The Great School Sports Obsession: Let Kids Play Already!

 

Ah, school sports. On paper, it sounds lovely: fresh air, teamwork, exercise, and maybe even a bit of fun. But somewhere along the line, the simple joy of a game of football, netball, or hockey has morphed into a gladiatorial battle for prestige, scholarships, and - let’s be honest - a little bit of parental bragging rights. At some schools, you’d think they were running Olympic boot camps rather than PE sessions. The core business of school is, believe it or not, education, and yet here we are, turning our children’s sport into a mini-professional circus.

Parents and the Sports-Driven Arms Race

Have you been to a school sports event lately? I had the privilege of attending some Easter Festival tournaments recently… It’s a battlefield. And I’m not talking about the kids’ efforts on the field, but the parents on the sidelines. You’ve got them decked out in full team colours, armed with high-tech cameras, ready to capture every game-changing pass and minute of action. Some are barking instructions as though they’re managing the Springboks themselves. Others look like they’ve got a second mortgage riding on the outcome of the U13s match. And for what?

Instead of sport being a place where kids run around and enjoy themselves, it’s become another contest for adults. Too often, parents’ dreams are riding on their children’s shoulders, and the pressure piles up fast. They’re trying to mould young athletes out of five-year-olds who barely understand what they’re doing on the field. And who can blame the kids if they don’t? The lines are blurred: is it still just a game, or is their every move being judged for potential?

Schools: Aren’t We Here to Teach?

And it’s not just the parents – some schools are all too eager to join the frenzy. They’re caught up in the thrill of building reputations as the training ground for tomorrow’s top athletes. Scholarships, sports days, league tables… it’s all become a bit much. Some schools practically demand you pick up a whistle before the ink’s even dry on the enrolment forms, eager to identify who has the potential to bring home the trophies.

Somehow, sport has climbed the ranks to sit beside – or, in some cases, above – core subjects. And this isn’t limited to high schools either; we’re talking primary schools, too, where winning a regional tournament is celebrated as if it’s a Nobel Prize. But here’s the catch: if you’re a school, your core business isn’t to cultivate the next Olympic athlete; it’s to teach children. Maths, Science, Literacy, History… that’s the business of education. Sport should be the bonus, the creative release, the space where kids can just be kids, not star athletes in the making.

The Reality Check: Not Every Kid Is Headed for the Big Leagues

Let’s face facts: the chances of any one child going on to make a living from sport are, statistically speaking, slimmer than a goalpost. Out of thousands, maybe one will go on to play professionally, and even then, they’ll be up against staggering odds. And that’s perfectly fine! School sports shouldn’t be a career-training ground; it should be about enjoyment, health, and building soft skills – teamwork, resilience, leadership. These are the things that will last long after the whistle’s blown on their last school game.

When kids are told that winning is everything and every game has something riding on it, they stop enjoying it. The joy of kicking a ball or swimming a few laps morphs into stress, fear of failure, and worse – burnout before they’re even old enough to drive. Childhood sports burnout is real, and it’s on the rise because the message has shifted from “play” to “perform.”

So, Can We Just Let Kids Play?

If we could take a step back and remember why sport exists in schools in the first place, maybe we could return to a healthier, happier version of it. Let kids sign up for whatever sport they want. Let them play without the pressure of making the school look good or fulfilling a parent’s lost dream of athletic glory. Encourage them to give it a go, to run around, and yes – even to lose sometimes. Because losing, as any adult will tell you, is often where we learn the most valuable lessons.

Schools, you have an essential job to do, and that’s educating the next generation. Parents, you have the role of guiding your children and encouraging their interests – not dictating them. Let’s stop treating sports as the defining factor of a child’s school life. Sports should be their break, their enjoyment, their release from the pressures of school – not an additional burden to carry.

Let them laugh, fall, make mistakes, and enjoy the camaraderie that comes with it. Because one day, when they look back, they’re not going to remember every score or result. They’ll remember the fun they had, the friends they made, and the lessons they learned – the real point of school sports.