As a parent, coach and former college/pro athlete, I am concerned about the current status of youth sports in our country. Early sports specialization, combined with the pay for play culture, has created a professional sports environment that is having damaging impacts on kids, parents and youth sports across the board. I’ve drawn certain conclusions from my personal experience on this topic, and I believe the data available supports my instincts and feelings about the issues. I thoroughly believe that in order for there to be any change it must start with us, parents, becoming more informed on the topics and being open minded for the betterment of our kids and their youth sports experience.

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