Running head: TIME AND MONEY WELL SPENT 1

Time and Money Well Spent-

Why Children Should Play AAU Sports

Kenzie Guese

John F. Hodge High School

Spring 2017
TIME AND MONEY WELL SPENT 2

Abstract

There has been an uprising conflict in the sports world among coaches and players as to if

Amatuer Athletic Union (AAU) sports are beneficial to youth athletes or if they are harmful and

toxic to not only that individual player, but the sport itself. Basketball not only has been one of

the longest existing AAU sports, but it also the most popular among young athletes (The History,

n.d.). The reason for researching this topic is to prove that AAU basketball is beneficial and

helps young athletes become not only more skilled, but also to learn real life skills such as

dealing with adversity, work ethic, and teamwork; also to get them exposed to college coaches

and recruiters (Winters, 2017). This topic is so controversial that there are almost as many

opposition reasons as there are benefits. Among these are expenses, time, overuse injuries, and

the issue with their focus on winning (Winters, 2016). In the long run, AAU basketball is

beneficial to athletes in moderation, but there are certainly instances where it is out of control

and overdone.

Keywords: benefits, AAU sports, children, statistics, basketball, college

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Time and Money Well Spent-

Why Children Should Play AAU Sports

Chapter One

Introduction

The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) was founded in 1888 (Amateur, 2017)., and was

derived from the National Association of Amateur Athletes of America (NAAAA). Today,

basketball is the best known sport in the program, but the AAU was originally closely associated

with the Olympics, and helping athletes prepare to get there. The first boys and girls basketball

championships were in 1972, with only 6 age groups; by 1990, there were 13 (The History, n.d.).

Today, AAU administers 32 different sports, but basketball is king. Close to 50 percent of more

than 1.1 million AAU memberships are for basketball (The History, n.d., para. 11). By

competing in AAU basketball, athletes gain knowledge not only in the sport, but also life skills

such as leadership, facing adversity, how working hard for something will pay off, and teamwork

(Winters, 2017). It is important for competitive athletes to join an AAU team, or another form of

traveling team to help better their chances at playing at a collegiate level. Chapter one will

consist of need for study, statement of problem, purpose of study, definition of terms, limitations

of study, and summary of chapter one.

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Need for Study

AAU and other travelling basketball programs can provide a beneficial base for athletes

who look to further their athletic careers after high school. By participating in sports outside of

the designated school season, it gives the player a leg up on others who may not be putting in the

extra time. AAU grows players skills not only on the court but also in communication, it gives

them a networking path, and the opportunity to put themselves out in front of college coaches

and recruiters.

Statement of Problem

Some people feel like AAU basketball is a waste of time and money, and that it is

harmful to players in the long run. When a sport is taken too far and the players never have a

break, things like overuse injuries and the risk of getting burnt out become more common. In the

long run AAU basketball has more positive and beneficial outcomes than negative if approached

right and taken seriously.

Purpose of Study

The purpose of this research paper is to prove that AAU basketball and other programs

are beneficial to athletes who have a serious interest in playing collegiate sports. Young athletes

should take into consideration the benefits of what AAU has to offer and join a program to help

get them to the next level.

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Definition of Terms

AAU- The Amatuer Athletic Union, founded in 1888. (Amatuer, 2017, p.1).

Burnout- fatigue, frustration, or apathy resulting from prolonged stress, overwork, or

intense activity (Burnout, 2017, p.1).

Networking- the exchange of information or services among individuals, groups, or

institutions; specifically the cultivation of productive relationships for employment or

business (Networking, 2017, p.1).

Overuse Injury- is any type of muscle or joint injury, such as tendinitis or a stress

fracture, that's caused by repetitive trauma (Staff. 2016, p.1).

Limitations of Study

This is a very controversial topic among athletes and coaches so there was almost as

much information for the opposition as the support. My expert also took a while to respond back

to me so I did not have the information with a lot of time to add it into my essay.

