Parents must get kids out to play

A year ago, we told you about the problems facing youth boys baseball and girls softball leagues across the suburbs as they reported a significant drop in registration and participation.

Some leagues found triple-digit declines from the previous year, and to no one's surprise, organizers blamed the recession. Many families hampered by pay cuts, job losses and foreclosures were struggling to pay signup fees.

Fast-forward to today, and we find registration rates are still sliding. However, as leagues prepare for the 2010 season, a new theory is being cited that is more troubling.

The weak economy is certainly still a factor for many families, but Daily Herald writer Kim Mikus reported Sunday experts blame children's habitual video game playing as a key reason why droves are ignoring America's No. 1 pastime.

Fascination with technology is eating up time children once spent playing sports. It threatens to contribute to lasting health and social problems and parents need to hear the wake-up call to stress the importance of physical activity for their kids.

The evidence is disturbing.

One study shows young people spend nearly every waking minute - except for time in school - using a computer, TV or other electronic device.

Youth ages 8 to 18 spend more than 7.5 hours a day with such devices, the study reports. Add in multitasking - surfing the Internet while texting - and kids pack about 11 hours of media content into that 7.5 hours.

The constant action and instant gratification of fast-paced video games they've grown up with is winning out over the time it takes to learn about baseball, softball, soccer and other sports, and develop the skills to be successful.

"Instead of going out to play sandlot baseball, kids today are content to sit in front of a computer to play a video game," said Rich Honack, a professor at Kellogg School of Management.

Whatever the reason, many baseball and softball leagues say registration is falling 3 percent to 20 percent this season.

The potential fallout to those leagues and high school sports programs is considerable, but it also contributes to even greater risks for children.

Doctors are concerned about spiking childhood obesity rates associated with declining physical activity.

There are also life lessons sports teaches about teamwork, competition, achieving goals, building esteem and social skills that can't be found on the couch playing a video game.

If money is a problem, leagues must provide hardship funds to help those who want to play.

But if it's video games, parents must assert control to help kids change the balance to include sports and physical activity they can enjoy.