Watch the youth sport documentary in the Youth Sports folder.
In your youth, did you participate in an elite (club, travel, AAU, etc.) sport league? Whether or not you participated in one of these leagues, did you ever feel the pressure to play on a club or travel team? In other words, did you ever feel that you couldn’t become as good as you wanted to be at your sport if you didn’t play in one of these leagues? If so, why do you think you felt this pressure and describe the effect this had on you as a person and an athlete. Was this positive or negative? If not, why do you think you never felt this pressure?
For those of you who played “elite” sports, what were the pros and cons of your participation in this type of sporting environment? If you did not participate, what were the pros and cons of not participating?
Think about the issues raised in the youth sport documentary as well as your own experiences. Do you think these elite types of programs are more beneficial to the young athletes, or more beneficial for those making money off these programs? Do you think this is a win-win, or are children and families being exploited?
Do you think more community-based programs like the ones highlighted in the documentary would provide a better sporting environment for all youth? Why or why not? What would it take to implement a great, local youth program like the Catholic Youth Sports Organization or West Islip Lacrosse, highlighted in the youth sports documentary?
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