Youth sports often face a drop-off issue.

“We excel at getting children engaged, but we fail significantly at keeping them involved,” says exercise scientist Amanda Visek. “The lack of ‘fun’ is frequently linked to the startling statistic that 70% of kids abandon sports before they turn 13.”

So, what exactly does ‘fun’ mean in the context of youth sports?

About a decade ago, Visek, who is an associate professor at George Washington University, and her team set out to thoroughly investigate the true essence of this brief yet meaningful term.

They discovered that misconceptions could skew perceptions. Fun is not merely “messing around or smiling,” Visek explains to YSL News Sports, “or something that is only experienced after a hard practice when the coach says, ‘You can have fun for the last 10 minutes.’”

Visek’s “Fun Maps” revealed that fun is not just an expression but rather a core component of the sports experience.

This innovative research, backed by the National Institutes of Health, involved male and female youth soccer players from various age groups and skill levels in the Washington, D.C. area.

The study identified many actionable factors that contribute to fun, such as making an effort, improving skills, and teamwork. The findings suggest that fun fosters confidence, which is crucial for athletic growth.

“This concept is relevant for all ages, including Olympic athletes,” Visek states.

Take, for example, the story of renowned tennis player Andre Agassi, whose father’s pressure to excel in the sport diminished Agassi’s enjoyment. His experience highlights how essential fun is in sports throughout one’s journey.

“It’s tragic for a parent to tie a child’s sense of worth to their athletic performance,” Agassi shared with YSL News Sports. “The expectations placed on a 16-year-old to reach professional standards are outrageous. It raises the question: is this driven by passion or fear? Is it someone else’s agenda?”

“When a child’s needs take a backseat to someone else’s motivations, we need to be honest—that’s abuse.”

We talked to Visek and Agassi about what ‘fun’ truly means and how we can enable our children to genuinely enjoy their sports experiences.

Fun is not just a reward for being skilled, but a feeling that enhances an athlete’s ability.

Often, as youth coaches, we think of scrimmaging or running bases as the “fun” part of practice, something to be done after they’ve put in hard work.

However, according to Visek, fun is found within the work itself. It’s the feeling athletes get from competing alongside their teammates and even challenging themselves during intense practices and games.

Visek’s research indicates that the joy comes more from the experiences along the way than the results. When The Washington Post covered her initial study, one high school soccer player named Devon Mann recalled a particularly enjoyable game despite the loss.

“He described how incredibly tough that game was and how hard they fought,” says Visek.

Fun revolves around three main elements that foster athletic growth, not just winning.

In her study, Visek engaged 142 soccer players aged 8 to 19 in discussing what makes their sports experience enjoyable. They identified 81 factors related to fun, which researchers compiled and categorized into 11 key dimensions of fun.

The top three fun factors that emerged, backed by Visek’s ongoing research, are putting in effort, maintaining positive team dynamics, and receiving encouraging coaching. You can see the complete list here:

Notably, winning does not rank among the fun factors. In both Visek’s initial studies and her research in Sweden, winning typically placed around the middle of the list, overshadowed by factors like striving to improve, receiving praise from coaches, playing well, and effectively using skills practiced in games.

“By creating an enjoyable experience for athletes, we can also achieve other desirable outcomes that coaches and sports programs aim for, such as motivation, performance enhancement, and player retention,” Visek explains. “To accomplish those goals, we must concentrate on the daily experience—the moments of fun during sports.”

The concept of fun is quite similar across all athletes.

When it comes to kids participating in recreational leagues, we often say they are playing “just for fun.” However, when they join a travel or club team, we view them as having a serious intention to learn and grow to reach “the next level.”

In a similar vein, Visek highlighted in a chapter of the 2021 book “Myths of Sport Coaching” that searching for “girls” or “women” in conjunction with “sport” and “fun” tends to reveal cliched representations.

