the biggest reason was their relationship with the coach, but the second closest thing was that they didn’t enjoy it. For me, this was evidence that what student-athletes wanted most from their high school programs wasn’t as much of athletic skill development as their personal development and growth.

Back up this. Overtraining and lack of fun are cited as the main reason why 70% of young athletes competing in teams stop playing before arriving at high school.

Focus on fun, not on competition

There are five things school administrators can do to turn things around and make their sports program more attractive to students considering clubs, as well as some who are pondering the people who are fully gifting their sports.

Develop an athletic program that teaches character traits and life skills that can be used not only for 7% of students who play in college, but also for 100% of participants. Make sure the program emphasizes not only competition, but fun, social growth and physical fitness. Encourage coaches to spend individual time with each student-athlete throughout the season and discuss athletes’ goals, roles and advances. At the end of each season, research student-athletes about their experiences and fine-tune the program accordingly. As part of the coach’s postseason evaluation, we will include student-athletes’ ratings on how much play they enjoy for their coach.

High school sports may not be the case for everyone, but I think more students would choose to participate if they focus on building characters and having fun with friends rather than winning trophies.

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