Youth Sports

The modern day youth sports environment has taken the enjoyment out of athletics for our children. Currently, 70% of kids drop out of organized sports by the age of 13, which has given rise to a generation of overweight, unhealthy young adults. There is a solution. John O'Sullivan shares the secrets of the coaches and parents who have not only raised elite athletes, but have done so by creating an environment that promotes positive core values and teaches life lessons instead of focusing on wins and losses.

Today's youth-sports experience provokes countless questions for well-intentioned parents. How young should kids start playing sports? Should they specialize—and when? What should a parent do when their kid is not getting the playing time they think their child deserves? How do parents encourage children without overwhelming them? Raising Empowered Athletes has answers for every youth-sports situation with an overarching goal of not only helping parents raise strong athletes but also nurture great human beings who are empowered to succeed on and off the playing field.

Master mental toughness without feeling overwhelmed, even if you've struggled with consistency before! Are you a young athlete struggling to perform consistently under pressure? Do you find it hard to stay focused during games, despite rigorous training?Or maybe, as a parent or coach, you're searching for ways to help young athletes build confidence and overcome anxiety? You’re not alone.

"Why It’s Taking So Long to Fix Youth Sports" speaks for the countless voices disheartened by the current state of youth sports. Once innocent neighborhood games have transformed into a cutthroat business fueled by profit. The joy and camaraderie of yesteryears have been overshadowed by a relentless pursuit of success, wealth, and self interest. Youth sports expert Matt Young takes us through a forensic examination of what’s gone wrong, combined with practical strategies for how to give sports back to the kids.

The NBA has returned to prominence on the backs of phenoms like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Kevin Garnett. The media promotes them, the shoe companies pay them, and America applauds. But how exactly do such players reach the pros? What do they give up to get there? And what happens to those who fall short?

Every year, more than 3.5 million children under age 15 require medical treatment for sports injuries, nearly half of which are the result of simple overuse. Journalist Mark Hyman investigates the evolution of youth sports from mere games to full-on quests to turn children into tomorrow's superstar athletes by pushing them beyond physical and emotional limits. Opening up a crucial discussion about the perils of youth-sports culture today, Hyman offers the solutions and answers we need.

A look at how commercialization has transformed youth sports from fun into a heavily commercialized and profitable venture. Examining the youth sports economy from many sides - the major corporations, the small entrepreneurs, the coaches, the parents, and, of course, the kids - Hyman probes the reasons for rapid changes in what gets bought and sold in this lucrative marketplace. He reveals the effects on kids and profiles the individuals and communities bucking this destructive trend of commercialization.

The Sandlot Legacy: Chronicles of Youth and Baseball, an award-winning tale, invites you into a world where dreams are woven into reality through determination, resilience, and the transformative spirit of baseball. Journey alongside our protagonist, Jack Thompson, a dreamer undeterred by skeptics who dares to reach for the stars against all odds. This beautifully penned narrative unearths the profound power of mentorship, encapsulated in the bond between Jack and his mentor, Mr. Davis. Their relationship shines a spotlight on how an act of belief can catalyze someone to achieve their dreams.

The truth is that youth anxiety, stress, burnout, comparison, injuries, perfectionism, and identity disturbance are at all-time highs. Our shortsightedness as leaders is killing the confidence and long-term success of our youth. In the book The Youth Truth, Andrew starts by sharing the shocking and scary realities facing our student-athletes today. He then dives deep into solutions: love-powered leadership and mind-set performance coaching.

Maya Andersson and Benji Ovich, two young people who left in search of a life far from the forest town, come home and joyfully reunite with their closest childhood friends. There is a new sense of optimism and purpose in the town, embodied in the impressive new ice rink that has been built down by the lake. Two years have passed since the events that no one wants to think about. Everyone has tried to move on, but there’s something about this place that prevents it.

Are you new to basketball or have never coached a youth team before? Are you unsure of what to do during practice or how to manage a team during a game? Are you dealing with a loudmouth parent on your team that is a bad example of sportsmanship? 50 Things to Know About Coaching Youth Basketball by Aaron Reynolds offers an approach to coaching youth sports for first-time coaches, or parents new to the game that were “volunteered” to lead the team.

We are living in the Wild West of college sports. Name, Image and Likeness endorsements, the transfer portal, collectives, conference realignment, the powerful influence of media companies have all rendered the notion of amateur athletics a quaint relic of the past, replaced by a Brave New World where money and self-interest rule. The Price is a sweeping, in-depth, thought-provoking look at an inflection point in big-time college football.

Do you want to know the best to do AAU basketball? This book holds the answers to all of your questions about the new world of AAU basketball. Inside its chapters are step-by-step directions on how to navigate the AAU basketball landscape successfully for you and your young player.

This is a must-listen, cautionary tale for any parents with kids in youth sports or any adult considering coaching children. We have a coaching crisis in this country. Because of the parents with unrealistic assessments of how much more important their kids are to their teams or just how good (or not) their children are, coaches are putting their personal and professional reputations on the line when they coach a team for these parents: And the risks are starting to outweigh the rewards.

Beyond the Skills and Drills: The Keys to Successfully Coaching Youth Sports is a how-to book. That is, how do volunteer coaches create the best possible sporting experience for our kids? This book redefines the term coach and looks at youth coaching from a teaching perspective. Bill addresses the pre-season, in-season, and post-season activities necessary to create the best hours of a child's week. Every youth coach in America needs to listen to and absorb this book.

This audiobook will help a parent understand the value of the time spent in youth sports. It's a helpful tool for parents and coaches to evaluate the progress of a youngster not just in a sport but in their level of confidence in life, their leadership skills, their growth as a person, and the way they relate to others. This is a great tool if you're a new parent or in the middle stages parenting it provides you with ideas and exmples to help you develop a great foundation for your children success in sports and other areas of life.

A portion of the proceeds from Front Row Seat will be donated to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Disease research and the Positive Coaching Alliance to help coaches lead and develop America’s future leaders. America's youth sports industry has changed dramatically over the past two decades. The days of playing for your town or local YMCA team, be it baseball, soccer, basketball or lacrosse were coming to an end.

The Resilient Young Athlete is your ultimate guide to developing mental toughness, thriving under pressure, and mastering the mindset that sets champions apart! Whether you're a young athlete, a parent, or a coach, this audiobook offers invaluable insights into building the resilience needed to excel in the competitive world of youth sports. For young athletes struggling with confidence or anxiety, you’ll learn practical steps to cultivate a growth-oriented mindset, set and achieve SMART goals, and manage game-day stress like a pro!

Every parent dreams of their child falling in love with sports, and when the opportunity to coach a team arises, many of us leap at the chance without hesitation. However, as the season progresses—or sometimes just before it begins—we often find ourselves realizing that we might not have a clue what we’re doing.

As the parent of two sons who went on to play baseball in college as well as a former head baseball coach at the NCAA level, I want to share alternatives with parents that will allow their children to avoid the anxiety and stress that many face within the overstructured and overorganized world of travel baseball. The hamster wheel of travel ball is a business model and not a baseball development model. For kids, baseball should be all about one thing—having fun! We play it as kids, watch and listen to it as adults, and pass down our love of it through generations.