Trends that begin at the top levels of sports often trickle downward, infiltrating the neighborhood recreational soccer field or the little league baseball diamond down the street.
Ronaldo’s celebration after a goal.
The “Griddy” touchdown dance made famous my NFL star, Justin Jefferson.
A slow homerun trot, chest pound, and pointing to the sky as a kid crosses home plate, a la their favorite Major League baseball player.
One recent trend, though, has not made it onto my kids’ field of play – taking a break from competition.
I hope true breaks make it to youth sports fields soon.
GASP – a break?
Wait, like not playing for a period of time?
YES!
Just imagine if, at the end of the school year, sports gave way to – wait for it – NOTHING.
Ah, NOTHING.
NOTHING.
The same NOTHING, in fact, that Powerade has developed a new marketing campaign around. The commercials, featuring Simone Biles (who famously succumbed to the pressures of competing in the Olympics), uses the logline, “Pause is Power” and is focused on ensuring an athlete’s mental health.
Coke, Powerade’s parenting company’s press release about the new campaign, states:
“Pause is Power” challenges the “win at all costs” mentality associated with modern sports culture by portraying the pause—a moment of laughter, reflection, community and recovery—as an act of humanity with regenerative benefits.
Coca-Cola Company, March 2022
Biles is not the only top flight athlete talking about taking a break from the pressures of competing. Ash Barty, despite being 25 years-old and a reign as the top-ranked woman’s tennis player in the world for 114 straight weeks, announced her retirement from on March 22.
“I don’t have the physical drive, the emotional want and everything it takes to challenge yourself at the very top of the level any more. I am spent.”
Ash Barty, March 2022
Ash, I am spent, too.
So are my little athletes.
I see my kids’ energy for attending seemingly-unending practices dwindling. It’s difficult to muster the parenting energy to compel them to bring their best to the soccer field, ball diamond, court, or stage when I feel worn down by the demands of these relentless youth sports seasons.
How ridiculous is it that my daughter’s soccer season will end on April 29th and tryouts for next seasons are scheduled for May 1st through the 4th? Can I send that Powerade ad to our coach and ask for a Simone Biles-esque powerful “pause”?
Sigh.
Whether the context of the need for a break for our young athletes is about “burnout” or “prioritizing mental health”, the simple fact is that kids need breaks – real, extended periods of no commitments other than being themselves. Even taking the parenting self-interest out of the equation, there is no doubt that we are over-taxing our youngest participants.
Unfortunately, I do not see youth sports organizations sanctioning such breaks anytime soon. Those respites, after all, don’t pay the bills. We all know a needy parent that wants the ability to drop off little Messi so they can find some “me time” during the two-hour summer training session (not judging, I’ve been there).
The only way a break happens is through a household commitment to do so. My family is limping to the finish line with our kids sports and school responsibilities. I see other exhausted families celebrating rainouts and game cancellations and stand in solidarity with them.
In this race to provide opportunities to our kids and ensure they are supported, maybe we have lost track of the fact that, at times, the best support we can provide is allowing them the chance to chill, to recharge, to play with neighbors, to sit around, to swim in the pool, or to ride a bike.
To do NOTHING – like Simone Biles, like Ash Barty, like Tom Brady did for a few months. I hope these message we’re hearing about these pros flows downstream quickly.
It likely will not, though, before our competitive soccer tryouts for next year, one day after we compete in our final tournament of this season.
