One of the great things about being a kid is playing games. Yet by the time they become teens, 70 percent of youngsters quit playing those games because they detest them. That is, if those games are organized sports.

Some kids quit because sports isn’t for them. And that’s fine. But then there are those kids who love sports, but get burned out because of the stress of playing them. And that’s inexcusable.

They get weary of being pushed too hard, mentally and physically, by parents who have unrealistic visions of their children becoming college scholarship or professional athletes. They don’t want to go to the $100-an-hour specialized lessons that parents think will make them superstars. They get frustrated over not meeting expectations of parents who go as far as hiring recruiting services that promise to tell colleges or pro teams of the budding star in the family.

Parents should face facts. Of the 549,500 high school athletes playing men’s basketball, and the 456,900 playing women’s basketball, .03 percent and .02 percent, respectively, will wind up playing pro, according to the NCAA. In baseball, .5 percent of 455,300 high school players will make it to the major leagues.

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Many local youth sports groups and park districts have adopted tough parental codes of conduct, which is good. An Associated Press story in the Monday Daily Herald told of an innovative approach, in Maine, to restoring sanity in youth sports. It is called “Sports Done Right.” It involves holding community forums, in which high school and middle school educators, athletes, coaches, athletic directors and recreation managers establish local standards for challenging but rational youth sports programming.

“Sports Done Right” might be worth trying here. Yet civic leaders can offer their opinions all they want. It is still up to parents or coaches to avoid approaching youth sports with the lunacy seen in some losing locker rooms.

Parts of this posting were taken from a Daily Herald article. Read the full story.