More high school athletes not participating in varsity level sports

In the last five years I have seen a remarkable number of student athletes not playing sports at the varsity level due to burnout. I posed this question to multiple coaches and they all agreed that the main reason for burnout is the athletes are starting way too early. Most agreed that middle school to junior high is a perfect level to start playing organized sports.

Teaching the fundamentals of sports early is welcomed and accepted. However, coaches are seeing more and more student athletes not participating due to the fact that they began competition very early and by the time they reach their freshman year, in some cases have been competing in sports for eight to nine years.

The burnout is not totally attributed to the number of years but also injuries sustained in those early years of competition. Remember, participating in sports should be the student’s choice under the guidance of their parents and safety is always the number one priority.