Little League, Big Business - the Impact of Sport Specialization on Young Athletes with Greg Walker, MD (S5:E22)

Today's episode is underwritten by The Hartford, a proud supporter of Charting Pediatrics and Children's Hospital Colorado. The Hartford works to empower others to achieve their full potential in order to help communities thrive. Thank you to The Hartford for helping Children's Colorado families thrive. Please visit our Charting Pediatrics website to learn more about becoming an underwriting sponsor.  

Once upon a time, American youth played pick-up games in the street and tried out for their first organized school sport teams as they entered middle and high school. And occasionally, a local hometown hero went on to play at the collegiate level … and even more rare, someone made it to the pros. Fueled by families paying big money for private club teams, today’s youth sports have gone pro. According to TIME Magazine, kids’ sports make up a more than $15 billion industry. Children as young as five attend tryouts, are ranked in their discipline and shuttled around the country to play with the best. We are talking about the impact of sport specialization on young athletes. 

 Joining us to talk through this important topic is my colleague, Dr. Greg Walker. Greg is part of our Sports Medicine and Orthopedics Institute teams, and he is Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.