The Decline in Athletics and the Decay of Society

[Anonymous]

Recently I was asked about the state of wrestling in Northern New Jersey. 15 years ago the area produced some of the best wrestlers in the country. Last year after we produced only 1 state champion the message was clear: North NJ wrestling has hit an all time low.

The state of affairs can be said for ALL athletic programs. While we produce national power house football, basketball and baseball and we see success in both men and women sports, we still have schools canceling programs due to lack of participation.

So where have all the kids gone? Let’s look at wrestling in Ridgewood New Jersey, where I grew up and coached. In 1980 there was a full Jr. Program and two full junior high/freshmen teams, a full JV team and a full varsity squad.

I graduated in 1986 and the numbers were about the same. By the time a graduated in 1990 and returned to coach that same year the numbers started to dwindle. The two middle school teams were combined to be one team and the varsity program could barely fill the line up. Even the football team that had 100 team members for 3 grades was cut in half.

While in 1990 the elite wrestlers could still compete on the sate and national level, the middle level wrestlers were gone and by 2000 the effects felt. Without that middle level athlete all you had left was the extremely poor wrestler and the excellent wrestlers. The lack of solid competition has cause the elite wrestlers to suffer. The elites do not get better by beating poor competition, they get worse. Where did the one or two year varsity wrestler go?

They quit.

Youth sports have become INSANE. Year round programs, clubs, traveling teams and parents have become their own worst enemy. Let’s say you have 2 kids, one started when he was five and went to wrestling clubs and camps the other starts when he’s 6 for the first time. These kids are in the same class and the kid who goes to the clubs literally beats up on the first year kid. Because at that age all you really need is one technique and you can beat everybody. Now the kid who wins gets all the attention while the kid who looses gets discouraged.

When next year rolls around, the kid who got his ass handed to him wants no part of wrestling. On the other hand the good kid is burnt out by the time he reaches middle school. He literally has put his best wrestling behind him.

What parents need to realize is that the purpose of youth sports is to be fun and teach good skills. It’s not to build elite athletes, its to teach respect, values and fair play. There is no such thing as an elite youth, it just doesn’t exists. It’s a long row to ho people and a 7th grade state champ doesn’t matter squat.

We see the same in every sport in every state. Martial arts does the same thing, even worse and could be to blame for providing the business model of the wrestling/soccer/baseball/la cross club, school, team.

If you are an elite athlete, a division 1 stud…you’re not going to need the camps, coaches and teams- you are a freak of nature.

At best, high school athletics will get you into a good college, then you can quit your first day of practice. Forget the scholarship just get the education.

Elite youth sports have done more harm than good and have turned more kids against their parents than anything else. Keep it fun, keep it in perspective.

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