The Lack of Youth Sports Is a Crisis

Far from the glamour of professional and college games that appear in abundance on our screens, sports are barely limping along at the community level where children learn to love games and families come together to sit in stands and form lasting bonds.

Since March, youth participation in sports has dropped off a cliff.

To Rich Luker, the pandemic-fueled decline in youth participation is just one piece of a larger puzzle.

Few people are attending games of any kind. The fear of large crowds is wise, and it’s keeping most of us away from sitting in stands or standing on sidelines or even gathering for television watch parties. But we need to be aware of the cost: Children, families and friends have been cut from fandom’s communal tradition.