What Kids Actually Say They Want From Sports

Every spring, parents across the country sign contracts, book hotels, and write checks — often totaling thousands of dollars — based on an assumption about what their child wants from sports.

The assumption is usually something like: they want to compete at the highest level, get exposure, and maybe earn a scholarship someday.

A new survey from the Aspen Institute asked 3,827 young athletes what they actually want. The answers don't match that assumption.

The top reasons kids say they play sports

• —To have fun
• —To be with their friends
• —To learn and improve their skills
• —To do something they're good at
• —To get exercise

Winning — and anything related to college recruitment or scholarships — did not make the top of the list.

This is not a small or unrepresentative sample. The Aspen Institute's Project Play research is the most widely cited independent source on youth sports participation in the country, used by journalists, policymakers, and sports organizations alike. They take no advertising, accept no money from clubs or governing bodies, and publish their methodology.

What this means for parents making travel sports decisions

None of this means competitive sports are wrong for your kid. Many kids genuinely love competing, love the challenge of elite-level training, and thrive in that environment.

But the data is a useful gut-check before a family commits to a $5,000–$15,000 season:

Is your child telling you they want this — or are they telling you what they think you want to hear?

A child who says they want to keep playing with their friends, stay on a team where they get real playing time, and have a coach who makes practice fun is not failing to understand what travel sports is about. They understand it perfectly. They're just telling you something different from what the brochure says.

The question worth asking before tryout season

The Aspen Institute data points to a simple conversation worth having before you sign anything:

Ask your child — not what sport they want to play, but what they want sports to feel like. Ask them what a great season would look like. Ask them who they want to play with and what kind of coach they want.

Then compare their answers to what you're about to sign up for.

That comparison is exactly what this site is built to help you make.