Do 70% of kids actually drop out of sports by the age of 13?

By Brian Timmons, PhD

70% of kids drop out of sports by the age of 13. Really? When I read that statistic I was intrigued, so I investigated. What I found was surprising.

The first time I saw that statistic was last year in an article entitled: "Why kids quit sports" – a post on the Active for Life website. After several email communications, that story has since been revised, but at the time, one of the statements in this post that tweaked my interest was the following: "... of the 20 million kids in the U.S. that sign up yearly for team sports like hockey, soccer, and baseball, almost 70 percent will quit by the time they're 13. The number of kids in Canada is different, but the percentage is the same."

Photo by Edward N. Johnson / CC BY 2.0 

The statement now reads, "...of the 20 million kids in the U.S. that sign up yearly for team sports like hockey, soccer, and baseball, almost 70 percent will quit by the time they're 13 (according to Michigan State University). The number of kids in Canada is different, but it's reasonable to assume the percentage is similar." (At least that’s what it read at the time I wrote this).

I had 2 problems with the original, and the revised, statement. First, I thought the 70% drop-out statistic seemed high. Second, I was not aware of similar Canadian data, even though the author of the post first seemed sure and later thought it reasonable that the percentage is the same in Canada.

Welcome to “Axioms & Advocacy”, a blog about child health and exercise medicine

By Brian Timmons, PhD

A blog can be defined as a regularly updated website or web page, typically one run by an individual or small group that is written in an informal or conversational style. Now, I know that many people will wonder how it is possible that I am "blogging". I've been accused of tweeting more than I talk... and I usually don't talk that much. So, why do individuals or small groups begin to blog? Some of the reasons include: to express thoughts and opinions; to market or promote something; to help people; to establish oneself as an expert; to connect with similar people; to make a difference; to stay active or knowledgeable in a field or topic; to stay connected with friends and family; to make money; to have fun and be creative. I guess some of these reasons apply to me, too.

If you become a follower of this blog (what is the word for blog followers anyways?), you can expect to read about child health, fitness and physical activity, nutrition, and lots of topics that generally speak to healthy active living during the growing years. What else can you expect?

I will definitely express thoughts and opinions (backed by evidence at all costs); I'll probably promote something at some point (most likely evidence); I can only hope that something I post will help another person; self-proclamation of expertise? (don’t take my word for it, tune in and decide for yourself); I will be grateful for your comments and connections; I'm assuming writing this blog will make a difference in my free time; they say variety is the spice of life, and we will cover a lot of topics; I guess it’s possible that friends and family will read this blog, but I'm not counting on it; you can make money writing a blog?; creativity is NOT my middle name, but I do hope we can have some fun.