The world of youth sports is facing a significant dropout issue.

“While we excel at getting kids involved, we struggle to keep them engaged,” says exercise scientist Amanda Visek. “The lack of ‘fun’ is often cited in light of the concerning statistic that 70% of children quit sports before they turn 13.”

But what does “fun” really mean in the context of children’s sports?

Nearly a decade ago, Visek, a professor at George Washington University, and her team embarked on a comprehensive study to define the simple yet impactful word.

They discovered that misconceptions can lead to misunderstandings. Fun doesn’t simply mean “playing around or laughing,” Visek explains to YSL News Sports, “or just something to be enjoyed if you work hard during practice and your coach promises ‘fun time’ at the end.”

Visek’s “Fun Maps” revealed a different perspective: Fun is less about visible enjoyment and more about enriching our sports experiences.

This pioneering research, supported by the National Institutes of Health, involved young male and female soccer players of various ages and skill levels from the Washington, D.C. area.

According to their findings, fun has numerous actionable factors, such as striving for improvement, enhancing skills, and teamwork. The research indicates that fun fosters confidence and is essential for athletic growth.

“This significance appears across all ages, even among Olympic athletes,” Visek observes.

Notably, the story of Andre Agassi stands out—a world-class tennis player whose father pressured him into a sport he never learned to appreciate. Agassi’s experience highlights the vital importance of fun in sports from childhood through a professional career.

“It is a tragedy when a parent ties a child’s worth to their performance,” Agassi stated to YSL News Sports. “The demands placed on a 16-year-old wanting to go pro are outrageous. We must reflect on whether their efforts are driven by passion or fear, or if another agenda is in play.”

“When someone else’s goals overshadow a child’s own, it constitutes abuse,” he adds.

We interviewed Visek and Agassi regarding what true fun in sports involves and how we can encourage our children to genuinely enjoy their athletic experiences.

Fun isn’t a mere reward for skill; it is a mindset that enables athletes to maximize their potential.

As coaches, we often let kids engage in scrimmages or playful activities after they have ‘put in the hard work.’ We see these moments as the ‘fun’ portion of practice.

However, Visek asserts that fun stems from the hard work itself. It’s an emotion players feel when they are actively competing with their teammates and coach through dedicated practices and games.

Players in her research have indicated that the journey and effort matter more than the final score. For instance, when The Washington Post asked a high school soccer player about his most enjoyable moment in a season, Devon Mann recalled a challenging game that ended in defeat.

“He expressed how tough and demanding that match was and how fiercely they fought,” Visek recounts.

Fun is driven by three main elements that facilitate athletic growth and development, beyond just winning.

In her study, Visek asked 142 soccer players aged 8 to 19 to identify what made sports enjoyable. They generated a list of 81 elements of fun, which the researchers categorized on cards for players to organize and assess. The findings were grouped into 11 fun dimensions and visually displayed on a map.

The three top factors, consistently identified in Visek’s ongoing research, are effort, positive team interactions, and supportive coaching. The complete list can be found here:

It’s worth noting that ‘winning’ isn’t considered a factor of fun. In studies, including one conducted in Sweden with 84 fun elements, winning was typically placed in the mid-range, ranking behind improvement, receiving praise from coaches, performing well, and applying learned skills in games.

“Creating an environment where athletes experience fun leads to various positive outcomes sought by sport programs and coaches, such as motivation, performance, and retention,” states Visek. “To achieve these goals, we must prioritize the everyday experience of fun in sports.”

Fun has a remarkably similar definition across all athletes

When our children participate in recreational leagues, we often refer to it as playing “for fun.” However, when they join travel or club teams, we frame it differently, emphasizing their commitment to learning and advancing to “the next level.”

In a chapter co-authored by Visek for the 2021 book “Myths of Sport Coaching,” she highlights the stereotypical images that emerge when searching for “girls” or “women” in connection with “sport” and “fun.”

Visek notes that these images often depict females as “huddled together, laughing, hugging, sitting closely on the bench smiling, or celebrating with synchronized jumps.” In contrast, males are pictured as “sprinting towards the ball, fighting for the puck, colliding, kicking forcefully, and confronting their rivals.”

Through various sports studies, Visek’s findings suggest that the differences between genders, ages, and types of play are less pronounced than one might think.

Children involved in sports, regardless of whether they are playing casually or at a competitive level, inherently desire what Visek describes as the physical and kinesthetic aspects of sports—the high-fives, fist bumps, and tactile connections shared with teammates.

This desire for connection persists throughout their athletic journeys and is key to their enjoyment. A study of Olympians from 2000 to 2012 revealed that fun was a pivotal factor in their initial engagement with sports and their drive to reach the top of their sport.

Fun is not imposed on children through sports; it stems from their own experiences and connections.

In his autobiography “Open,” Agassi recalls that no one sought his consent to play tennis, stating multiple times, “I hate tennis.”

His professional journey revolved around the pressure from his father, a strict tennis coach, who compelled him into the sport purely for profit.

Agassi reflects, “We can discuss the complexities of abuse, but it remains unhealthy for a child’s growth. Sports can greatly benefit a child’s development, but only in a nurturing environment that encourages their personal goals and motivations. Given our youth when entering the sport, it’s difficult to believe that many experiences don’t stem from a fear-driven upbringing or practice environment.”

When Agassi and his wife Steffi Graf, a tennis legend, began their family, they intentionally chose not to pressure their children into the intense tennis world.

“The key term is choice,” Agassi expresses. “This is their life and their decisions, but our parenting approach emphasizes living by the values you claim are important. I’ll hold you accountable to that, not based on performance, but ensuring you remain true to what you value.”

Their son Jaden, 22, is a pitcher at USC and aspires for a professional career.

“He enjoys it and is passionate about it,” Agassi shares. “He embodies that every single day. The same goes for our daughter (Jaz, 20) and her choices. She is deeply connected to her passions. That’s the greatest fulfillment a parent can feel. Your happiness is tied to your child’s contentment, and witnessing your child fully engaged in life is profoundly rewarding, a sentiment I cherish deeply.”

As Visek notes, fun in sports is neither accidental nor spontaneous. It must be intentionally nurtured to create an enjoyable experience.

Fun is centered around the athlete, but there are ways we can assist in shaping that experience

The initial Fun Maps revealed that children flourish with autonomy rather than control regarding sports. Experiences deemed “less fun” often involved overregulation, while nearly 84% of the 81 identified fun factors in the Fun Maps emphasize promoting children’s autonomy, skills, and social bonds within sports.

These essential elements can be instilled in young athletes through supportive coaches who respect players, value their input, and accept errors.

Similarly, in parenting, we can foster an environment where we inquire about their interests and what they enjoy, as Visek suggests.

“The Fun Maps indicate that having family present to cheer is enjoyable,” she notes, “but there’s a nuance in asking your child, ‘How would you like me to act at your game? Would you prefer silence for better concentration, or would you like me to cheer your name?’ Then, it’s crucial to act according to their preferences.”

After the game, she recommends asking about their enjoyment levels while also discussing what aspects might not have been fun.

“If it was unpleasant, that’s valuable feedback,” she emphasizes. “As a parent, I can reflect, ‘Is that a normal part of the game, or does it require my intervention?’ Open communication is vital for both athletes and parents, allowing for deeper understanding and reflection.”

I gain important insights about my son’s practice when he gets into the car and energetically starts narrating the details before I even ask. His narration illuminates more beyond just the coaches’ comments or the team’s performance.

Most often, it signifies that he had a great time.

Contributing: Mackenzie Salmon