Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Kenzie Guese
Spring 2017
TIME AND MONEY WELL SPENT 2
Abstract
There has been an uprising conflict in the sports world among coaches and players as to if
Amatuer Athletic Union (AAU) sports are beneficial to youth athletes or if they are harmful and
toxic to not only that individual player, but the sport itself. Basketball not only has been one of
the longest existing AAU sports, but it also the most popular among young athletes (The History,
n.d.). The reason for researching this topic is to prove that AAU basketball is beneficial and
helps young athletes become not only more skilled, but also to learn real life skills such as
dealing with adversity, work ethic, and teamwork; also to get them exposed to college coaches
and recruiters (Winters, 2017). This topic is so controversial that there are almost as many
opposition reasons as there are benefits. Among these are expenses, time, overuse injuries, and
the issue with their focus on winning (Winters, 2016). In the long run, AAU basketball is
beneficial to athletes in moderation, but there are certainly instances where it is out of control
and overdone.
Chapter One
Introduction
The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) was founded in 1888 (Amateur, 2017)., and was
derived from the National Association of Amateur Athletes of America (NAAAA). Today,
basketball is the best known sport in the program, but the AAU was originally closely associated
with the Olympics, and helping athletes prepare to get there. The first boys and girls basketball
championships were in 1972, with only 6 age groups; by 1990, there were 13 (The History, n.d.).
Today, AAU administers 32 different sports, but basketball is king. Close to 50 percent of more
than 1.1 million AAU memberships are for basketball (The History, n.d., para. 11). By
competing in AAU basketball, athletes gain knowledge not only in the sport, but also life skills
such as leadership, facing adversity, how working hard for something will pay off, and teamwork
(Winters, 2017). It is important for competitive athletes to join an AAU team, or another form of
traveling team to help better their chances at playing at a collegiate level. Chapter one will
consist of need for study, statement of problem, purpose of study, definition of terms, limitations
AAU and other travelling basketball programs can provide a beneficial base for athletes
who look to further their athletic careers after high school. By participating in sports outside of
the designated school season, it gives the player a leg up on others who may not be putting in the
extra time. AAU grows players skills not only on the court but also in communication, it gives
them a networking path, and the opportunity to put themselves out in front of college coaches
and recruiters.
Statement of Problem
Some people feel like AAU basketball is a waste of time and money, and that it is
harmful to players in the long run. When a sport is taken too far and the players never have a
break, things like overuse injuries and the risk of getting burnt out become more common. In the
long run AAU basketball has more positive and beneficial outcomes than negative if approached
Purpose of Study
The purpose of this research paper is to prove that AAU basketball and other programs
are beneficial to athletes who have a serious interest in playing collegiate sports. Young athletes
should take into consideration the benefits of what AAU has to offer and join a program to help
Definition of Terms
AAU- The Amatuer Athletic Union, founded in 1888. (Amatuer, 2017, p.1).
Overuse Injury- is any type of muscle or joint injury, such as tendinitis or a stress
Limitations of Study
This is a very controversial topic among athletes and coaches so there was almost as
much information for the opposition as the support. My expert also took a while to respond back
to me so I did not have the information with a lot of time to add it into my essay.
Summary
Chapter one will contained a of need for study, statement of problem, purpose of study,
definition of terms, limitations of study, and summary of chapter one. Chapter two will contain
an introduction, scope of study, opposition to topic, support for topic, solution for topic, and a
Chapter Two
Chapter two will contain an introduction, scope of study, opposition to topic, support for
Scope of Study
As stated in the introduction, the AAU encompasses 32 different sports throughout the
United States, but the main focus of this research paper will be the benefits of its basketball
program on athletes that actively participate. Instead of talking about AAU as a whole, it was
easier to find specific statistics about one single sport. There are more facts and more studies
done over one individual sport than the AAU foundation as a whole. AAU basketball provides its
athletes with exposure to college coaches, networking paths, skill development, and a
Opposition
world. The most controversial topics that are against children playing are time, money, overuse
injuries, burnout of the sport, and their focus on winning. The most recent, and well known
opposition to AAU basketball is Kobe Bryants interview on his perspective on the matter.
Horrible, terrible AAU basketball. Its stupid. It doesnt teach our kids how to play the
game at all so you wind up having players that are big and they bring it up and they do all
this fancy crap and they dont know how to post. They dont know the fundamentals of
His words were far from positive as he continued to speak his mind on how AAU basketball is
ultimately the worst thing for a youth basketball player. He did have a few suggestions on how to
TIME AND MONEY WELL SPENT 7
fix the couple major problems he found, Teach players the game at an early age and stop
treating them like cash cows for everyone to profit off of, Bryant said. Thats how you do that.
