By: B.M. Ryan
Junior sports academies have proliferated across the United States, particularly in golf, where programs once reserved for elite athletes have become commercialized enterprises. These academies promise skill mastery, professional pathways, and academic support, but they operate in a largely unregulated environment. Many are private, tuition-based, and, in some cases, as much as 50% foreign-owned or managed, raising urgent questions about oversight, safety, and the well-being of minors.[1] [2]
From Elite Training to Commercialization
The growth of youth sports academies is fueled by commercialization and private investment. Youth athletics has become a multi-billion-dollar industry attracting entrepreneurs and private equity.[3] Success is measured not only in athletic outcomes but also in financial terms. Tuition-based revenue models, selective enrollment, and high-intensity training environments create pressure for performance while leaving minimal safeguards for the adolescent participants.
The Science—or Junk Science—of Deliberate Practice
Central to many academies is the concept of deliberate practice, described as structured, repetitive, goal-oriented training.[4] Popularized by Gladwell’s “10,000-hour rule,”[5] it has become the benchmark for elite development. Yet research indicates that applying such methods to adolescents may be developmentally inappropriate.[6]
Hedonic adaptation research shows that repeated incremental gains often fail to generate lasting satisfaction.[7] [8] In other words, no matter how much skill improves, young athletes’ sense of fulfillment is fleeting. This raises serious questions: if the underlying “science” is misapplied, can these programs justify intensive time away from families, social networks, and school?
Autonomy, Motivation, and Adolescent Risk
Adolescents are highly sensitive to authority and structured environments.[9] [10] Junior sports academies often emphasize repetition, compliance, and measurable skill over exploration or play, which can erode autonomy and intrinsic motivation. Self-Determination Theory highlights that competence, autonomy, and relatedness are essential for well-being.[11] [12] Overemphasis on structured “expert training” may contribute to anxiety, perfectionism, and long-term psychological strain.[13] [14]
Legal and Public Policy Concerns
The combination of high-pressure training, unregulated oversight, and questionable scientific grounding raises multiple legal and policy issues:
- Child Safety: Overuse injuries and chronic stress are prevalent. Without formal oversight or standardized safety protocols, liability for negligence becomes a real concern.
- Consumer Protection: Families invest substantial sums with promises of “elite pathways,” yet outcomes are uncertain. Misrepresentation or omission of risk could trigger regulatory scrutiny.
- Equity and Access: Tuition-based programs exclude many, raising questions about fair opportunity and systemic bias.
- International Ownership and Oversight Gaps: Programs with foreign management may be subject to differing standards of care, further complicating legal accountability.
If the methods applied in these academies are unproven or misapplied—essentially junk science—the state has a compelling interest in regulating these environments to protect children. In other words, when skill-development science is unverified and adolescents’ safety is at risk, public policy must intervene.
Recommendations for Reform
Junior sports academies are not inherently harmful. Structured coaching can improve skill and opportunity.[15] But reform must prioritize adolescent safety, development, and oversight. Research supports several key strategies:
- Promote Autonomy and Play: Encourage self-directed practice and exploration.[16] [17]
- Integrate Recovery and Rest: Schedule downtime and non-sport activities to prevent burnout and injury.[18]
- Foster Holistic Development: Embed mentorship, life skills, and psychosocial support alongside training.[19] [20]
- Critical Use of Technology: Ensure video and biomechanical tools support learning rather than enforce compliance.[21]
- Legal and Regulatory Oversight: Implement safety standards, mandatory reporting, and consumer protection measures to ensure programs are developmentally appropriate.
Conclusion: From Junk Science to Policy Action
Junior sports academies operate at the intersection of aspiration, commercialization, and scientific ambiguity. If the training methods are not evidence-based or are developmentally inappropriate, children are placed at risk while parents and regulators are left without guidance.
Public policy must respond: adolescents should not be subjected to high-intensity, unregulated environments simply because private markets can profit. Law, oversight, and ethical standards must catch up to the promises of these programs to ensure that youth sports foster growth, safety, and well-being—not merely performance metrics and profit margins.
[1] Emmet Seigel, Once reserved for the elite, sports academies are now everywhere for everyone, Washington Post (Aug. 20, 2025), https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/08/20/high-school-sports-academies/.
[2] David Grecic et al., The US Golf Academy System and the Twenty-first Century Talent Tourists!, 6 Int’l J. of Golf Science 1 (2017).
[3] Joe Drape & Ken Belson, Youth sports are a $40 billion business. Private equity is taking notice., The New York Times (July 9, 2025), https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/09/business/youth-sports-private-equity.html.
[4] Andres K. Ericsson et al, The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance, 100(3) Psychological R. 363 (1993).
[5] Malcolm Gladwell, Outlier: The Story of Success (1st ed. 2008).
[6] Joseph Baker & Bradley Young, 20 years later: deliberate practice and the development of expertise in sport, 7(1) Int’l R. of Sport and Exercise Psychology 135 (2014).
[7] Hedda Berntsen & Elsa Kristiansen, Perceptions of need-support when “having fun” meets “working hard” mentalities in the elite sport school context, 9(1) Sports Coaching R. 1 (2020).
[8] Sonja Lyubomirsky et al, Pursuing happiness: The architecture of sustainable change, 14(2) R. of General Psychology 111 (2005).
[9] Edward L. Deci & Richard M. Ryan, The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior, 11(4) Psychological Inquiry 227 (2000).
[10] Michael L. Silk & David L. Andrews, Sport and neoliberalism: Political economy and culture, 6(3) Sociology Compass 1, 1-12 (2012).
[11] Deci, supra note 9.
[12] Silk, supra note 10.
[13] Danielle S. Molnar et al, “I need to be perfect or else the world’s gonna end”: A qualitative analysis of adolescent perfectionists’ expression and understanding of their perfectionism, 64(4) Canadian Psychology/Psychologie Candadienne 320 (2023).
[14] Laura Upenieks et al, Better to have played than not played? Childhood sport participation, dropout frequencies and reasons, and mental health in adulthood, 42(1) Sociology of Sport Journal 87 (2024).
[15] Grecic, supra note 2.
[16] Deci, supra note 9.
[17] Upenieks, supra note 14.
[18] Neeru A. Jayanthi & Lara R. Dugas, The risks of sports specialization in the adolescent female athlete, 39(2) Strength & Conditioning Journal 20 (2017).
[19] Daniel Gould & Sarah Carson, Life skills development through sport: Current status and future directions, 1(1) Int’l R. of Sport and Exercise Psychology 58 (2008).
[20] Kristoffer Henriksen et al, Holistic approach to athletic talent development environments: A successful sailing milieu, 11(3) Psychology of Sport and Exercise 212 (2010).
[21] Jim Denison et al, Sports’ disciplinary legacy and the challenge of ‘coaching differently’, 22(6) Sport, Education and Society 772 (2017).