Summary

Chapter one will contained a of need for study, statement of problem, purpose of study,

definition of terms, limitations of study, and summary of chapter one. Chapter two will contain

an introduction, scope of study, opposition to topic, support for topic, solution for topic, and a

summary of chapter two.

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Chapter Two

Chapter two will contain an introduction, scope of study, opposition to topic, support for

topic, solution for topic, and a summary of chapter two.

Scope of Study

As stated in the introduction, the AAU encompasses 32 different sports throughout the

United States, but the main focus of this research paper will be the benefits of its basketball

program on athletes that actively participate. Instead of talking about AAU as a whole, it was

easier to find specific statistics about one single sport. There are more facts and more studies

done over one individual sport than the AAU foundation as a whole. AAU basketball provides its

athletes with exposure to college coaches, networking paths, skill development, and a

competitive atmosphere to perform at the highest level possible.

Opposition

Athletes participation in AAU basketball is a very controversial topic in the sports

world. The most controversial topics that are against children playing are time, money, overuse

injuries, burnout of the sport, and their focus on winning. The most recent, and well known

opposition to AAU basketball is Kobe Bryants interview on his perspective on the matter.

Horrible, terrible AAU basketball. Its stupid. It doesnt teach our kids how to play the

game at all so you wind up having players that are big and they bring it up and they do all

this fancy crap and they dont know how to post. They dont know the fundamentals of

the game. Its stupid. (as quoted in Phillips, 2015, para. 6)

His words were far from positive as he continued to speak his mind on how AAU basketball is

ultimately the worst thing for a youth basketball player. He did have a few suggestions on how to
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fix the couple major problems he found, Teach players the game at an early age and stop

treating them like cash cows for everyone to profit off of, Bryant said. Thats how you do that.

You have to teach them the game. Give them instruction (as quoted in Phillips, 2015, para. 8).

Time and Money

Money is often the highest issue with AAU programs, followed closely by the time and

dedication it takes to participate.

I have heard of some families paying over $10,000 for one club season, without implied

costs factored in. The family justified that expense with the rationale that their daughter

would get a college scholarship to play that sport. They were using her college savings to

pay for her high school club experience. (Hanson, 2014, para. 5)

In one instance found by Jay King (2009), an AAU basketball coach out of the New York area,

said there were 170 (para. 2) teams in one showcase tournament. Each of those teams had to

pay a $450 (para. 7) entry fee, that covered their players, the head coach, and one assistant.

The teams were not allowed to have more than one free assistant coach, the other had to pay the

$5 entry fee per day of the tournament. $76,500 (para. 7) alone was made off of the teams, that

is not counting the concessions and the $5 per day, per spectator, entry fee (para. 7). Mentioned

by Paul Sullivan, in Hakeem R. Willis thesis paper, Parent spending in youth sports has grown

up to 10.5% of the parent's gross income (as quoted in Willis, 2016, pg. 9). Parents can expect

to pay, depending on the level of program, anywhere from $400-$4,000(para 4) and it has been

heard of for parents to spend up to $10,000(para 5) per year on their son or daughters AAU

basketball experience (Green, 2013).

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Time and commitment is also an issue for some families because of the extreme

dedication AAU basketball requires. More often than not, there is not an AAU program in the

area of a persons house, so drive time to and from practices can be a hassle. Most AAU teams

face this issue and dont have the time or appropriate numbers to run a practice. On the rare

occasion that there are enough available people, the practices are 2-3 hours long to make sure

they encompass all the proper components that a practice should have. The general AAU

basketball season runs from May through July or into August for the major National Showcase

Tournaments. Throughout this time period, coaches try and schedule tournaments on every

weekend that they have enough players to compete (Yes, 2015).

May through July, high school players can participate in upward of 50 games in a

summer teams have an opportunity to play four or five games every weekend during

the three-month span. A typical high school season consists of 20 to 25 games spread

over a five-month period. (Edwards, 2015, para. 10)

Willis (2016) believes that kids spend too much time at meaningless weekend tournaments

over the summer when they could be out working on their own skills, spending time with family,

and being a kid and not having to worry about running all over the country chasing their AAU

team.

