Most Sports Parents Say There's More Good Than Harm In Youth Sports, Survey Finds

MONDAY, Sept. 21, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Sports parents overwhelmingly say the benefits of organized competition outweigh the drawbacks for them and their kids, a new survey has found.

Nearly 9 out of 10 sports parents (89%) said the benefits of youth sports outweigh drawbacks, according to the new Associated Press/Ipsos survey of parents of school-age children.

The survey “finds that sports parents identify a wide range of benefits for children who play sports, including learning about hard work and commitment, learning to work with others, and improving physical fitness,” according to an Ipsos press release.

“Parents see drawbacks as well, such as the risk of chronic injuries, the risk [of] brain injuries and the risk of burnout,” the release continued. “However, these concerns resonate less strongly with parents than the perceived benefits.”

More than half (54%) of parents surveyed said they have at least one child who plays organized sports, the poll found.

Benefits cited by these parents included:

• Making friends with other children their age (98%)

• Learning about hard work and commitment (97%)

• Learning to work with others as part of a team (97%)

• Learning to deal with adversity (97%)

• Improving physical fitness (96%)

• Reducing time spent on screens or technology (96%)

However, there were also a number of drawbacks cited by a majority of parents, such as:

• The possibility of burnout (78%)

• Risking chronic, long-lasting injuries (77%)

• Risking injuries to the brain (75%)

• Pressure from parents or coaches (73%)

• Missing out on events with family or friends (71%)

The parents also cited household challenges to their kids’ sports participation, including problems with scheduling and logistics (84%), team or club fees (73%), the amount of travel (72%), and equipment or uniform costs (69%).

Most commonly, school kids participate in recreational sports teams (72%) or school sports teams (64%), followed by training independently (45%), joining a travel or club sports team (44%), or joining an academy sports team (26%), the survey found.

The most popular sports are soccer (31%), basketball (25%), softball or baseball (20%), cheerleading or dance (16%), swimming or diving (14%), track and field (14%), and volleyball (14%).

About 97% of sports parents said their child’s interest is the reason why they play youth sports, but 93% said encouragement from them as a parent also plays a role. Other influences included their child’s friends (81%) or their kid’s school (65%).

Nearly 2 out of 5 parents surveyed (37%) said they’ve had a child quit an organized sport.

Among these parents, 86% said their child simply lost interest; 51% said the kid quit because they didn’t feel they were good enough; 41% cited the high expense of the sport; 40% said there was too much pressure to perform; and 26% pointed to bullying or other negative behavior.

When asked what should be prioritized in youth sports, most sports parents said having fun and learning to compete and succeed should be equally emphasized (65%), while 27% wanted more focus on fun and 8% wanted the emphasis placed on competition.

Nearly 4 out of 5 sports parents said they view their child’s participation in athletics with pride (79%) and happiness (77%). By comparison, only 16% said youth sports stress them out and 15% said they were burned out.

The survey, which took place in late July, involved 1,737 people, including an oversample of 510 parents whose schoolkid plays organized sports. The margin of error is plus or minus 2.7 percentage points for the entire sample, and 4.9 points for those whose kids play sports.

More information

Ohio State University has more about the benefits and drawbacks of youth sports.

SOURCE: Ipsos, news release, Aug. 13, 2026