Picket Fence Post

The cover story of this past weekend’s New York Times Magazine was dedicated to the issue of the serious, negative health implications for girls who specialize in a sport at a young age. (Think: Bum knees by the time the girl’s 30.)

I’ve long been an opponent of over-the-top youth sports leagues and coaches pressuring kids to specialize and having families’ lives overtaken by sports.

My kids play sports — one sport a season, with the exception of my daughter’s 9-month-long, once-a-week gymnastics class —  but I feel as though I’m fighting a losing battle against what writer Jen Singer dubbed the “Youth Sports Cartel” which places crazy demands on young players and their parents. (A sassy mom with whom I was recently complaining on the sidelines of a Little League game joked that we should start our own “Slow Sports” movement, in the same vein as the slow cooking movement.)

Now, after reading this article, I have more ammo for my argument that the youth sports world has gone batty. To read my take on this New York Times article, visit my book blog, Suburban Mom: Notes from the Asylum.

Do you think we’ve gone over the top when it comes to youth sports? Is youth sports specialization prominent in your community?

Image credit: New York Times Magazine.