Overuse Injuries

Another negative aspect that comes from hours on hours of practice and games are

overuse injuries. Injuries occur in sports almost every day, some more severe than others, but

overuse injuries are different. An overuse injury, as defined by the Mayo Clinic, is any type of

muscle or joint injury, such as tendinitis or a stress fracture, that's caused by repetitive trauma
TIME AND MONEY WELL SPENT 9

(Staff, 2016, para. 1). The strain and overuse of the same muscles over and over again can lead to

many types of injuries that are becoming more and more frequent of children at younger ages

(Yes, 2015).

(Leppanen, 2015, May 22, Figure 1)

The image above represents a study done of 207 athletes (para 17) and the injuries that came

from them participating in youth basketball over the course of a year. Of these athletes, 39%

(para. 17) of these athletes had sustained an overuse injury, with 66% (para. 18) being knee

related injuries.

According to the book, Sports Specific Rehabilitation by Robert Donatelli, "In 2001 an

estimated 18 million children were treated for a sports/physical activity-related injury.

Approximately, 50% of those injuries (9 million) were attributed to overuse mechanisms

resulting in muscle damage (as quoted in Haefner, n.d., para. 5). According to a study done in
TIME AND MONEY WELL SPENT 10

2012 by the National Athletic Trainers Association in the Journal of Athletic Training, overuse

makes up nearly 30 percent of injuries suffered by college athletes (Edwards, 2015, para 11).

Burnout and Specialization

If a sport is pursued too early or too often throughout a childs life, they will often

experience being burnt out of that sport and not want to participate in it any longer. A recent

study by AAHPER revealed that over 80% of kids who play in organized youth sports no longer

play that sport after the age of 13 (Haefner, n.d., para. 7). Whether this is due to them just

growing out of the sport, or being overly involved is not described in the article, but the quote

was included in an article with other burnout information. The most important time for

developmental muscles is between the ages 7 and 14 (para. 9). During this time children

should be participating in many different sports to maximize their potential and challenge them

in different ways so that they become better athletes (Haefner, n.d.). If a child decides to

specialize in a sport at too early of an age it can greatly impact their muscle development and

growth (Haefner, n.d.). Children who specialize in a single sport account for 50% of overuse

injuries in young athletes according to pediatric orthopedic specialists (as quoted in OSullivan,

2014, Jan. 3, para 12).

Numbness or Too Much Focus on Winning?

There are two sides to which AAU coaches and players tend to focus. They either care so

much about winning that they do not bother developing individual skills, or they do not focus on

the winning aspect at all because they pack so many games into such a short timespan. On the

numbness side, Randy Rahe, Weber States head coach in Utah said,
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These kids play so much that sometimes the effect of losing games is not that important

to them. So if they lose a game, they're going to play another game, and sometimes kids

get in the habit of, Hey, how important is winning and losing in these games? (as quoted

in Sorensen, 2015, para. 27)

On the opposite side, some people find that AAU basketball programs focus too much on

winning and not developing their players skills. According to Brendan Winters (2017), Director

of Pro Skills Basketball Select, The biggest problem is the enormous emphasis on winning that

too many AAU coaches of young teams focus on during the critical years of development (para.

14).

Support for Topic

AAU basketball and other programs that require participation outside of an athletes

school season can be extremely beneficial to prospective collegiate athletes if they are used in

the correct way. College potential is the most common and highly praised benefit of AAU along

with the competitiveness at a higher level, and the life skills learned.

