I was astonished when I read Bruce Brown’s article – “28% Success Rate” – in a recent posting on NFHS Coaching Today. The statistic implies that 72 percent of young athletes in America drop out of organized athletics by the age of 13.* My immediate response was a very emphatic “you have to be kidding me!”

When conducted properly, organized athletic programs possess the potential to be a very positive and powerful educational tool. Proper use, however, depends on an appropriate coaching philosophy and quality leadership.

One of the natural reasons why we see attrition in sports is because of the varying physical ability levels of participants. As levels of competition increase from a recreational model of sport to a professional model of sport, the need for increased ability and skill proficiency escalates substantially. However, this factor in and of itself would not account for the 72-percent dropout rate that Hadstrom and Gould discovered in their research. Many variables impact this percentage. As a result, the probability of dropping out of sports becomes heightened by the existence of multiple causes.

            Aside from the issue of sufficient ability to successfully participate in sport, what other reasons cause athletes to lose their enthusiasm and ultimately relinquish their desire to compete in athletic programs? Bruce Brown’s article outlined five reasons that may play a role in one’s decision to discontinue his or her participation in sports. In all likelihood, however, it is probably an accumulation of multiple factors that lead to a decision to drop out. The five participation barriers cited by Brown included:

1. Consistently losing

Failure, if viewed and used properly, can be a very important life lesson to put into one’s tool chest for life. Disappointing losses and temporary setbacks can serve as a catalyst for self-improvement, perseverance and the ability to cope with disappointments.

2. Negative coaching

Unfortunately, many coaches end up coaching the way they were coached. Thus, many negative coaching practices have been perpetuated far more often than they should be.

The job of coaches should be to turn kids on to sport participation versus creating an environment that does the exact opposite. Consequently, if sport is not enjoyable (Fun Principle) and it possess a threat to one’s self-esteem (Self-Worth Principle), is it any wonder young people seek other outlets in which to find enjoyment and self-esteem?

The epitome of a positive coaching environment to combat negative coaching practices or behaviors would be “providing an environment for student-athletes that is safe, supportive, and founded upon the values of integrity, respect, care, honesty and professionalism.”

3. Mental and physical tiredness

The literature on issues associated with sport participation contains some quality information relative to the matter of sport specialization, both pro and con. I am not a big proponent of sport specialization, especially before the age of 16. I believe the process lends itself to mental fatigue and the potential of burnout.

I believe it is also important to think about the issue of recovery on the part of the athlete after a season has ended. An appropriate break would enable an athlete to experience the anabolic processes of physiological and psychological recovery. Even the Ivy League has encouraged this recovery concept via its recommendation of a 4-to-8 week reprieve between the end of a season and the start of intense off-season training and/or conditioning programs.

In my opinion, another factor that plays into mental and physical tiredness is the increasing length of sport seasons. Historically, sport seasons rarely, if ever, overlapped. You had a small rest period between sport seasons and the shorter seasons also allowed athletes to participate in multiple sports if they so desired. If you fast forward to today, it is not uncommon for a football team to start its season in late August and finish playing in late November or early December. Postseason playoff protocols dictate such a timeframe. However, is it absolutely necessary that we replicate what the NFL and the NCAA are doing with their programs?

4. Making the game too complex

As I reflect on my own personal experiences in sport, I am always amazed at how simple my high school coach made the game of basketball. Every season started with an introduction to and practice of basic skills, i.e., two-hand chest and bounce passes, baseball pass, etc. Once he was convinced that we were fundamentally proficient and possessed sound techniques and skill sets, we progressed to basic offensive and defensive strategies. However, these strategies and tactics were also very basic in nature.

Compare this scenario to an illustrative example of a Pop Warner football program in the state of Florida. The team’s head coach and offensive coordinator were using the entire offensive play book from Georgia Southern University as their guide for the installation of an offensive system. One can only imagine how challenged 8-to-10 year-olds were in their attempts to absorb and apply all of the information they were being force fed.

5. Outside pressure

Two of the most prevalent sources of external pressure facing young athletes today are parents and winning as the ultimate benchmark that defines successful athletic programs. Many parents do not understand their role as an “athletic parent” and they get caught up in the “win-at-all-cost” mentality that has been created by professional sports and/or NCAA Division I athletic programs across the country.

Parents should be educated about their proper roles in supporting the athletic experiences of their son or daughter. To this effect, Bruce Brown has produced an outstanding video (The Role of Parents in Athletics) that I would make mandatory viewing for all athletic parents. The production is based on a composite of feedback that athletes have shared with Coach Brown over the years.

In terms of winning as the ultimate criteria that defines a successful athletic program, we need to break the hour-glass effect that filters down to interscholastic and youth sport programs from professional sports and/or intercollegiate athletic programs. We need to re-examine why we have athletic programs in our educational institutions and the priceless learning opportunities that should be associated with quality extracurricular experiences. The Michigan High School Athletic Association (High School Sports-Its About Team) has produced a quality video that does an outstanding job of articulating the whys of high school sports.

If we sincerely believe that sports have educational merit and they offer a special arena for character education, then we need to stem the mass exodus of participants we are currently seeing. Each and every coach can aid and abet this effort in their own unique ways. As an example, Green Hope High School in Cary, North Carolina was reported to have 210 participants in their boys and girls cross country program in 2010. Obviously, these numbers did not occur by chance. A coach opted to create ways to grow participation numbers by doing things outside the coaching norm, actions that obviously had appeal to today’s athletic populace.

• “Research in Youth Sports: Critical Issues Status” by Ryan Hedstrom and Daniel Gould, Institute for the Study of Youth Sports, College of Education, Michigan State University, November 1, 2004