She pointed out that females are often depicted as “huddled closely, giggling, hugging each other, sitting together on the bench smiling, or celebrating by jumping together,” while males are shown “rushing towards the ball, fighting for the puck, colliding, kicking forcefully, and challenging their competitors.”

Visek’s research, conducted across various sports, consistently shows that people’s similarities surpass their differences—regardless of gender, age, or whether they play recreationally or competitively.

Children engaged in sports from an early age desire what Visek describes as the physical and kinesthetic aspects of sports, which include high-fives, fist bumps, and the physical interactions we share with teammates.

This need for connection persists into later stages of athletic life and even at elite levels, largely because it is enjoyable. A study of Olympians from 2000 to 2012 revealed that fun was a vital element in their initial engagement with sports and sustained their ambition to excel.

Fun stems from personal connections, not pressure

Andre Agassi recalls in his autobiography, “Open,” that no one ever asked him if he wanted to play tennis. He repeatedly expresses his disdain for the sport.

His career was shaped by his father’s controlling approach, who imposed tennis on him as a means to profit from his efforts.

Agassi reflects, “We can talk about various forms of abuse, but it’s not conducive to healthy child development.” He believes that while sports can greatly benefit a child’s growth, this only happens in a nurturing environment where children pursue their passions for their own sake. Given the young age at which they enter sports, it is hard for him to believe that most of the time, their involvement isn’t born out of a fear-based upbringing or approach.

When starting a family with tennis champion Steffi Graf, Agassi was careful not to pressure their son and daughter into the demanding tennis culture.

“The key is choice,” Agassi explains. “It’s their life and their decision, but as parents, we emphasize the importance of living by what you value. I won’t judge you by your performance, but you will be accountable for the values you express.”

Their 22-year-old son Jaden is a pitcher at USC and aims for a professional career.

“He loves it and wants to pursue it,” Agassi states. “He actively engages with it every day, and that brings me joy. Our daughter (Jaz, 20) feels the same way about her passions. Witnessing your children fully engaged in their lives is a profoundly rewarding experience, one I cherish.”

Visek asserts that enjoyment in sports isn’t random—it’s cultivated purposefully to create a fun atmosphere.

Creating fun is an athlete-focused journey, and we can support it

The original Fun Maps revealed that children flourish through autonomy rather than regulation when participating in sports. They found that experiences deemed “not fun” were those characterized by control, with nearly 84% of the 81 fun factors identified emphasizing children’s autonomy, competence, and social ties in sports.

These essential qualities can be nurtured in young athletes through empowering coaches who respect their players, consider their viewpoints, and allow room for mistakes.

Our parenting can mirror this approach. We can communicate with them, as Visek suggests, asking what they enjoy and what they consider fun.

“The Fun Maps indicate that having parents and family present to cheer is enjoyable,” she notes, “with the subtlety of asking your child, ‘How would you like me to show support at your game? Would you prefer I remain quiet so you can concentrate, or do you want me to cheer you on?’ And then follow through on their preference.”

She recommends following up after games to inquire not just if they had fun but also to understand what elements they did not enjoy.

“If they didn’t enjoy something, that’s valuable feedback,” she says. “As a parent, it prompts reflection: Is that a normal aspect of sports, or is it something that may require intervention? We must improve our communication with our young athletes and regularly check in with them. Encouraging them to articulate their thoughts fosters deeper reflection, helping them learn about themselves and their experiences.”

After practice, when one of my sons excitedly shares details as soon as he gets in the car, I discover insights about his day that go beyond the coaches’ feedback or the game performance.

More often than not, it indicates that he had a great time.

Contributing: Mackenzie Salmon

Steve Borelli, known as Coach Steve, has been an editor and writer with YSL News since 1999. He dedicated a decade to coaching his sons’ baseball and basketball teams. Now, he and his wife, Colleen, are navigating parenting as sports parents for two high schoolers. His column appears weekly. To read his previous columns, click here.