College Potential

One of the main purposes that athletes decide to join an AAU program is that they are

extremely interested in furthering their athletic career at a collegiate level. AAU provides a

platform for athletes to be brought together in front of coaches at showcase tournaments

specifically set for them to get exposure. Most college coaches do not have the time to attend

high school season games due to them being in their own season, so AAU provides them with

another time to get in their recruiting (Yes, 2015). The recruiting process can be a hassle during
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high school basketball season because of NCAA and NAIA contact rules, and the conflict of

schedules between athletes and coaches. Instead of having to crisscross the country to see a

small handful of players at a time, coaches can alight in one place and scout hundreds of

Division I prospects (Davis, 2013, para 4). The Elite Nation AAU head coach believes that,

This is where recruiting happens. Recruiting isnt going to happen at high school basketball

games you may see one or two (coaches) in the stands. At an AAU tournament, youre going to

see 30, 40 or 50 coaches (Edwards, 2015, para. 6). Utahs Prospects coach, Lynn Lyon agrees

that playing AAU basketball in the summer and offseason is the best way to get noticed and get

scholarship offers.

If you are a player and you plan on playing basketball in college, you almost have to play

AAU basketball scholarships are earned in the summer, not during the high school

season. AAU and high school basketball coexist but the way coaches evaluate talent,

it's all AAU (Jones, 2013, para 10).

Next exposure is the reason most kids play AAU these days. I would advise you to attend any

and every event you can afford. I will say it for the millionth time. Says Green, who has

coached at all levels, been a player, parent, and recruiter in the college process (2015).

The players themselves also know that AAU is one thing that got them to the college

level. I know I wouldn't be playing college basketball if I didn't play AAU, said Steven

Holm, an athlete who was a Class 5 All-Stater who went nearly unnoticed until he stepped onto

the court as an AAU basketball player (as quoted in Jones, 2013, para. 4). Future Villanova

Wildcat, Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree, and Penn State recruit, Tony Carr, said most of their college

recruiting came from AAU games played against other all-star players (McCarthy, 2016, para
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5). One of the best statistics to support AAU is that, In the recent NBA draft, 26 of the 30 first

round draft choices were graduates of AAU programs (Sorensen, 2015, para. 14).

Competitiveness and Higher Level

Almost any active AAU basketball player will say that they got better by playing against

the best competition possible.

In one instance, The Mac Irvin Fire and Jahlil Okafor, a 6'10" senior center from

Chicago's Whitney Young High, squared off against the Jackson (Miss.) Tigers and

Malik Newman, a 6'3" junior shooting guard from Callaway High. Okafor scored 17

points and pulled down 16 rebounds, while Newman scored 25 points (Davis, 2013, para.

4).

Later that day in an interview, Okafor said that, I've been playing AAU basketball since the

third grade, and it definitely makes me better, playing against the top competition It gives you

confidence when you do well (Davis, OBrien, Bechtel, and Beech, 2013, para. 4).

By affording the opportunity for the best competition to continuously play each other,

AAU basketball has provided the means by which young players can more readily fulfill

their potential.The AAU circuit brings all the nations best players together at the same

time, providing a battleground for competition (King, 2009, para. 13-14).

The level of competition is such a greater difference than in a normal high school season. "If you

play high school ball, you play maybe five to seven tough, tough games a year. With AAU, you

have to come to play and compete every moment, every possession, every game (McCarthy,

2015, para. 10). The competition brings out the best in players and allows them to play to their

full potential.
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Learning Life Skills

The life skills that are learned from sports are important because they teach kids many

different lessons that will be beneficial to them later and in other aspects of their life. Dealing

with adversity, learning how to have a work ethic, and teamwork are just some of the key

components that AAU teaches. More often than not in AAU basketball, a team will come across

ones that are better than they are. This often calls for tough games or a tough loss. By learning to

push through these and other obstacles that come about in AAU basketball it can help those

athletes later in life when they hit different roadblocks. The same determination they used in

basketball can apply elsewhere (Winters, 2017). It is important for children to learn how to work

hard for what they want because things are not always going to be given to them. This is a great

lesson for later on in life when, as adults, you must compete for jobs, awards, salary raises, etc

(Winters, 2017, para. 14). Today, most kids are taught by the philosophy that everyone gets a

trophy, but in AAU basketball thats not the case. Teams and players must learn to earn playing

time, points, rebounds, wins, championships, and trophies (Winters, 2017, para. 15). Work ethic

also leads into what could be the most important skill anyone can learn, teamwork. In AAU

basketball the playing time isnt alway even and things might not seem fair which is why players

also learn to become great teammates and put what is good for the team over what they might

want. It has been shown that athletes who have cooperated and become good teammates in sports

have become more employable and apt to get better jobs in the future (Winters, 2017).

