Sports Columnist Fred Bowen Says Goodbye

So for my final column (KidsPost ends tomorrow), I wanted to write about what I learned about kids sports.

● Children should not play one sport all year long until they enter high school. Young athletes should play a variety of sports to have fun and avoid burnout and overuse injuries.

This is not just me. The American Academy of Pediatrics — a respected group of pediatricians — advises against professionalizing sports. Parents and coaches should listen to them.

● No need to travel to tournaments far away. If you don’t believe me, think about what the children said.

A study at George Washington University identified 81 factors that make sports fun, called the determinants of enjoyment. They asked young athletes to rate how important each thing was to enjoying organized sport. The player rated “playing in tournaments” and “traveling to new places to play” as the 58th and his 71st most important determinants of enjoyment.

● Children and their parents should be more realistic about their chances of getting college sports scholarships. My son is his head coach in baseball at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. His parents often ask him, “How good do you have to be to play Division I college baseball?”

Liam explains that high school baseball teams typically have about 16 players. Only 3% of high school baseball players go on to college. Play less at the highest level (Division I). Liam tells his parents:

Same with most sports. I don’t want to discourage anyone, but it’s best to enjoy the team and the game right now instead of focusing on playing in college or professionally.

● Thank you. Children play sports and have fun. So thank the coaches, referees, and all the parents who brought treats.

I would like to thank everyone at The Washington Post for allowing me to follow this advice and write for KidsPost. I hope I have helped some children become lifelong readers.

Finally, I would like to thank all the editors, especially the current editor, Christina Barron. They were all first-class professionals.

A final piece of advice for all young readers? Keep reading and play ball!

Bowen is the author of 27 sports books for children ages 7 to 12. His next book, Off the Bench, is due out in March.Click here for details fredbowen.com.