With a mixed bag of participation rates and questions about sustainability, youth sports are in a critical state.
“We reached the dire state last year when we had to go to one league,” Pittsfield Little League’s Ty Perrault said. “We’re past dire. It’s very concerning… You hate to see the decline of baseball.”
Pittsfield Little League is among many local youth sports organizations being forced to adapt, along with soccer and lacrosse.
According to a 2019 survey by Project Play, the average child today spends less than three years playing a sport, quitting by age 11.