You aren't wrong there. My niece is a freshman on a Class C team. Between JV and Reserve games she will probably have at least 30 games this year. That's a lot.
Burwell Basketball
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You aren't wrong there. My niece is a freshman on a Class C team. Between JV and Reserve games she will probably have at least 30 games this year. That's a lot.
Sioux County is such a tough spot. 17 total girls in 9-12, and closest school is Crawford that they would ever be able to potentially co-op with and they are 30 miles away. Surprised this hasn't happened more often.
Sioux Co. had a girls Bball co-op pretty much all lined up and their school board wavered at the 11th hour. They had enough to play VB but several girls are not participating in Bball. I believe only four girls wanted to do Bball this season.
This is a Facebook Post from a friend. This is not my post, but it really stuck with me. Is this the problem or part of the problem? I don't know for sure but can certainly see how it could be at the very least a factor.
Lots of folks are upset because athletic teams are forfeiting seasons or canceling programs all together in Nebraska. Low numbers of participants is largely being blamed.
This isn't the kids fault.
Y'all have taken shit too far.
These kids realize, to play football and see the field, you start about 15 minutes after track season is over. Camps, summer weights, etc.
If you don't do them all, you won't see the field.
So the kids devote a significant portion of the summer to it. Throw in a few basketball or wrestling camps along the way. It makes it nearly impossible to have a summer job or do typical teenager stuff. Then they get the joy of the has beens who went 2-6 or 0- and forever critiquing and pressuring. Many of these teenagers probably have a better grip on reality and priorities than the parents and community members.
I'm not against families doing club ball and pushing their kids a little. I'm not against coaches providing opportunities for kids to get better if they choose. I just think we need to realize that more kids are going to step off the hamster wheel, especially if they are disadvantaged financially.
Lots of folks are upset because athletic teams are forfeiting seasons or canceling programs all together in Nebraska. Low numbers of participants is largely being blamed.
This isn't the kids fault.
Y'all have taken shit too far.
These kids realize, to play football and see the field, you start about 15 minutes after track season is over. Camps, summer weights, etc.
If you don't do them all, you won't see the field.
So the kids devote a significant portion of the summer to it. Throw in a few basketball or wrestling camps along the way. It makes it nearly impossible to have a summer job or do typical teenager stuff. Then they get the joy of the has beens who went 2-6 or 0- and forever critiquing and pressuring. Many of these teenagers probably have a better grip on reality and priorities than the parents and community members.
I'm not against families doing club ball and pushing their kids a little. I'm not against coaches providing opportunities for kids to get better if they choose. I just think we need to realize that more kids are going to step off the hamster wheel, especially if they are disadvantaged financially.
Another large issue that is often not discussed enough is kids starting team sports as young as 4. When I was growing up youth basketball started in January as a 3rd grader for 4-5 Saturdays with the parents teaching us some basic skills for an hour and then playing 3on3 for about 15 minutes at the end. My first tournament, and only one for the year, was in 5th grade. Did another tournament in 6th grade. Football didn't start till 7th grade. In high school we won the conference regular season basketball title my senior year. Played in a district final my junior season. Made state football playoffs three of four years. Was a part of a relay team in track that placed 4th at state my senior year. We didn't win state championships but we were also by no mean bad teams. I spent countless hours on the cement pad shooting hoops by myself and went to one basketball camp each summer. That was enough to give me the opportunity to play NAIA basketball. Sadly, no way in hell does is a kid take the path I had and have the opportunity to play NAIA today.
Now days, by the time kids reach their freshman season of HS they've already played for nine years. How many games have they played when you add up their school and club teams? And yet we are suprised when kids don't want to play any longer. These clubs and facilties are making money off us families. The days of dad working with their son or daughter in the backyard is over. How many millions/billions of dollars is the youth sports industry today? Go into any facilty and you'll see some 23 year old recent college grade giving lessons to a 9 year old that mom and dad spent $25 for the hour. We play youth basketball league on Sundays as early as 10am from November thru February.
