I get all the downside to the club sports drama. It is too much, I agree. However, the high school sports scenes have allowed the clubs and AAU to get a bigger foothold and now they have taken over. You can still have multiple sport athletes but it is harder than ever to do it. Honestly, if you take a look at club volleyball … I can see VB displacing bb over the next 10 years. The club scene is genius in that they allow for comparable teams to face each other and many more girls and guys get to compete and “win” tournaments than School sports. More club participants… by far … than high school. I think it is a model for the future. Most girls and guys put more emphasis on club than school teams.
There is also the bigger problem of delusion of the parents who think that their kid will be playing college sports on scholarship. They chase the dream and spend far more money doing it than the scholarship will pay! That is the biggest issue for parents who just don’t or can’t see the quality or lack of upside in their own kids athletic future.
I agree we were more creative finding games to play. We even made up games to play. We played softball in our street we lived on. Houses to the left and in front of us. Eventually we out grew it and stopped after the first window was broken after about 3 years playing there.
There has always been private clubs in various sports. We had Pop Warner football and places to go year round if we wanted to. Most of us weren’t invited. We had many athletes at our schools burn out and fell into traps with drugs and gangs. That’s really nothing new. And we had parents not wanting their kids to play sports. I remember one of my basketball players who was also talented in soccer, his mom didn’t want him playing because he was also an accomplished concert pianist and didn’t want his fingers hurt. Nothing new.
One isolated situation doesn’t mean what is going on today isn’t new. Things change, atmospheres change, the landscape changes. Professional athletes are paid way more than is logical and it has caused society to become obsessed with the entertainment of pro sports and the hope that their own kids can someday win the pro athlete lottery. Sorry, it’s true.
Your sister-in-law is one isolated case. So, pointing out that your personal situation doesn’t mean every athlete feels the same way or that it’s a rampant problem.
The trend of sports and the church goes as follows:
We used to have ward volleyball teams- not anymore
We used to have Both Mens and Womens baseball teams, then combined-not nobody plays baseball
Every stake and most wards have bball courts- here in Utah I run into stakes that no longer even play bball.
Sports is going away as this new generation grows up. They would rather be on social media. Live vicariously.
Sad but true, but something will inevitably happen to change things around, but it will probably be major
Right on Thawk. Club sports and AAU are the main cog for sports like volleyball, basketball, and other sports. But baseball and football are more oriented for youth. I don’t know about wrestling. I think gymnastics is club sports and AAU, especially for girls.
The problem with club sports for high school age kids that it usuallyis full weekend sports including Sundays. We were into ice hockey with our youngest son and after half a season on a “traveling team” he was tired out and quit on his own after three or four years in club hockey before he got on a traveling team. Many of the parents talked reverently when our kid made the traveling team. Wow, “so much of an honor,” according to them.
True but hasn’t a thing to do with your sister’s feelings.
Our stake got away from participation in sports due to fights and less time because people needed 2 jobs. And, there was politics going on and our Ward just stopped participating. I guess we were just too good.
In the State of Utah this illegal and should be reported to UHSAA… There is a “Down time” that is required for all athletes after a season has been completed
What are you talking about? Politics? It is church sports for crying out loud. There was nothing to play for except fun. I don’t remember Santa Paula doing much of anything. They had a decent softball team with Nelson and Co. but they never won any league. It was always Ojai and Fillmore pretty much. As for basketball, Ojai won that all the time.
So what sports and politics are you talking about?
You were just too young to have known. We were always never included in organizing and even letting SP know about it’s time to organize a team for softball, basketball etc… same happened with our youth teams. Particularly one individual in charge. You know who I’m talking about 
I know when I was first married (1980) they use to have a “All Area” tournament ward teams could compete in… they were not for the faint of heart, nor where they for fun and entertainment.
they did away with that I think in the 1990’s…
I’m not sure who you are talking about. If that was happening it’s a bummer. I don’t understand why someone would do that so maybe I was too young. I have lived here since 1970. That is a long time…
Dang I am feeling old.
You are old I wish we could get the sports program going again. It can be a good reactivation and missionary tool.
I played ward youth basketball team in the early 80’s (in Portland) with a 25-30 game season (including holiday and postseason tournaments), on a team that practiced 2-3 times a week and would have been competitive with the JV teams from the local high schools. I had a key to the gym and the guys would come work out with me after we got off work on the nights we didn’t practice (yes, we also all had after school jobs). I was good enough to play varsity at the high school but would have gotten very little playing time and would have had to quit my job; church ball gave me the chance to have great basketball experiences in a meaningful way, in a super competitive league, and be surrounded by people who cared. I actually feel very, very sad for the kids now, because most of the kids in our stake A) don’t have jobs, and B) don’t have meaningful sporting activities. But they kick a$$ on video games and social media. I guess time will tell how they adjust to the challenges of adulthood, but my money is on kids who work hard at low paying jobs and play their guts out for their teammates.
Our sports program went down hill when the Stake Pres decided that bb referees weren’t needed among ward teams and that call your own foul would be instituted … 2 years later … not a single softball or bb or VB team left in the stake!
tlarimer: I agree!
There was a 10 year study recently released that said kids playing video games for 2 or more hours loose thickness inntheir brain vortex losing some connection from the physical senses. I took that as being sociopathic. They said 1 hour max.