Why girls give up softball.

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May 15, 2016
926
18
I've heard many times about the high percentage of girls who give up softball by their mid-teens. Any opinions on what are the most common reasons? Is it simply the newfound interest in boys, or desire to spend more time with their peers?
 
May 16, 2016
1,024
113
Illinois
IMO the #1 reason that girls give up softball at that age level is they just realize they are not that good at the sport. When a person is good at a sport they generally like to play that sport and stick with it. That is certainly not the only reason.
 
May 15, 2016
926
18
IMO the #1 reason that girls give up softball at that age level is they just realize they are not that good at the sport. When a person is good at a sport they generally like to play that sport and stick with it. That is certainly not the only reason.

That makes a lot of sense, but I have heard more than one story of top players who walk away from the game as teenagers.
 
May 15, 2016
926
18
#2 is parents riding their a$$.

I figured that is up there as reasons go.

I try my best to do nothing like that. I never pressure my DDs to practice, I let them decide when they want to. Luckily, they ask me to practice often. I don't critique their play because I do not know enough about mechanics, situation plays, etc.
 
Jul 16, 2013
4,659
113
Pennsylvania
As a 18u/23u coach I have seen a lot of players hang it up for various reasons. Here are a few in no particular order.

* Found other interests. At the younger ages a few left to play soccer, and seemed to enjoy soccer more. Especially at the younger ages, soccer just has more action. Sometimes it is hard to hold their attention with softball. I also had a player leave for competitive cheer. Talk about a year round sport... Between cheer itself, and gymnastics training for cheer, this girl hardly has any time for other activities.
* Jobs... A few have left in the last year or two due to jobs. These girls are not planning to play in college so they have decided to focus on work to accumulate tuition money. They are still playing high school ball, but not travel.
* The grind. One of DDs good friends just wasn't in to being away from home all weekend every weekend throughout the summer. She didn't like being at the field for 12 hours on a Saturday and 8 more hours on a Sunday. She does play high school ball, but that is a much smaller commitment for her.
* Talent level. A couple girls were very good at the younger levels. Maybe they matured early, not sure. But they seemed to be the best players at the time and didn't need to work hard. But as they got older, the other players started catching and passing them. Since they didn't work when they were younger, they didn't feel they needed to work later. When they started falling behind, they simply gave up.
* Probably the saddest reason is because of the parents. One girl in particular was constantly hearing comments from her dad in the bleachers. It didn't matter what she did, it was never good enough. She finally realized that the only way she could escape this was to quit the sport. I still don't think the dad realizes why she quit.

There have been other reasons as well, but these seem to be the most common in my experience.
 
Oct 11, 2010
8,337
113
Chicago, IL
I think school ball has a lot to do with it. Either not good enough or do not like coach, easy to walk away from whole thing.

Once they get their drivers license whole world opens up to them too, seems like softball becomes less important. I am thinking great she can drive herself to softball lessons, what lessons?
 
May 15, 2016
926
18
Probably the saddest reason is because of the parents. One girl in particular was constantly hearing comments from her dad in the bleachers. It didn't matter what she did, it was never good enough. She finally realized that the only way she could escape this was to quit the sport. I still don't think the dad realizes why she quit.

You are absolutely right, the saddest reason.
 
May 15, 2016
926
18
Once they get their drivers license whole world opens up to them too, seems like softball becomes less important. I am thinking great she can drive herself to softball lessons, what lessons?

Ok, that settles it, I am not teaching my DDs to drive until they graduate college.
 

Strike2

Allergic to BS
Nov 14, 2014
2,044
113
Eventually, their interests shift, they burn out, or the sport simply closes them out.

My DD is a decent player, is in her 11th season, and still very much enjoys playing, but her track isn't college sports...it's just not the priority. However, as you get into 16/18U, the number of teams starts to narrow, competition intensifies, and the focus of many older teams shifts to expensive and far-flung college showcase events. School ball in our area is essentially an all-star team of the best college prospects, so cracking the starting lineup at the local HS isn't in the cards. Fortunately, she's on a solid independent team that, at least for now, just likes to play in local tournaments with occasional travel to spots that we don't mind visiting even if softball isn't on the menu. As others alluded, jobs and softball are a very difficult mix, and there's certainly value in the kid learning why a minimum wage service job sucks. As with most everything in life, there's a beginning, and middle, and an end. At some point, you put down the toys and get busy building a life.
 
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