Take a look at the changing images above.  Could your child make a basket with the help of a step stool?  Of course.  Could they hit a big plastic ball with that big red bat?  Almost assuredly. 

Do our children’s sports programs provide them with similar opportunities for success?  Probably not.   Youth sports programs are built around teams, not on the critical learning required by the children who make up those teams.  Most of us ask children whether their team won without considering how those questioned might have personally lost in the process.  The negative impact of this on a child’s potential is far greater than you likely realize.

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The book's title is literal and personal.  The cartoon depicts my 10-year-old self.  My experience as a child standing in right field was so traumatic that one time, I could not function well enough to throw a baseball hit to me back to the infield.  I was placed in that situation because youth baseball league administrators were focused on securing the little bodies needed to appear to match the professional baseball development pyramid, rather than on the actual development of children like me.  I was fortunate to recover after achieving immediate success in another sport.  Most children are not as lucky.

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There is a severe, long-term crisis in youth sports, well documented by researchers, but poorly understood.  Few parents realize its full extent, and many are unaware it even exists.  Fewer still understand how valuable a well-designed sports experience can be in a child’s life.  Sports participation helped all three children pictured above excel at a top ten national university.  Two became national champions, and the third played two sports and was one of 10 finalists for the NCAA Women of the Year award. 

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This website separates the information interwoven in the book into two different paths.  There is a section of short posts that provide quick insights into a variety of topics parents should want to know about youth sports.  There is also an overview of the book for those ready to focus on why our youth sports programs desperately need to change and how the proposed developmental paradigm addresses these shortcomings. 

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It doesn’t matter whether you like to start with immediate problems and work your way to the big picture, or vice versa.  The goal is to meet you where you are and help you understand how low-cost, flexible development model methods for youth sports play can create enjoyment, build confidence, and enable achievement for the children in your life that was previously not possible.