Participation in a sports activity besides dedication and discipline also requires passion. We have often heard elite players who say that passion has served them as a generator of work and improvement in sports. But many young people are giving these passions up today. Why do young people lack the passion of pursuing a sport? There are many complex answers to this question, but in general, the main reasons are these:

Parents who do not let the game belong to the children – They are the parents involved in every step of their child and often cross the boundary of ethics for this reason. For these parents, there is no child other than their child, and the coach should focus only on him. These parents forget that sports are played on the team and without a good sense of teamwork, the child can not succeed.

Athletes must bear the responsibility for their actions – Many young sportsmen, spurred on by parents, are insecure in the game, are afraid of mistake and refuse to play in a position where they are not 100% safe. This comes as a result of the mentality of the parents, the pressure they create, and the lack of obstacles that their parents have cleansed before appearing to the child. These emotions affect the child’s mental health and he/she creates an illusion that it is the best. When making a mistake, he forgets that he has to take responsibility and improve, but just gives up instead.

Trainers Ignoring the Importance of Kids and Sports – Many coaches today operate only on the basic knowledge about a particular sport. Most attracted to profit, such coaches lose the values of the sport they train and turn it into business. It should be borne in mind that a coach must be not only knowledgeable and profound in sports knowledge, but should also communicate with the children in order to guide them correctly. This is often absent, and the child, not finding a proper guide finds the easiest solution – gives up.

Sports Youth Organizations That Only Serve adults – There are many youth organizations and clubs that claim to be helping and engaging young people around the sport, but in fact, they focus only on adults and the profits they generate. In this way, these organizations do not remain faithful to the mission, but to the market. The support offered to young people must be continuous, but for the organization, this support lasts as long as their interests.

Lack of / Decreasing Sports Venues – In Tirana, as in many urban centers, public spaces are shrinking and are being replaced by very luxurious centers including fitness halls, but far from the massive sports and recreational purpose. Although good and promotional are these sports centers, they are still far from reality and the needs of citizens. A child needs to play more casually, explore, and enjoy sports, but it takes a lot of investment from parents and financial investment above all to succeed.

Who is responsible for this situation? All, parents, trainers, government, organizations and the whole society. By constructing such structures that satisfy themselves in front of the needs of the children, they “shake” the passion for the sport, for the sake of personal satisfaction.

Source: O’Sullivan, J. (2015). The 4 Biggest Problems in Youth Sports Today – Changing the Game Project.