What Is the Goal?

I liked this book and found it extremely relatable as someone who has been an athlete her whole life. This was also eye-opening to a lot of things that were going on behind the scenes in youth sports that you weren't aware of as a kid. I feel like this is really important for anyone to read, whether that is as an athlete, parent, or coach, to better grasp this world as a whole.

This book deeply resonated with me and left me shocked. Through story after story of adults behaving badly, it often left me feeling hopeless. Yet, it also made me reflect on how fortunate I am to live in a small Midwestern town where we can mostly avoid the pressures of pay-to-play athletics that have significantly affected kids' ability to simply enjoy themselves. The book really gave voice to my concerns as I watch the trend of increased participation in expensive club sports grow.

Overall, the book was incredibly thought-provoking and tremendously discussable. I do wish it had offered more immediate solutions to improve youth sports in our country, although sadly, I'm not sure there are many feasible ones. Nevertheless, kudos to the authors for their important work. I'd like to thank NetGalley for providing an early copy. I sincerely hope this book finds its audience and sparks meaningful conversations and positive change.

Even if one does not have children who play sports, nearly everyone is aware that there are bad behaving parents at games where youth are the players, and it has put a damper on the enthusiasm of some. Expecting this book to be about that topic, it was eye-opening. While parental behavior is explained, the real wealth a reader will take away from this book is how the Youth Sports Industry (YSI, as abbreviated by the authors liberally) is truly for the well-off, plays off fears of parents and has extraordinary costs for items such as tournaments that should make parents think twice before committing to a pay-to-play league or club.

The main reason for parents wanting to place their athletic children into these programs is the lure of obtaining a college scholarship for athletics, especially at a prestigious university. The programs can be everything from elite traveling teams to tournaments and ID camps when supposedly a coach or coaches from “major” universities will be present to see the athlete in action and can evaluate these athletes. While stopping short of calling these programs fraudulent, the book does a very good job of explaining how the return on investment for these parents – the chances of obtaining that scholarship against the amount spent on this endeavor – is usually not good.

Using their own experience as the parents of three youth soccer players, the authors do a fantastic job of explaining the true motive of these programs – money. While because of their experience, the book is soccer-centric, the authors do explain that their information on the YSI is applicable to any sport in which universities offer scholarships to athletes. Chapters are dedicated to the different aspects of the YSI – coaches, clubs, tournaments, and ID camps are just a few of the aspects covered in the book.

There will be some discussion about the actual games, mainly in tournaments, but that is very limited. The closest to any in-depth discussion about the actual sport (soccer) is in the chapter on coaches and how some of them can be good in developing younger players, such as in the U-12 leagues and how some are looking to win at all costs in order to gain better paying coaching jobs. There will also be some eye-opening accounts that parents should read closely. The best example of this is the true cost of tournaments – these were broken down into the cost per hour of actual playing time for each player and the cost was staggering.

This is just a preview of all the excellent information and advice given to parents who are considering enrolling their young athletes into one of these programs. It is highly recommended for these parents or anyone else interested in the workings of the YSI.

I wish to thank the publisher for providing a review copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.

Thanks to Netgalley and Offside Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I don't have children and don't plan to, but I love sports. I played a variety of sports as a kid, but until now I was never aware of how the Youth Sports Industry (YSI) worked. This book delves into the behind the scenes, especially how the 'pay to play' model negatively affects not just the youth athletes but also the coaches, parents, and general landscape of sport. This book can be impactful for parents looking to put their kids in sport for the right reasons, helping them look for things they may not otherwise have been aware of.

Jean Linscott and her husband Kenneth Ruoff are the parents of three soccer players who have progressed through the club system and played the sport at the collegiate level. In this book, they lay out what they call "YSI" (Youth Sports Industry). For the mere cost of 5 to 6 figures in thirteen years, the socioeconomic elites have the best opportunity to receive a scholarship at the Division I level. Injuries from overuse? Skipping school for tournaments? Burnout and mental health issues? Pish posh. We have a crisis on our hands, but everyone is making money off the kids, so who really cares. Capitalism, baby!

Linscott and Ruoff lay out a very workable solution that most developed countries use. They have basically "Ministries of Sport" which dictate the rules amongst youth as they develop. It's an egalitarian process meant to develop the best athletes regardless of socioeconomic background. The rest just play at high school or club levels.

Unfortunately, most of their recommendations would require government regulation. Why would our government bother capitalism at the expense of our young athletes? Why would the government even care about solutions? It's much easier for one side of the aisle to just use scare tactics about high school transgender athletes as red meat for the base. The other side would not want to anger the elite universities which skew liberal who are complicit in all this.

I live in an area which is ground zero for the pay-for-play baseball machine which is leading to so many youth pitchers coming down with injuries at a young age, forcing kids and families into specialization, and requiring the same financial investment from parents. As a result, this book wasn't as particularly revelatory to me as to potentially others.

But guess what, if you aren't amongst the wealthy or willing to go into major debt - football, basketball, and track/field are about your only options. Tough luck if your child shows interest or early proficiency in a sport that requires being bilked.

A depressing read, but a necessary one for parents weight cost/benefit when it comes to especially girl's soccer.

This has niche appeal and though I'm not really familiar with girl's soccer, I am very familiar with the YSI in other sports, especially baseball. Nothing was particularly revelatory - and not surprisingly in this book, and even when I've had conversation with people who have kids or are involved in the YSI - there is a complete code of silence.

I would like to thank the Publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review (and my usual ramblings when it comes to youth sports, something I've been part of as a player, staff member, recruiter/scout, and an assistant to an athletic administrator. Thankfully, I left the industry with my dignity intact.