You have to teach them the game. Give them instruction (as quoted in Phillips, 2015, para. 8).
Money is often the highest issue with AAU programs, followed closely by the time and
I have heard of some families paying over $10,000 for one club season, without implied
costs factored in. The family justified that expense with the rationale that their daughter
would get a college scholarship to play that sport. They were using her college savings to
pay for her high school club experience. (Hanson, 2014, para. 5)
In one instance found by Jay King (2009), an AAU basketball coach out of the New York area,
said there were 170 (para. 2) teams in one showcase tournament. Each of those teams had to
pay a $450 (para. 7) entry fee, that covered their players, the head coach, and one assistant.
The teams were not allowed to have more than one free assistant coach, the other had to pay the
$5 entry fee per day of the tournament. $76,500 (para. 7) alone was made off of the teams, that
is not counting the concessions and the $5 per day, per spectator, entry fee (para. 7). Mentioned
by Paul Sullivan, in Hakeem R. Willis thesis paper, Parent spending in youth sports has grown
up to 10.5% of the parent's gross income (as quoted in Willis, 2016, pg. 9). Parents can expect
to pay, depending on the level of program, anywhere from $400-$4,000(para 4) and it has been
heard of for parents to spend up to $10,000(para 5) per year on their son or daughters AAU
Time and commitment is also an issue for some families because of the extreme
dedication AAU basketball requires. More often than not, there is not an AAU program in the
area of a persons house, so drive time to and from practices can be a hassle. Most AAU teams
face this issue and dont have the time or appropriate numbers to run a practice. On the rare
occasion that there are enough available people, the practices are 2-3 hours long to make sure
they encompass all the proper components that a practice should have. The general AAU
basketball season runs from May through July or into August for the major National Showcase
Tournaments. Throughout this time period, coaches try and schedule tournaments on every
May through July, high school players can participate in upward of 50 games in a
summer teams have an opportunity to play four or five games every weekend during
the three-month span. A typical high school season consists of 20 to 25 games spread
Willis (2016) believes that kids spend too much time at meaningless weekend tournaments
over the summer when they could be out working on their own skills, spending time with family,
and being a kid and not having to worry about running all over the country chasing their AAU
team.
Overuse Injuries
Another negative aspect that comes from hours on hours of practice and games are
overuse injuries. Injuries occur in sports almost every day, some more severe than others, but
overuse injuries are different. An overuse injury, as defined by the Mayo Clinic, is any type of
muscle or joint injury, such as tendinitis or a stress fracture, that's caused by repetitive trauma
TIME AND MONEY WELL SPENT 9
(Staff, 2016, para. 1). The strain and overuse of the same muscles over and over again can lead to
many types of injuries that are becoming more and more frequent of children at younger ages
(Yes, 2015).
The image above represents a study done of 207 athletes (para 17) and the injuries that came
from them participating in youth basketball over the course of a year. Of these athletes, 39%
(para. 17) of these athletes had sustained an overuse injury, with 66% (para. 18) being knee
related injuries.
According to the book, Sports Specific Rehabilitation by Robert Donatelli, "In 2001 an
resulting in muscle damage (as quoted in Haefner, n.d., para. 5). According to a study done in
TIME AND MONEY WELL SPENT 10
2012 by the National Athletic Trainers Association in the Journal of Athletic Training, overuse
makes up nearly 30 percent of injuries suffered by college athletes (Edwards, 2015, para 11).
If a sport is pursued too early or too often throughout a childs life, they will often
experience being burnt out of that sport and not want to participate in it any longer. A recent
study by AAHPER revealed that over 80% of kids who play in organized youth sports no longer
play that sport after the age of 13 (Haefner, n.d., para. 7). Whether this is due to them just
growing out of the sport, or being overly involved is not described in the article, but the quote
was included in an article with other burnout information. The most important time for
developmental muscles is between the ages 7 and 14 (para. 9). During this time children
should be participating in many different sports to maximize their potential and challenge them
in different ways so that they become better athletes (Haefner, n.d.). If a child decides to
specialize in a sport at too early of an age it can greatly impact their muscle development and
growth (Haefner, n.d.). Children who specialize in a single sport account for 50% of overuse
injuries in young athletes according to pediatric orthopedic specialists (as quoted in OSullivan,
There are two sides to which AAU coaches and players tend to focus. They either care so
much about winning that they do not bother developing individual skills, or they do not focus on
the winning aspect at all because they pack so many games into such a short timespan. On the
numbness side, Randy Rahe, Weber States head coach in Utah said,
TIME AND MONEY WELL SPENT 11
These kids play so much that sometimes the effect of losing games is not that important
to them. So if they lose a game, they're going to play another game, and sometimes kids
get in the habit of, Hey, how important is winning and losing in these games? (as quoted
On the opposite side, some people find that AAU basketball programs focus too much on
winning and not developing their players skills. According to Brendan Winters (2017), Director
of Pro Skills Basketball Select, The biggest problem is the enormous emphasis on winning that
too many AAU coaches of young teams focus on during the critical years of development (para.
