4 minute read
Making Youth Sports More Equitable for All Kids
Leveling the Playing Field for All Kids
by Jocelyn Carter
T
HE OMICRON VARIANT has helped some NBA players realize their hoop dreams, with teams suddenly adding their names to the roster to cover for teammates sidelined by COVID-19. Apart from such slivers of a silver lining in the professional ranks, though, the pandemic has largely wreaked havoc on the present and future dreams of many young athletes. Even before March 2020, when widespread lockdown orders went into effect, regular participation by kids in recreational team sports like basketball, soccer, baseball and softball had dropped. Additional data from the Aspen Institute shows that 44% of families said their community-based sports programs had shuttered, merged with another program or returned with a lower capacity limit because of COVID-19.
As with so many other aspects of the pandemic, the fallout wasn’t distributed equally. In September 2021, approximately 50% of parents agreed that the risk of illness was a potential barrier to their child resuming sports, and this sports-related fear of illness was higher among Hispanic (58%) and Black parents (53%) than whites (47%). Meanwhile, many families who rely on free or low-cost sports teams in their communities, often through a school or park district, were left without options while families like mine, who pay thousands of dollars a year for travel teams, were able to pay their coaches to provide smaller specialized group instruction during the pandemic to maintain our children’s competitive edge.
As I’ve continued to research this problem and hear stories from parents, college athletes, coaches and, yes, even my own children, I’ve become more convinced that we need to redefine our American approach to youth sports and create a more positive sports climate for all children.
A positive sports climate frequently leads to opportunities later in life. The only reason that I attended an Ivy League school, for example, was because I was a talented runner. Without attracting the notice of these coaches, I probably would not have ended up where I am in life – nor, as a result, would my own children. As a psychologist, I know that children who participate in sports are less likely to suffer from issues such as depression or anxiety and are less likely to die by suicide. My own research done in pre-pandemic
times shows that children of color who can access high-quality sports programming through community and school partnerships are less likely to experience issues like depression and anxiety after nine months. Even for athletes who don’t continue to compete in college or beyond, sports can change lives by fostering teamwork, discipline, belonging and fun.
But the reality is that not all children have access to the benefits of sports. And the children who have the most to gain – children of color and those from less resourced backgrounds – are less likely to participate due to access issues. These children face the problems of poor access to sports equipment and facilities, and have other demands on their time that make consistent engagement in intensive sports practices challenging. For kids in these situations, sports may be seen as a “way out,” but the reality is that disinvestment in children’s holistic development means that far too many youth are stuck in under-resourced environments. After all, only a small number of children earn athletic scholarships or become professional athletes.
A better way. Children of color from middle- and upper-class backgrounds may not face the same access issues, but they can experience their own sets of problems. They frequently experience pigeonholing into one type of sport they are assumed to be better suited
for, or they’re the only one on their team who looks like them. These children also experience discrimination on their own teams, and when they compete against other teams, they frequently have to bear that burden alone. I’ve spoken with numerous college athletes who can recount the racial trauma they endured as children. This racial trauma didn’t just come from competitors on the playing field, it sometimes came from their own coaches and teammates. While these children may reap the benefits of sports, it comes at the cost of their positive racial identity. We can create a better sports climate for all youth as we transition out of the pandemic and recognize the mental and physical health benefits that sports yield. We can do this by offering more sports opportunities in schools – especially for younger elementary school-aged children. Chicago Public Schools, the third-largest school system in the nation, does not offer schoolbased sports programming until youth are in fifth grade. NonKIDS WHO profit organizations such as PARTICIPATE IN Urban Initiatives and Girls in the Game have stepped SPORTS ARE in to fill the gap by offering school-based sports proLESS LIKELY TO gramming with social and emotional components, SUFFER FROM but these organizations cannot do it alone. DEPRESSION AND We can equip nonprofit and community-based ANXIETY OR sports organizations with tools to improve their eqDIE BY SUICIDE. uity and inclusion practices. We can train coaches and parents on how to prevent, address and heal from racism on the field. Organizations like the Center for Healing and Justice through Sport are doing both in their work to train coaches on creating a healingcentered sports climate. The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the way we play sports at all levels. We can use this moment to change youth sports for the better. Even if the children in your life don’t have plans to become professional basketball players, we should take this opportunity to make youth sports more equitable, positive and fun – for all kids. l
Jocelyn Carter is a professor of psychology and the director of clinical training at DePaul University. She is a Public Voices Fellow with The OpEd Project.
