A Disturbing Trend That Could Destroy Youth Basketball Forever
Guest Column
By Mano Watsa
Today I want to share something that’s been troubling me for the better part of the last year or so…
For better or worse…
I’m quite active on social media these days.
It helps me keep a pulse on the game of youth basketball.
And I have to admit, it’s a shame what I’ve been seeing lately.
The taunting.
The individuality portrayed by players from middle school to the pros.
Watching players lose the entire focus of the team game and any level of humility.
I’m sure you probably agree, it’s quite sad really…
And it hit me hardest back in March when I watched a clip of this guy dunking over somebody and while the player was on the ground, the guy stood over him, pointing at him and taunting him while his teammates joined in from the bench.
Shortly afterward, the ref gave him a T.
And this is what shocked me most…
The player was completely unphased by the technical foul.
He was so happy he dunked on his opponent that he didn’t even care about the fact that he just hurt his team.
In other words, he was so into himself in that moment, nothing else mattered.
And I think this scenario is becoming representative of the mindset that social media, ESPN, and many of (if not all of) the basketball media is spreading.
I can’t blame them.
It gets eyeballs, and these days, that’s all that seems to matter unfortunately.
Now, at the highest levels of the pro game, the self-glorification and individualistic mindset is somewhat acceptable.
Afterall, the NBA is built on individuals.
And the individuals (like Steph and Lebron) are entertainers.
So there has to be a certain level of showmanship to keep things entertaining for fans.
Unfortunately, we’re seeing this trickle-down and infiltrate the youth game at an alarming rate.
I’ve witnessed it with kids as young as 10 years old.
It’s especially rampant in AAU.
And I can only imagine what you’re watching take place on a daily basis.
And for many players, this misplaced focus is sucking a lot of the joy out of the game and causing them to walk away from it altogether.
It makes perfect sense when you consider the fact that research shows the easiest way to have a lousy, unfulfilling life is to focus on yourself. And vice versa, if you want to have a rewarding, fulfilling life, all you have to do is focus on others.
I think you probably agree that the game of basketball is a metaphor for life.
Nearly all the skills players learn are directly transferable to other aspects of life.
This is why in the year 2023, it’s more important than ever before for young athletes to shift their focus, mindset and approach to being less about themselves and more about the team.
Because if they don’t, the pattern of focusing only on themselves is likely to carry over into almost everything else they pursue in life.
— Mano Watsa is president of PGC Basketball, a worldwide leader in basketball camps and instruction. More than 110,000 players have attended a PGC camp in the past 30 years.

Sports Forum Podcast
Episode #30 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: The State of College Athletics with Dr. David Ridpath: Problems and Potential Solutions – Ridpath is a sports administration professor at Ohio University and a long-time member of The Drake Group, a college sports reform think tank.
Listen on Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Anchor and others.
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More Episodes on Apple Podcasts; Spotify; Google Podcasts; PocketCasts; & Anchor
Episode #29 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: The Honorable Tom McMillen Visits League of Fans’ Sports Forum – McMillen is a former All-American basketball player, Olympian, Rhodes Scholar and U.S. Congressman. We discuss the state of college athletics today.
Episode #28 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: A Chat With Mano Watsa, a Leading Basketball and Life Educator – Watsa is President of PGC Basketball, the largest education basketball camp in the world. We discuss problems in youth sports today.
Episode #27 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: Kids’ Sports: How We Can Take Back the Game and Restore Quality Family Time In the Process – Linda Flanagan is author of “Take Back the Game: How Money and Mania Are Ruining Kids’ Sports and Why It Matters.” We discuss how commercialized and professionalized youth sports are hurting kids and their families.
Episode #26 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: How Can We Fix Youth Sports? – John O’Sullivan is Founder and CEO of Changing the Game Project and author of “Changing the Game: The Parents Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes and Giving Youth Sports Back to Our Kids.”
Episode #25 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: Physical Education Should Be a Critical Component of K-12 School Design – Michael Horn is co-founder of the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation.
Media
"How We Can Save Sports" author Ken Reed appears on Fox & Friends to explain how there's "too much adult in youth sports."
Ken Reed appears on Mornings with Gail from KFKA Radio in Colorado to discuss bad parenting in youth athletics.
“Should College Athletes Be Paid?” Ken Reed on The Morning Show from Wisconsin Public Radio
Ken Reed appears on KGNU Community Radio in Colorado (at 02:30) to discuss equality in sports and Title IX.
Ken Reed appears on the Ralph Nader Radio Hour (at 38:35) to discuss his book The Sports Reformers: Working to Make the World of Sports a Better Place, and to talk about some current sports issues.
- Reed Appears on Ralph Nader Radio Hour League of Fans’ sports policy director, Ken Reed, Ralph Nader and the New York Times’ Tyler Kepner discussed a variety of sports issues on Nader’s radio show as well as Reed’s updated book, How We Can Save Sports: A Game Plan. Reed's book was released in paperback in February, and has a new introduction and several updated sections.
League of Fans is a sports reform project founded by Ralph Nader to fight for the higher principles of justice, fair play, equal opportunity and civil rights in sports; and to encourage safety and civic responsibility in sports industry and culture.
Vanderbilt Sport & Society - On The Ball with Andrew Maraniss with guest Ken Reed, Sports Policy Director for League of Fans and author of How We Can Save Sports: A Game Plan
Sports & Torts – Ken Reed, Sports Policy Director, League of Fans – at the American Museum of Tort Law
Books