How Youth Sports Can Be Eternally Significant

Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. —1 PETER 2:12

Kids are back in school and youth sports are gearing up for another year. And, boy, does that bring back a lot of memories!

The first year I coached youth sports was for our son’s second-grade boys city-league team. It was not only composed of a bunch of talented kids, but it actually turned out to be the only undefeated team in my entire coaching career!

For that age group, we were expected to exclusively play a zone defense. So, I taught the kids a smothering full-court trap and used it for about a month. But the other coaches reminded me that shutouts in a five-year old’s basketball league were not good for the kids’ esteem. So, for the rest of the season, we only utilized a half-court trap. (Please don’t judge me.)

It's intuitive to think that getting kids involved in sports is a good idea. But the more you dig into the data, the better an idea it becomes. The benefits are significant. Here are just a few.

2. Youth sports can improve physical health. Just getting kids up and moving has a ton of health benefits.

3. Youth sports can improve mental health. Research shows that being involved in sports reduces depression and anxiety. Statistically, kids who get involved in sports have less risk of substance abuse and suicide. It also reduces the time spent on social media and playing video games, which have been proven to have a negative effect on an individual’s well-being, no matter how old you are.

4. Youth sports can promote socialization. Sports brings people together. They create natural arenas for community to develop.

5. Youth sports can improve academic performance. It’s linked to higher academic achievement and creative skills.

6. Youth sports can teach kids important life skills, like teamwork, responsibility, self-control, and leadership.

7. Youth sports are fun. Especially, if the adults involved can behave themselves.

You’ll notice, my list didn’t include, “They can eventually reduce the financial burden of college for parents.” Because, while that might be true for a few, only 2% of child athletes grow up to earn a college scholarship to play a sport. Early on, many of us believed our child would be in that group. Raising three children, I ended up coaching a lot of youth sports. And I think it would be fair to say that I’ve never met a child athlete who is quite as talented as their parents think they are. I’m not trying to burst anyone’s bubble and I think it’s cool that we believe so much in our children. But, when you look at the numbers, there is an extremely high likelihood that participating in sports is never going to provide a payday.

You’ll also notice, my list didn’t include a number one. I believe the greatest benefit to youth sports is one that few Christians talk enough about. (I saved the best for last.)

1. Youth sports is one the greatest platforms in our culture to build the Kingdom of God.

For our family, the youth sports phase of our lives only lasted about 12 years, but it provided us some of the greatest oikos opportunities of our lives. And here are some reasons why.

1. Youth sports immediately corrects the inaccurate perception many of us have of not knowing any non-believers.

This is one of the biggest push-backs I’ve heard through the years, as we’ve encouraged people to include any non-believing friends in their oikos lists. “But I don’t really know any non-believers,” many of them say. And, over time, Christians can tend to lose touch with the non-believers they knew in their lives before Jesus. But youth sports tend to create an immediate upgrade in Kingdom-building potential. Whether you’re meeting with other coaches, regularly interacting with players’ parents, or simply sitting on the sidelines with their families, your child’s team provides an entire new platform to demonstrate Christian conduct and share your faith in Jesus.

2. Youth sports provides a clear contrast in behavior for non-believers to see.

Whether you’ve lived through it yourself or just happened to watch a newsreel or two, it’s no secret. A majority of parents misbehave badly while watching their children play a sport. On any given day, the objects of their frustration may include referees or umpires, coaches from either team, the opposing team’s players, or even the opposing team’s players’ parents! “Pity the fool who doesn’t treat my children fairly!” This may be a tall order, but please consider the power of exemplifying the fruit of the Spirit against the backdrop of that very typical level of angst. “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” (Philippians 1:27)

3. Youth sports creates structure for relational investment.

There is no doubt that our own family became closer during those years. But game and practice schedules also gave us opportunities to know, well in advance, how to plan for, pray for, and then leverage effective evangelism.

4. Youth sports creates front-row longevity.

While many of the names on our oikos lists will rotate off at some point, youth sports promise to keep some of those individuals firmly planted in our front row for a long time. And, statistically, effective evangelism takes time to germinate.

5. Youth sports provide “easy to assemble” opportunities for relational investment.

Some front-row relationships may reflect a bit of awkwardness, as we look for ways to invest in people’s lives. Not so with youth sports. Where else do you regularly share life with the same people for months or even years at a time? Where else can you find such natural environments to share meals, meetings, and conversations with people outside of your local church?

Our three children never became college athletes but, I have to tell you, our entire family had a blast during the youth sports years of their lives. I actually couldn’t provide you any details about how their physicality or mental health improved, or how their personal and social development was enhanced during that season of their lives (although I’m sure they were). But one thing I can trace is the spiritual impact those years had in the lives of many families, including our own. Looking back, it’s truly miraculous what God accomplished during those years. It’s even more amazing to consider what He will continue to do for generations to come.

And pulling back on that full-court zone trap definitely helped!

(Investing in your oikos is just one step in The Oikos Challenge, a five-step strategy to change your world. You can read more about The Oikos Challenge in any of Tom’s three books.)