Olympic Dreams vs. Reality

Each Olympic cycle serves as a vivid reminder of the unique privilege that athletic trainers have with working with athletes at all levels. Olympic athletes, aside from their exceptional performances, share common traits such as unwavering dedication and a relentless work ethic, dedicating 6-8 hours daily to rigorous training. This dedication stems from their will to excel in their chosen sport. While many young athletes dream of competing at the Olympics or collegiate sports careers, the reality is that only a small fraction of high school athletes receive athletic scholarships or pursue professional careers in sports. 

The American Heart Association and the NFL have an initiative titled Play 60, encouraging kids to get at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day. It doesn’t have to be a specific sport, the idea is just to be active. In the long run isn’t that what becomes important, learning how to be active for the rest of your life? If we are realistic with our expectations of our children and set the goal of lifetime leisure activity, sports participation may be the end result.

Take a look at these figures for a bit of reality.

Percentage of High School Seniors Receiving Scholarship Money in Sports

• Football – <2% of seniors will get scholarship money
• Soccer – 1% of boys and 2% for girls
• Volleyball – 1%
• Basketball – 2.8%
• 98 out of 100 high school athletes never play collegiate sports of any kind at any level
• Only 1 in 16,000 high school athletes attains a professional career in sports

We know that physical activity produces overall physical, psychological and social benefits. Participation in sports can play a vital role in combating childhood obesity, fostering social connections and nurturing self-esteem and independence. The physical demands of sports also contribute to muscle strength, flexibility, metabolic efficiency, improved circulation and promote good mental health.

There is also an education component that can come from competing, including how to cope with both victory and failure. Achievements in sports can boost children’s confidence and provide a sense of accomplishment. Sports, in general and when handled well by parents giving proper support and encouragement, allow the child to use his or her interests and/or skills to choose the activity that suits them best. Whatever the sport might be, the parent should support and encourage the child to perform within the child’s abilities and to set realistic goals.

The darker side to this, however, is the ongoing feelings of anxiety, stress and inadequacy that can be felt by those children who may not have the desire or ability to become the next Olympic gold medal winner or even care to participate in organized sports. For these children, just the mere thought of competition within the athletic realm is enough to leave them quaking. When the drive to participate comes from a desire to please parents, it can be at the detriment of the child. Parents, seeking to achieve dreams vicariously through a child, can diminish the child and the importance of their desires and dreams, prioritizing the parent’s goals over those of the child. A parent may push their child too much, without focusing on the child’s goals, and this then can very easily lead to overuse injuries and/or “burn out”.

Sports are about enhancing self-esteem, learning to work within a team structure, and exercise. Whether kids play varsity or are on traveling teams or just play in their back yard, at the end of the day isn’t the point to have fun and implement healthy habits?