The Bulwark
· collected 2026-08-27 · by Jonathan V. Last
commentary
The article is written in a first-person account style by an author who has experience with kid sports through his own children's participation. The author discusses his views on why kids play sports, specifically arguing that the primary reasons should be for enjoyment or to earn money as a professional. He cites two examples of exceptional young athletes he has observed, including a girl who ran cross-country at an elite level by age 14 and his own son who shows early signs of being a high-level baseball player.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-27,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
A few weeks ago I went on my buddy Shaun Dawson’s podcast, Raising Men.
asserted
I → go → Men
Shaun wanted to talk about kid sports.
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Shaun → want → sports
I have a lot of thoughts about kid sports.
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I → have → sports
All in all, I think it’s a pretty good forty minutes.
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it → think → ?
You can listen to it here.
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You → listen → it
Today I want to revise and extend some of those thoughts.
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I → want → thoughts
You political sickos who want only Trump talk can opt out.1
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who → want → talk
For everyone else, let’s talk about why kids play sports, what our society does right (and wrong) with youth sports, and what we can do better as parents.
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we → let → parents
For new readers, I want to level set.
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I → want → readers
I have one kid who is a high-level athlete.
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who → have → kid
He’s playing college baseball this year.
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He → play → baseball
He has a (very outside) chance of getting drafted after college, depending on how he develops.
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he → have → college
The odds are against that and even if he did wind up in the pros, he’d probably just bounce around the minors for a year or two and then, I don’t know, go to law school or something.
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I → wind → school
️
I have three other kids who are mostly indifferent to sports.
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who → have → sports
Here is something I have told my baseball kid, Flash, since he first started throwing a ball: There are only two reasons to play sports.
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are → tell → sports
That’s not all-the-way true, but it’s true enough.
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it → ’ → ?
If you aren’t getting paid to play a game, then you better be having fun.
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you → pay → fun
If a kid feels like 10-year-old baseball is a grind, then he shouldn’t be playing 10-year-old baseball.
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he → feel → baseball
He should be trying a different sport.
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He → try → sport
He should be exploring the world around him to find something he loves.
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he → explore → something
The idea that kids should pursue sports for some other reason—to help with college admissions, or build a résumé—is mostly wrongheaded.
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kids → pursue → résumé
Because if your kid will be good enough to play in college, then you probably already know it.
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you → play → it
Lesson #1: Elite talent shows up much earlier than you think.
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you → show → ?
We hold this idea in our minds about how great athletes can bloom late.
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athletes → hold → minds
That’s mostly not correct.
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That → ’ → ?
When you see a kid who is going to play at the next level, you notice him or her immediately because they aren’t 10 percent or 50 percent better than everyone else.
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they → see → everyone
They’re in a different category.
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They → ’re → category
A few years ago I wrote about a young girl I’d seen at an elementary school cross-country meet.
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I → write → meet
I watched her run 200 meters and my eyes fell out of my head.
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eyes → watch → head
She was in fifth grade and in thirty seconds you could tell she was different not just from everyone else at the meet but from anyone else you’d ever seen.
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you → tell → anyone
Last fall she was a high school freshman running cross country and she finished in the top fifty in the nation.
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she → run → nation
And keep in mind that while this girl will absolutely run at the next level, even she will probably never be “elite” enough to make the Olympics.
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she → keep → Olympics
That’s a whole other category difference.2
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That → ’ → ?
Another example: Before he switched to pitching full-time, Flash worked out at a local baseball academy.
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Flash → switch → academy
All very high-level; everyone there would eventually go on to play college ball.
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everyone → go → ball
I walked in one day and saw a 16-year-old taking batting practice and after three swings my jaw was on the floor.
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jaw → walk → floor
In a building full of high-level high school players, this kid was a freak and you could tell after three practice swings.
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you → tell → swings
He skipped college and went straight to the MLB draft where he was taken in the first round.
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he → skip → round
I could give you story after story illustrating this reality.
uncertain
I → give → reality
A long time ago, a family friend in Connecticut watched a 12-year-old win his club championship (against grown men) by like 5 strokes.
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friend → watch → strokes
…and 15 more, not listed.
