🕹️ If Youth Sports Can’t Compete with Video Games… Maybe It’s Time We Learn From Them

Let’s be real.
We’re getting smoked.

Kids aren’t quitting sports because they’re “lazy.”
They’re quitting because video games are more fun.
More freedom.
More feedback.
More fire.

📉 The Ugly Truth:
Kids’ fitness levels? Falling off a cliff.
Youth obesity? Skyrocketing.
Screen time? Up. Movement? Down.
And guess what?
Traditional sports coaching isn’t helping.
It’s part of the problem.

You give a kid two choices:

1 hour of practice, or
1 hour on their phone or Xbox...
Game over. Xbox wins. Every. Damn. Time.

Why?
Because youth sports became boring.
Coaches got lazy.
And video game designers got brilliant.

 
🎮 What Video Games Do Better Than Most Coaches:
1. Let Kids PLAY Before They’re “Ready”
When kids get a new game, they don’t read the manual.
They hit Start and figure it out through trial and error.
They learn by doing.

Meanwhile, "Coach Thompson" is still explaining a passing drill for 15 minutes before the kids even touch the ball.

Stop lecturing. Let them play.

✅ Performance BEFORE competence.
 
2. Failure Isn’t Punishment—It’s the Path
Kids die in video games 100x a session.
But they keep coming back.
Why?
Because each failure teaches them something new.
There’s no shame. No yelling. No lectures.

But in sports?
Lose one game and the next week is spent reliving your “mistakes” while Coach breaks down film like it's Game 7 of the Finals.

🧠 Kids don’t hate failure. They hate consequences that kill their confidence.
 
3. “Pleasantly Frustrating” Is the Sweet Spot
Games are hard—but not impossible.
They push kids right to the edge of their ability.
That tension?
That’s where growth lives.

Too easy = boredom.
Too hard = frustration.
Just right = 🔥FLOW STATE🔥
Coaches who find this zone?
They keep kids locked in like a boss fight.

 
4. Agency: Let Kids Make Choices
Games let you pick your character, choose your path, unlock new powers.
You feel in control.
Like YOU matter.

But most practices?
One adult dictates everything.

🤔 When’s the last time you asked a player what they wanted to work on?
We talk about player development—but give them zero power in the process.

 
5. Well-Ordered Problems Build Confidence
Games are built on “cycles of expertise.”
Level 1 teaches Skill A.
Level 2 combines Skill A with Skill B.
Every level has a clear purpose and challenge.

Youth sports?
Chaotic. Confusing. Overwhelming.
Too much going on. No clarity. No confidence.

Set clear, level-appropriate challenges so kids can feel themselves getting better.
 
6. Just-in-Time Learning
Games don’t dump all the info up front.
They teach you when you need it.
Right before a big boss battle, you unlock a new move.
Why?
Because now you care.

Coaches, take notes:

Start with a game or problem.
Let kids struggle.
THEN teach the skill they need to solve it.
Let them go back and try again.
This ain’t theory. It’s what great coaches—and great games—already do.

 
⚔️ You’re Not Competing with Screens. You’re Competing with Design.
Game devs spend thousands of hours designing addicting experiences.

Most coaches?
They spend an hour planning a practice… then copy drills from Instagram.

No wonder we’re losing.

If we want to get kids back, we need to fight fire with fire.
Gamify your coaching.
Let kids explore.
Reward progress.
Make failure safe.
Build confidence.
Give freedom.
Spark joy.

You don’t need to “beat” video games.
You just need to stop coaching like it’s 1994.

 
🧠 Inspired by the work of Dr. Jason Tee
(Original article: Jason Tee on Youth Sports & Video Games)
Adapted by: EcoHoops – “Kids First, Always.”