I am Dr. Jeremy Alland. I am a sports medicine physician, a former collegiate athlete and a sports parent just like you. And like you, I am very concerned about the youth sports environment right now. Too many kids are getting injured, burned out or just can’t afford to play.
In my humble (biased) opinion, sports are a core component of development and maturation. They teach movement, determination, teamwork, communication and resilience. The can be shared with family, friends, neighbors, perfect strangers. They are the great unifier…
And they are being destroyed. The professionalization of youth sports has seen what used to be an outlet for our kids, become an additional place of stress and pressure. What used to be fun, is now about rankings and winning. What used to be a couple days a week, a few months a year, is now a constant year-round grind. What used to be down the street, now is in another state requiring hotel rooms. And what used to develop kids bodies and minds, has left many injured, both physically and mentally.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. We can take back youth sports. It will take time. It will take resources. And it will be exhausting and frustrating. But it is worth it….for our kids.
Here is how we are going to do it together:
- The Evidence: The research on what’s actually happening to young athletes’ bodies and minds, translated from medical journals into plain English.
- The Threat: Honest looks at the trends (specialization, year-round play, travel teams) and what they’re costing kids, even when it’s uncomfortable to hear.
- The Prescription: Practical, doable changes you can make as a parent, without needing to overhaul your kid’s entire athletic life overnight.
Taking back youth sports doesn’t mean retreating from it. It means playing the long game, making the choices now that let our kids stay in it, healthy and in love with it, for years to come.
I don’t have all the answers. But I’ve been there as an athlete, I’ve spent my career treating the athletes on the other side of these decisions, and I’ve made plenty of mistakes as a parent trying to figure this out myself. This newsletter is where I share what I’ve learned, from both sides.
If even one post here helps you make one better decision for your kid, it’s worth it.
Welcome to the team. Let’s play the long game.
– Dr. Jeremy
Jeremy Alland, MD 
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