Youth Sports Is a System: The Kid in the Middle (Shaun Reid Part 1)

In Part 1 of Rob’s conversation with Shaun Reid, they diagnose what’s gone sideways in youth sports. Shaun—originally from Wales and a longtime soccer coach—breaks down why the youth sports “system” has drifted from child-centered development toward a pay-to-play business model. Rob and Shaun discuss dropout rates, parent pressure, over-trusting underqualified coaches, and the way “selling a dream” can hijack the purpose of youth sports. Part 2 will focus on solutions.

In this episode, we cover:

• Shaun’s background and why he sees youth sports differently
• Why youth sports has become a “system” with predictable outcomes
• The integrity gap: when the business model replaces the kid as the priority
• The impact of parent identity, comparison culture, and social media
• How young coaches can become “experts” to parents—and spread bad information
• The “selling the dream” problem: promises that don’t match reality
• Why Rob believes it’s not just individual coaches—it’s the structure around them
• Why this conversation is split into two parts, and what’s coming next

Key takeaway

If youth sports is producing rising dropout rates and decreasing participation, it’s not an accident. It’s the result of incentives and expectations that put adults—often unintentionally—ahead of the child.

Next episode (Part 2)

Rob and Shaun shift from diagnosis to solutions: practical guidance for parents, realistic development for coaches, and ways to reduce harm inside a pay-to-play reality.