Children playing youth sports often experience the ride home from a game as an anxious evaluation

Children playing youth sports often experience the ride home from a game as an anxious evaluation rather than a safe return, according to a recent report by CNN. Melanie Bedard, mother of Chicago Blackhawks star Connor Bedard, maintained a strict rule during her son’s youth hockey years to never discuss sports inside the car after a game, noting that several teammates frequently cried during the ride home out of fear of parental criticism.

The Post-Game Silence on the Drive Home

The American Academy of Pediatrics reports that approximately 70 percent of youth athletes quit organized sports before turning 13, driven largely by a loss of enjoyment.

Brad Stulberg, an author specializing in sports psychology and performance, stated that analyzing game content immediately afterward is the worst approach. Stulberg also cautioned against analyzing successful performances too intensely, explaining that excessive parental celebration following a win teaches children that approval depends strictly on victory. Richard Williams, father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams, followed a similar principle by refusing to discuss tennis during the drive home regardless of the match outcome.

Reflecting on Past Post-Game Critiques

John O’Sullivan, a former professional soccer player and founder of the youth sports organization Changing the Game Project, advises parents to limit their post-game comments to a single phrase expressing joy at watching the child play. CNN reporter Don Riedel reviewed a covertly recorded video taken by one of his sons showing Riedel critiquing the boy’s tennis attitude and effort on the car ride home. Riedel stated that watching the footage made him flinch, and he wished he could retract every word. Both of Riedel’s sons eventually stopped playing tennis after high school and now play together in a university band, where Riedel avoided analyzing musical notes or mistakes on car rides home.