Why Are We Making 7-Year-Old Kids Try-Out for Sports?

I’ll admit that I have yet to experience the youth sports frenzy that so many of my mom friends (and the internet) complain about. My 6-year-old plays in a local rec league where—how shall I put this?—skills vary greatly, and so far the commitment seems reasonable (practice one day a week, one one-hour game on Saturday).

But even from the sidelines, I can see how fast things can escalate. Between the “elite” club teams, travel tournaments and tryouts for first graders, I know I’m not the first parent to wonder if youth sports have gotten out of hand.

According to Vox, the average family now spends over $1,000 per year on a child’s primary sport, up 46 percent since 2019. Some families shell out more than $25,000! Meanwhile, the American Academy of Pediatrics has cautioned that early specialization and intense competition are fueling burnout and overuse injuries. (Indeed, Scholastic reports that 3.5 million kids get injured each year playing sports.)

One mom I know has her 8-year-old son at soccer every day of the week. Every. Day. Another parent of a 9-year-old confessed that she brings coffee to her kid’s Friday night games because they can go on until 10 p.m., and she struggles to stay awake. And look, I’m not judging these parents. It’s easy to see why so many of us get swept up. Research shows that team sports can have a big impact on a child’s mental, social, emotional and physical health, teaching valuable lessons in resilience, confidence, teamwork and leadership. Sports are great! But I wonder if somewhere between the orange slices and the $400 registration fees we’ve lost our way.

Take tryouts for the under-10 set. I wasn’t able to find any data on how common this is but anecdotally, it’s happening a fair amount across all sports and across the country. Reads one comment on the N. Dallas Baseball Facebook forum: “Why are we holding tryouts for 7-year-olds? As a high school varsity baseball coach, I honestly don’t get it. At that age, kids should be focused on having fun, learning the game, and just being kids. I played Little League until I was 12, never once had to do a tryout. I didn’t start playing in anything outside of city leagues until I was a teenager, and I still made varsity as a sophomore… and started.” Meanwhile, Reddit is full of parents asking for advice on how to tell an 8-year-old they didn’t make the team or a 7-year-old being asked to try out for baseball.  

Catesby, a mom of two in New York, first encountered tryouts when her 6-year-old son wanted to join an ice hockey team—and she was all for it. “I had played sports growing up and loved being on teams. I think the teamwork, leadership and confidence that comes from playing team sports is second to none,” she says.

The more practice they get putting themselves out there, deciding how they show up and then owning the outcome is a great lesson.

Her son is “very athletic,” she adds, “so we knew that tryouts meant he would be with kids who were at a similar level vs. town sports at that age that are a hodgepodge of abilities, athleticism and willingness to be out there.” He made the C team (out of four teams, A through D) and had a great experience: “He had great coaches, made great friends and really developed a love (and knowledge) for the sport.” Now 9, hockey is still his favorite.

Says Catesby: “I don't think tryouts are bad for young kids so long as the goals are clear and centered on the kid's interest and abilities (not the parents). I think the idea of trying out, applying, etc. is a part of life. The more practice they get putting themselves out there, deciding how they show up and then owning the outcome is a great lesson.”

Michelle, also a mom of two in New York, had a similarly positive experience when her daughter tried out for the gymnastics team at age 6. “She was recruited by her coach from the recreational class she was taking so I wasn’t concerned about her not making the team. I had done competitive gymnastics as a kid so I was excited for her,” she says.

Now 7, her daughter is still on the team. “The team involves a lot of practice hours but she enjoys going and has made a lot of close friends on the team. If she didn't make the team, I would be comfortable with the decision as it is a big commitment and needs to be the right fit for the child.”

If a kid genuinely wants to play a sport, then being around like-minded kids of a similar level is going to be fun—and try-outs can help them get there. Not to mention the fact that being on a higher-level team can help kids become better at the sport itself.

Jess, a mom of three in New Jersey, says her son also benefited from the try-out experience. “My son had just turned 7 and really wanted to try out for the travel soccer league. Truthfully, my husband and I didn't think he was going to be good enough and we were worried that he wasn't going to make it. But then he shocked us by making it. And it was a good lesson as a parent to not underestimate your kid and to get behind him when he believes in himself. It’s been amazing seeing how much he's matured from being on the team.”

At an age when most kids are still figuring out how to tie their cleats, many parents worry that they aren’t ready for the disappointment of getting “cut.” Sure, some kids get motivated when they don’t make the top team (“I’ll work harder and get there next year!”), but for every one of those, isn’t there another who quietly decides, “Guess I’m not good enough” and quits?

Is this truly about growth and opportunity—or just another money grab?

And what are these kids being judged on, anyway? There’s the argument that we can’t accurately predict athletic potential in kids this young. Consider elite athletes that didn’t peak until years later, like Michael Jordan who famously didn’t make varsity as a teen and Steph Curry who was considered too small until college.

Patricia, a mom of two in Maryland, recalls her sons’ soccer tryouts at age 7. “They don’t yet understand what goes into ‘making the cut.’ In their minds, if you make it, you’re amazing; if you don’t, maybe you’re just not good enough, and that can shape how they see themselves or whether they even want to keep trying. To me, it feels like a real risk at such a young age, and for what? Spending more money on a cool uniform or a higher ranked non parent coach?”

For Patricia, the bigger question remains: “Is this truly about growth and opportunity—or just another money grab?”

Dr. Stankovich, a licensed professional athletic counselor and professor of sport psychology and sociology (also known as “The Sports Doc”), echoes these concerns. “When deciding on how to separate kids for youth sports teams, a decision must be made whether to include all kids and separate them equally (parity), or to divide kids based solely on talent (i.e., an ‘A’ and ‘B’ team). Interestingly, these decisions are being made earlier and earlier these days, with it now being commonplace to see kids divided by talent as early as elementary school—and well before growth spurts and puberty. Professionally speaking, there is more research illustrating the human development and mental health benefits for including all kids, compared to catering to just a few select kids that may have happened to mature early.”

The Sports Doc continues, saying that including lesser kids on a team has no negative impact on the other children’s experiences, including potential athletic growth.“In fact your child may actually ‘grow’ in emotional ways when leading kids on the team (including the less talented) to play their best.”

As for me, I’ll keep cheering for my son’s rec league team, where some kids dribble like pros and others (ahem, my kid) still chase butterflies mid-game. Because right now, he’s learning teamwork, grit and a love of the game—without needing to prove anything to anyone. And maybe that’s the point: not every childhood sport needs to be optimized. Sometimes, it’s enough to just play.