The Professionalization of Youth Sports and its Special Impact on Girls

Dan Gould

April 24, 2006

The Tucker Center Spring 2006 Edie Mueller Distinguished Lecture, "The Professionalization of Youth Sports and its Special Impact on Girls," was held April 24, 2006, in the Cowles Auditorium in the U of MN's Hubert H. Humphrey Center. This lecture was given by Dr. Dan Gould, Director of the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports and Professor in the Department of Kinesiology at the Michigan State University. American youth sports has become increasingly professionalized and this professionalization is characterized by a focus on participation as a means to an end (e.g., college scholarship), single sport specialization, intense year-round training, private coaching, elite teams, and an increased importance placed on winning. Dr. Gould spoke to an SRO audience about this paradigmatic shift and the ramifications for young female athletes in light of research on elite athlete talent development, the role of parents in youth sports, the psychological development of champion athletes, and burnout in young athletes.