1KHO 547: How to Keep Youth Sports from Turning Kids into Commodities | Brian Smith and Ed Uszynski, Away Game

The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast

Ginny Yurich

Parenting, Kids & Family

4.9 • 1.8K Ratings

🗓️ 12 August 2025

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Youth sports have evolved from casual neighborhood games to a multi-billion-dollar industry where kids are often treated as commodities. In this episode, Brian Smith and Ed Uszynski, authors of Away Game: A Christian Parent’s Guide to Navigating Youth Sports, delve into how today’s sports culture is pressuring kids to perform rather than enjoy play. They reflect on the rise of elite programs, the loss of amateurism, and the overwhelming influence of money on what was once a simple, joyful part of childhood. With raw honesty, they discuss the impact of this commercialization on kids’ mental health, relationships, and desire to continue participating in sports. As parents, we are often caught in a cycle of pushing our kids to be the best, sometimes at the expense of their happiness and self-worth. Brian and Ed share the “silent killer” of kids’ love for sports— the dreaded car ride home after the game, where criticism often replaces celebration. They discuss why it's crucial to shift the focus from winning at all costs to fostering character, emotional resilience, and healthy self-expression. Tune in for a thought-provoking conversation about reclaiming joy, the importance of play, and how we, as parents, can break free from the youth sports industrial complex to allow our children to truly thrive. Get your copy of Away Game here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:30.0	Welcome to 1,000 Hours Outside podcast. My name is Ginny Urich. I'm the founder of 1,000
0:34.6	Hours Outside, and I have some fantastic guests today that are going to be talking about something that we are almost all dealing with, which is youth sports, the youth sports culture.
0:43.7	Brian Smith and Ed Uzinski are here.
0:46.2	Welcome.
0:47.0	Thanks for having us, Jenny.
0:48.3	It's Jenny.
0:49.2	Okay, Ed is a total trooper because he's sitting in his car because there's no power in Ohio.
0:54.5	There was just some major storms. So Ed, thank you for your commitment.
0:58.5	I hope it works. I hope it keeps working. It is working. So you have a book coming out and it will be
1:04.0	out by the time this podcast goes live. It's called Away Game, a Christian parents guide to navigating
1:09.3	youth sports. And this is a fantastic book.
1:11.7	Now, I am not sporty.
1:13.1	I did like a swim team until I was like seven and pretty much that's it.
1:17.4	So it's not part of my world, but it is a part of your world when you become a parent.
1:22.9	And it's just a part of culture, like this pressure for sports, sports, sports.
1:26.8	And I have read a few books about sports, even though, you know, it's not really like my thing.
1:33.3	And I have a loved them.
	...

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