Why do kids play soccer?
Likely for the same reasons they play other sports.
“We survey youth in every community,” says Jon Solomon, research director for the Aspen Institute’s Sports & Society Program, “and having fun and playing with friends are by far the top reasons. Winning ranks lower, chasing a college scholarship usually ranks even lower than that.”
The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization designed to ignite human potential and build understanding. And yet, in terms of youth sports …
“We've created this system by adults that is more about a highly competitive, commercialized structure, when a vast majority of children are clearly saying that's not why they play or why they want to play,” Solomon says.
