One of five kids in Ireland drop out of sport when transitioning from primary school to secondary school, and the average age at which a child drops out of sport is 11. On this week's podcast, Sinéad and Gavin discuss the consequences of this drop-out, and what can be done to stop it.
Research and anecdotal evidence suggest the single biggest reason behind kids' waning interest in sport is its competitiveness from too early an age. What role do coaches and parents play in creating this overly-competitive environment, and do the media create problems by celebrating winners and champions, thereby promoting highly unrealistic career paths for kids?
Is streaming according to ability the right or wrong thing to do? Also, what is sport without competition? At what age point does sport need to stress the importance of competition and winning/losing over providing equal opportunities for everyone to play?
Sinéad and Gavin also discuss their different experiences: Sinéad continues to play sport while Gavin dropped out years ago. How have these decisions shaped them, and what are their regrets?
Get in touch - sinead@thejournal.ie and gavincooney@the42.ie
This week’s episode of The42 FM is brought to you by An Post Money.