Solution to Topic
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There are multiple different ways that the issues with AAU basketball can be fixed. To

solve the main issue of money, the simple solution would be to bring down the cost of

memberships and tournaments. When a team travels to play they not only have to worry about

their playing fee, they also have to pay for gas, food, and the hotel they have to stay in. Many

cases have been found to where families spend open ended amounts of their income on their

childs summer basketball program and they have to cut out vacations (Green, 2013), and other

splurges that their family would have otherwise had. By lowering the cost of tournaments and

team fees, more athletes would be able to participate, broadening the skill level and potentially

the amount of teams available.

As previously stated, overuse injuries are another primary issue with athletes

participating in AAU. To fix this issue, coaches should become more aware of the signs of the

overuse injuries that occur most in their sport, and know ways to prevent them. Children are

becoming specialized in sports at younger ages each year so the same muscles are constantly

getting overworked. By coaches becoming more aware of these things, it could allow them to

implement muscle strengthening exercises into their workouts and practices, and possibly other

drills that focus on the lesser used muscles.

The purpose of AAU is to provide a window for college coaches to watch the best of the

best high school athletes without having to worry too much about their own team schedule being

in conflict with the summer tournaments. Though this does have its benefits, it causes those high

school athletes to play in over double the amount of games in a 3 month span, than they do in

their 4-5 month long school season Children who specialize early are at a far greater risk for

burnout due to stress, decreased motivation and lack of enjoyment (OSullivan, 2014 Jan. 3,
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para 14). To prevent those athletes from getting burnt out of their sport, the coaches should also

take into consideration the amount of time their athletes put in and realize when their bodies need

a break. Depending on the level of intensity of working out, there are different ways to approach

rest days and break periods. According to Nuno Costa (n.d.), of Crossfit Invictus, they

recommend a 3-1 ratio of workdays and rest days (para. 7), but they also say that for more

cardio or specialized things the bodies can handle a 5 or 6-1 ratio (para. 7). (Costa, n.d.).

By fixing any of these problems, or all three, the AAU program can become more efficient in its

purpose and less harmful to the athletes who choose to participate in it.

Summary of Chapter Two

Chapter contained an introduction, scope of study, opposition to topic, support for topic,

solution for topic, and a summary of chapter two. Chapter three will contain the reflection of the

topic and process of this research paper.

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Chapter Three

Reflection

I am a very strong proponent of children participating in AAU sports because of all the

benefits that it has to offer. I have been playing basketball since first grade along with other

sports, and I choose to start specializing in only basketball since the seventh grade. Once I

entered high school, I joined a certified AAU team and it immensely changed my level of play

and opened doors to many college opportunities. From the day I walked into my first practice, I

knew it was going to be a whole different level of play than my high school team. The intensity

of the coach and the environment was heightened along with the skill of the competition, thus

making my teammates and I play better. Earlier stated in the essay, AAU basketball is highly

beneficial to athletes who want to pursue their athletic career at a higher level. I feel as though I

have experienced this first hand, by gaining my own college opportunity to play at the collegiate

level. The coach of my AAU team, Allen Wilson, is very close with the head coach at

Lindenwood University and helped me gain connections with them so I could get a scholarship.

Without playing on that team I could have never been granted the opportunity to play for them

for the next four years.

During the research of this essay I knew that there would be some opposition to children

playing AAU, and I already had an idea of what it would be. What I did not know was that there

was such a high quantity of people who were against it. There was just as much information and

studies done that were against AAU participation as there were for it. I found my eyes being
TIME AND MONEY WELL SPENT 18

opened more to the reasons why so many people were against it. From my own personal

experiences, I still highly recommend AAU basketball and other sports to athletes who are

looking to further their careers into the collegiate level so that they can gain the same benefits

from it that I have.

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