Chat By The Pitch by Ian Babcock

November 06, 2025 The Real ROI of Youth Sports: Lessons from Dr. Travis Dorsch

In Part 1 of The Return on Investment Myth — Rethinking Youth Sports, Dr. Travis Dorsch joins Chat By The Pitch to explore what families are truly getting from youth sports. As a professor at Utah State University and founding director of the Families in Sport Lab, Dr. Dorsch shares how his research — and his own parenting journey — reveal the tension between performance, pressure, and purpose.

We unpack why so many parents chase the wrong outcomes, how goal misalignment drives kids out of the game, and what it really means to “invest” in your child’s sport journey. From NIL deals to the cost of club soccer, Travis challenges families to define success differently — not in scholarships or stats, but in the lessons that last a lifetime.

💬 Key Talking Points

• Why parents should expect a return on investment — but not the kind they think

• The dangers of chasing scholarships and pro dreams too early

• Goal alignment: how parents, coaches, and players get out of sync

• What keeps kids in the game past age 13

• The problem with commodifying young athletes

• Systems thinking: placing the child at the center of the sport ecosystem

• Communication tips for the car ride home

• What questions parents should ask after every game

• Modeling behavior and emotional control on the sidelines

• How family dynamics shape athlete development

• “Snowplow” vs. “scaffolding” parents

• Defining success beyond wins and goals

• Building lifelong movers instead of short-term stars

🗣 Quotes from Dr. Travis Dorsch

• “Parents should expect some form of return on their investment — but the real question is how we define that return.”

• “When parents define success as scholarships or contracts, the pressure skyrockets for everyone.”

• “Goal alignment is everything. If parents and kids aren’t chasing the same thing, conflict is inevitable.”

• “The child needs to remain at the center. When parents or coaches make it about themselves, that’s when problems start.”

• “If we can just get kids to come back next season, we’re winning.”

• “You can’t name Christian Pulisic’s U12 record — because it doesn’t matter. What mattered is that he kept playing.”

• “Parents are role models first. Kids don’t just hear us — they watch how we act.”

• “Ask better questions on the ride home. Not ‘Did you win?’ but ‘What was the most exciting thing you did today?’”

• “Work hard, listen to the coach, and have fun — that’s our family mantra.”

• “Youth sport is a vehicle to raise better humans, not just better athletes.”

Connect with Chat By The Pitch

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Connect with Dr. Travis Dorsch

🌐 Families in Sport Lab — Utah State University

▶️ TEDx Talk: “Should Parents Expect a Return on Investment?”

#YouthSports #ParentingInSports #SportsCulture #PlayerDevelopment #SportPsychology #YouthAthletes #TravisDorsch #FamiliesInSport #SportsParenting #ChatByThePitch #SoccerCulture #SportsEcosystem #PlayerCenteredDevelopment #NIL #ReturnOnInvestment #ParentCoachPlayer #YouthDevelopment #SportsEducation #AthleteMindset #PodcastDFW

Mentioned in this episode:

Reeplayer:

Greater access to footage gives every young athlete the opportunity to develop and be seen. Reeplayer is committed to making footage accessible to teams, families, and athletes of all backgrounds.

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TeamPlayr:

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TeamPlayr

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