Overplayed

Remember pickup games in the backyard? Times have changed.

Should I sign up our seven-year-old son for the travel team? What should we do about our daughter’s Sunday morning games? Am I the only one longing for a sane balance between children’s sports, family time, and church commitments?

David King and Margot Starbuck offer good news for Christian parents stressed out by these questions and stretched thin by the demands of competitive youth sports. They believe that youth athletics should be a learning laboratory for wholesome relationships and character development. Did you know your child can become a better athlete by not playing one sport year-round? That investing money into athletic pursuits in the hopes of a scholarship rarely pays off? That you can say no to elite leagues and still say yes to your child’s fun and fitness?

Join King, athletic director at a Christian university, and Starbuck, an award-winning author and speaker, as they investigate seven myths about what’s best for young athletes. Discover with them what it means to not be conformed to the patterns of the youth sports world. Listen in as they talk to other parents, pastors, and coaches about the peril and promise of children’s sports. Learn practical ways to set boundaries and help kids gain healthy identities as beloved children of God—both on and off the field, and whether they win or lose.