There are over 50% of youth athletes in America, yet up to 70% of youth athletes quit their sport due to an athletic burnout. A couple of the top reasons leading to an athletic burnout include perfectionism, fear of failure, lack of enjoyment and the fear of disappointing people around you.

“I’ve been playing football for about nine years,” Noah McCollum, 11, said. “When I started playing, I used to think when my dad was in the stands I had to make him proud, but I don’t really think like that anymore, just because I know I care about it more than he does. I’ve always wanted to be like my dad, I want to play in the NFL, but I also want to do things my own way.”

Many athletes struggle to balance the risk of early athletic burnout and the boundaries between sport and home life. 

The Eureka High School (EHS) swim coach, Mark Morrison, currently has two kids attending EHS: Kelsey and Cole Morrison.

“I’ve been swimming for 14 years,” Kelsey Morrison, 12, said. “Last year at state I had a panic attack during my race, and I added a bunch of time. I was so disappointed in myself and one of the goals I had was to get to state. After I finished that race I was scared to look over because I knew he was so disappointed because I was disappointed. He was really good at handling it. I felt like he took on the role of being not only my coach but also my dad.” 

“I’ve been swimming for probably 12 years. I felt like I did well at state this year, but at the conference I felt like I disappointed a little bit,” Cole Morrison, 10, said.

Athletic burnout often manifests as a heavy, hollow exhaustion where the sport that once brought joy now feels like an inescapable commitment. This exhaustion is frequently compounded by the crushing weight of underperformance.

Athletic burnout can mean many different things to different people. 

“Athletic burnout to me just means getting sick and tired of doing the same thing over and over again,” McCollum said.

This can lead to a loss of enjoyment and a feeling of being trapped.

“Athletic burnout is just like when you’ve been competing for a long time and it’s hard to stay in it mentally all the time because there are definitely highs and lows. For me I set goals and I keep my eyes on those goals to try and avoid burnout,” K. Morrison said.

“Athletic burnout is just over practicing, and competing too much and getting tired of the sport you love,” C. Morrison said.