14).
AAU basketball and other programs that require participation outside of an athletes
school season can be extremely beneficial to prospective collegiate athletes if they are used in
the correct way. College potential is the most common and highly praised benefit of AAU along
with the competitiveness at a higher level, and the life skills learned.
College Potential
One of the main purposes that athletes decide to join an AAU program is that they are
extremely interested in furthering their athletic career at a collegiate level. AAU provides a
specifically set for them to get exposure. Most college coaches do not have the time to attend
high school season games due to them being in their own season, so AAU provides them with
another time to get in their recruiting (Yes, 2015). The recruiting process can be a hassle during
TIME AND MONEY WELL SPENT 12
high school basketball season because of NCAA and NAIA contact rules, and the conflict of
schedules between athletes and coaches. Instead of having to crisscross the country to see a
small handful of players at a time, coaches can alight in one place and scout hundreds of
Division I prospects (Davis, 2013, para 4). The Elite Nation AAU head coach believes that,
This is where recruiting happens. Recruiting isnt going to happen at high school basketball
games you may see one or two (coaches) in the stands. At an AAU tournament, youre going to
see 30, 40 or 50 coaches (Edwards, 2015, para. 6). Utahs Prospects coach, Lynn Lyon agrees
that playing AAU basketball in the summer and offseason is the best way to get noticed and get
scholarship offers.
If you are a player and you plan on playing basketball in college, you almost have to play
AAU basketball scholarships are earned in the summer, not during the high school
season. AAU and high school basketball coexist but the way coaches evaluate talent,
Next exposure is the reason most kids play AAU these days. I would advise you to attend any
and every event you can afford. I will say it for the millionth time. Says Green, who has
coached at all levels, been a player, parent, and recruiter in the college process (2015).
The players themselves also know that AAU is one thing that got them to the college
level. I know I wouldn't be playing college basketball if I didn't play AAU, said Steven
Holm, an athlete who was a Class 5 All-Stater who went nearly unnoticed until he stepped onto
the court as an AAU basketball player (as quoted in Jones, 2013, para. 4). Future Villanova
Wildcat, Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree, and Penn State recruit, Tony Carr, said most of their college
recruiting came from AAU games played against other all-star players (McCarthy, 2016, para
TIME AND MONEY WELL SPENT 13
5). One of the best statistics to support AAU is that, In the recent NBA draft, 26 of the 30 first
round draft choices were graduates of AAU programs (Sorensen, 2015, para. 14).
Almost any active AAU basketball player will say that they got better by playing against
In one instance, The Mac Irvin Fire and Jahlil Okafor, a 6'10" senior center from
Chicago's Whitney Young High, squared off against the Jackson (Miss.) Tigers and
Malik Newman, a 6'3" junior shooting guard from Callaway High. Okafor scored 17
points and pulled down 16 rebounds, while Newman scored 25 points (Davis, 2013, para.
4).
Later that day in an interview, Okafor said that, I've been playing AAU basketball since the
third grade, and it definitely makes me better, playing against the top competition It gives you
confidence when you do well (Davis, OBrien, Bechtel, and Beech, 2013, para. 4).
By affording the opportunity for the best competition to continuously play each other,
AAU basketball has provided the means by which young players can more readily fulfill
their potential.The AAU circuit brings all the nations best players together at the same
The level of competition is such a greater difference than in a normal high school season. "If you
play high school ball, you play maybe five to seven tough, tough games a year. With AAU, you
have to come to play and compete every moment, every possession, every game (McCarthy,
2015, para. 10). The competition brings out the best in players and allows them to play to their
full potential.
