Athlete Burn Out from Social Pressures

The pressure exerted by adults on young athletes can be overwhelming.

The majority of young athletes in the United States do not continue with sports past a young age, and especially rarely after high school. An article in the Washingtonian argues that not only can more intense sports in high school have a drastic physical effect on developing athletes, but there can be a great mental strain that may turn them off from athletics. Many coaches do not socialize their athletes properly, and focus too much on athletic excellence, instead of looking to see if the kids are ready to perform.
When people focus too much on the excellence of the athletes, especially those who are successful, these kids tend to get turned off from the sport. These kids often feel like they were no longer in control over their lives. They also end up feeling like they can't be normal kids or that they don't fit in with their friends. ESPN's 30 for 30 series included a documentary called Little Big Men. This film was a series of interviews with the players from the 1982 Little League World Series championship team now that the players have grown up. Part of the film focuses on Cody Webster, the star pitcher on this winning team. The amount of press and expectation from fans after the Little League World Series led to exactly this kind of burn out in Webster. He felt that the expectation for him was too high and struggled to cope with it throughout the rest of his sporting career into college.
Burnout caused by people focusing kids too much on the sport instead of building friendships can be avoided. Just like the Washingtonian article says, great coaches like John Wooden practiced techniques that allowed athletes to grow as people and players at the same time will lead to more kids who continue with and enjoy sports.