Revolution in the Bleachers

About Revolution in the Bleachers

A journalist and mother of two athletic kids exposes the physical and emotional dangers of our over-the-top youth sports culture—and offers practical solutions for positive change.

A decade ago, Joan Ryan’s exposé, Little Girls in Pretty Boxes, changed the way we look at elite sports, namely figure skating and gymnastics. Today, there is another crisis in youth sports. It may affect any child, from the kindergartner on the soccer field to the high school athlete competing for scarce scholarship money. Regan McMahon’s Revolution in the Bleachers is a wake-up call for parents who spend their lives shuttling their kids from one field and practice to the next and wonder what happened to family life.

• Have late weeknight practices made family meals a thing of the past?
• Do you spend hours in the car each week, driving to games across town (or across the state)?
• Do you worry that your kids will miss out (on competitive experiences, college scholarships, and other advantages) if they do not specialize in one sport early on?
• Do you feel pressured to have your kids join elite club teams with steep fees and demanding travel schedules?
• Do your kids get repetitive stress injuries that necessitate trips to orthopedic surgeons or physical therapists?
• Do you miss your non-sports-related vacations as a family?