TIME AND MONEY WELL SPENT 14
The life skills that are learned from sports are important because they teach kids many
different lessons that will be beneficial to them later and in other aspects of their life. Dealing
with adversity, learning how to have a work ethic, and teamwork are just some of the key
components that AAU teaches. More often than not in AAU basketball, a team will come across
ones that are better than they are. This often calls for tough games or a tough loss. By learning to
push through these and other obstacles that come about in AAU basketball it can help those
athletes later in life when they hit different roadblocks. The same determination they used in
basketball can apply elsewhere (Winters, 2017). It is important for children to learn how to work
hard for what they want because things are not always going to be given to them. This is a great
lesson for later on in life when, as adults, you must compete for jobs, awards, salary raises, etc
(Winters, 2017, para. 14). Today, most kids are taught by the philosophy that everyone gets a
trophy, but in AAU basketball thats not the case. Teams and players must learn to earn playing
time, points, rebounds, wins, championships, and trophies (Winters, 2017, para. 15). Work ethic
also leads into what could be the most important skill anyone can learn, teamwork. In AAU
basketball the playing time isnt alway even and things might not seem fair which is why players
also learn to become great teammates and put what is good for the team over what they might
want. It has been shown that athletes who have cooperated and become good teammates in sports
have become more employable and apt to get better jobs in the future (Winters, 2017).
Solution to Topic
TIME AND MONEY WELL SPENT 15
There are multiple different ways that the issues with AAU basketball can be fixed. To
solve the main issue of money, the simple solution would be to bring down the cost of
memberships and tournaments. When a team travels to play they not only have to worry about
their playing fee, they also have to pay for gas, food, and the hotel they have to stay in. Many
cases have been found to where families spend open ended amounts of their income on their
childs summer basketball program and they have to cut out vacations (Green, 2013), and other
splurges that their family would have otherwise had. By lowering the cost of tournaments and
team fees, more athletes would be able to participate, broadening the skill level and potentially
As previously stated, overuse injuries are another primary issue with athletes
participating in AAU. To fix this issue, coaches should become more aware of the signs of the
overuse injuries that occur most in their sport, and know ways to prevent them. Children are
becoming specialized in sports at younger ages each year so the same muscles are constantly
getting overworked. By coaches becoming more aware of these things, it could allow them to
implement muscle strengthening exercises into their workouts and practices, and possibly other
The purpose of AAU is to provide a window for college coaches to watch the best of the
best high school athletes without having to worry too much about their own team schedule being
in conflict with the summer tournaments. Though this does have its benefits, it causes those high
school athletes to play in over double the amount of games in a 3 month span, than they do in
their 4-5 month long school season Children who specialize early are at a far greater risk for
burnout due to stress, decreased motivation and lack of enjoyment (OSullivan, 2014 Jan. 3,
TIME AND MONEY WELL SPENT 16
para 14). To prevent those athletes from getting burnt out of their sport, the coaches should also
take into consideration the amount of time their athletes put in and realize when their bodies need
a break. Depending on the level of intensity of working out, there are different ways to approach
rest days and break periods. According to Nuno Costa (n.d.), of Crossfit Invictus, they
recommend a 3-1 ratio of workdays and rest days (para. 7), but they also say that for more
cardio or specialized things the bodies can handle a 5 or 6-1 ratio (para. 7). (Costa, n.d.).
By fixing any of these problems, or all three, the AAU program can become more efficient in its
purpose and less harmful to the athletes who choose to participate in it.
Chapter contained an introduction, scope of study, opposition to topic, support for topic,
solution for topic, and a summary of chapter two. Chapter three will contain the reflection of the
Chapter Three
Reflection
I am a very strong proponent of children participating in AAU sports because of all the
benefits that it has to offer. I have been playing basketball since first grade along with other
sports, and I choose to start specializing in only basketball since the seventh grade. Once I
entered high school, I joined a certified AAU team and it immensely changed my level of play
and opened doors to many college opportunities. From the day I walked into my first practice, I
knew it was going to be a whole different level of play than my high school team. The intensity
of the coach and the environment was heightened along with the skill of the competition, thus
making my teammates and I play better. Earlier stated in the essay, AAU basketball is highly
beneficial to athletes who want to pursue their athletic career at a higher level. I feel as though I
have experienced this first hand, by gaining my own college opportunity to play at the collegiate
level. The coach of my AAU team, Allen Wilson, is very close with the head coach at
Lindenwood University and helped me gain connections with them so I could get a scholarship.
Without playing on that team I could have never been granted the opportunity to play for them
During the research of this essay I knew that there would be some opposition to children
playing AAU, and I already had an idea of what it would be. What I did not know was that there
was such a high quantity of people who were against it. There was just as much information and
studies done that were against AAU participation as there were for it. I found my eyes being
TIME AND MONEY WELL SPENT 18
opened more to the reasons why so many people were against it. From my own personal
experiences, I still highly recommend AAU basketball and other sports to athletes who are
looking to further their careers into the collegiate level so that they can gain the same benefits
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