Kid Sports: When Did This Become the Olympics?

Remember when kids’ sports were about learning teamwork, high-fiving your friends, and chasing Capri Suns after the game? Yeah, well… welcome to 2025, where your 7-year-old apparently needs a personal trainer, a $300 bat, and a vision board if they ever want to make the All-Star team.

Today’s youth sports scene is part game, part cult, and part second mortgage. It’s year-round travel tournaments, branded warm-up jackets, and parents whispering about D1 scholarships before the kids can even spell “recruiter.” And if your child dares to want a weekend off to do something crazy like… have a life? You’d better be ready for the look from the coach, the other parents, and Cheryl from the group text who "just wants what's best for the team."

And don’t get me wrong — watching kids work hard, find passion, and grow through sports? Beautiful. Worth it. But can we also acknowledge the fact that many of us are one carpool meltdown away from needing a therapist and a sports agent? If your living room looks like a Dick’s Sporting Goods exploded and your weekends are booked through 2032, just know: you're not alone, you're not crazy, and yes, we all forgot to pack the uniform at least once.