In recent years youth sports has grown tremendously, it's fairly common for players to play on 2 or 3 different teams in 1 season at ages as young as 8 or 9. Travel ball is more common now than ever before and the pressure to play on these teams seems to increase yearly. With this added pressure so to comes the desire to win. The kids often feel this pressure and when that pressure becomes too much, they often stop playing the game; not because they don't want to play, but because they are no longer enjoying themselves. The sport becomes more of a job than a game. As adults, it is our responsibility to make sure that our children are playing because they truly want to play; not to fulfill a parents' dream; secure a college scholarship; or to help a coach collect youth championships. I have heard youth leagues as young as 7 pressuring coaches to teach non-age appropriate skills to build a better high school team. Youth leagues should not be looking to build players for high school. Furthermore, college sports scholarships are few and far between. Don't make it a goal. The amount of money spent to obtain that goal often outweighs the money received. If your child is having fun and gets a scholarship, that's great; but don't mortgage your house or schedule your child to spend every waking moment training.