Are Pay-to-Play Sports Hurting Our Children?

New Book Seeks to Answer: What Is the Goal?  

PORTLAND, Ore., Aug. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — From Mindbuck Media Book Publicity. Millions of American families spend tens of thousands of dollars annually to have their children participate in club travel sports—but should they be?

With back-to-school season upon us, and recent commentary by FIFA President Infantino and The Guardian about how America’s pay-to-play youth sports system is holding back soccer in the US, the topic of youth sports is a timely one that is gaining attention and focus from parents, psychologists, doctors, and the sports community. In a world where the wealth disparity only grows, many families cannot afford to participate in the current youth sports system.

Jean Linscott, Ph.D., a clinical child psychologist, and Kenneth Ruoff, Ph.D., a member of the Harvard College 1987 Final Four soccer team and current history professor, have taken on this topic in What is the Goal?: The Truth About the Youth Sports Industry.

This exploration of the youth sports industry and pay-to-play sports identifies how the quest for prestige can cause unintended harm to young athletes and their families, including mental health challenges and physical injuries that can stop a career before it even starts.

While sports have been seen as a way for children to receive admission and scholarships to universities, recent Supreme Court decisions regarding affirmative action have led to discussion about the college admissions process. If elite universities eliminated preferential admission for athletes, would the whole Youth Sports Industry collapse? And—would this be for the best?

Dr. Linscott and Dr. Ruoff have been featured with the Child Psychology Institute, soccer coach and commentator Glenn Crooks, and Dr. Dan’s Parent Footprint, among other sports and parenting outlets. To reach the authors for comment or to facilitate an interview, please contact publicist Emily Keough at Mindbuck Media Book Publicity, [email protected].

PUBLICITY CONTACT: EMILY KEOUGH
MINDBUCK MEDIA BOOK PUBLICITY
[email protected]

SOURCE MindBuck Media

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