This new normal is benefiting the elite athlete but not sure about the other 99%.
Now days, by the time kids reach their freshman season of HS they've already played for nine years. How many games have they played when you add up their school and club teams? And yet we are suprised when kids don't want to play any longer. These clubs and facilties are making money off us families. The days of dad working with their son or daughter in the backyard is over. How many millions/billions of dollars is the youth sports industry today? Go into any facilty and you'll see some 23 year old recent college grade giving lessons to a 9 year old that mom and dad spent $25 for the hour. We play youth basketball league on Sundays as early as 10am from November thru February.
This new normal is benefiting the elite athlete but not sure about the other 99%.
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The commercialization of youth sports has created a system where specialization, private coaching, and year-round competition are not only normalized but often expected. This "new normal" can burn kids out before they even hit high school, leaving them disconnected from the joy of the game.
Back in the day, like you mentioned, it was about developing fundamentals and love for the sport organically—shooting hoops on the driveway, playing catch with your dad, and learning the value of competition in small, manageable doses. That slower, more balanced progression allowed kids to develop passion and resilience without the pressure of being on a club team or attending endless tournaments.
Now, with the youth sports industry being a multi-billion-dollar machine, it feels like the focus has shifted from long-term development and enjoyment to immediate results and profit. It’s not surprising that so many kids burn out, quit, or feel like they’re not good enough by the time they reach high school because the system often doesn’t prioritize the 99% who just want to play for fun or personal growth.
The irony is that the over-saturation of games, training, and tournaments doesn't guarantee success. Like you said, your path to NAIA basketball—built on passion, hard work, and a love for the game—would be almost unrecognizable today. It’s a shame, too, because that journey taught so much more than just how to win a game; it taught life lessons about grit, independence, and balance, things we’re at risk of losing in this era of over-scheduled, hyper-competitive youth sports.
Ironically, it's not working in the development of even the elite athletes.
In 20 years there will be more International NBA Players than domestic. We have decided that tournaments is the way to develop players. Our International counterparts decided that practice is the way. But really,we don't have a choice. It's hard to get families to pay $2k for 10 games and 25 practices.
Spot on take on regards to international basketball. Could someone please logically attempt to explain why 3rd grader girls are playing 5vs5 with a 28.5 ball on a 10ft hoop in America?
I’m guessing the reasoning behind having 3rd-grade girls play 5v5 on a 10-foot hoop with a 28.5 ball is that it’s supposed to "prepare them for the future" by getting them used to the rules and equipment early. Kind of like the idea that if we just throw them into the deep end, they’ll figure it out, right? And of course, there’s the whole “team concepts” argument—because nothing says teamwork like a bunch of 8-year-olds launching the ball at a hoop they can barely reach. But really, it feels like a lot of parental pressure and the classic “everyone else is doing it” mentality driving this. Heaven forbid little Susie doesn’t start playing the full game at 8—she might fall behind in the imaginary 3rd-grade basketball rankings!
The problem with all sports right now is more time is spent playing games and less time is spent developling fundamental skills
Many teams play as many games as they practice and when in fact it should be way way more practices than games.
Society loves games over practice because they’re more exciting, easier to brag about, and give instant results. Who cares about developing skills when you can chase trophies and post highlights on social media? Plus, youth sports businesses aren’t making money off kids running drills—they need those endless tournaments to keep parents paying. Why focus on the boring stuff like getting better when we can just play more games and call it progress?
As a coach and educator, I can’t stand this. We have coaches in the very building I’m in who push kids into these leagues and travel teams at an early age, feeding into the cycle. Instead of teaching the value of skill development and patience, they’re fast-tracking burnout and bad habits for a shot at meaningless wins.
We focus on shooting form with the 3rd graders (and the many 4th-6th graders that are still tiny) and tell them not to worry about making it, but yeah, it's bad when half the team is too small to shoot that ball up to the rim.
We lower hoops in our gym and league for young kids, and use a smaller ball. Likely one of the best things we do. I will say they should keep the lower hoop and smaller ball a bit longer than they do.
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