The posts above are reflective of the type of cynicism we hear about among AO’s (see recent Reddit article on this topic) - I am so depressed!!
Perhaps, other parents on here will have observed what we have observed in our kiddo; sports (in addition to golf) were the arena in which some tough life lessons (so far) have been learned, not to mention fostering of maturity. It was through sports, that my kiddo learned to stand up to an abusive coach and bullies on the team. Lessons @ loss, commitment, pain, and resilience are what most (if not all) of our kids have experienced through sports participation - especially at the high profile high school Varsity level. It was through one sport (in particular) that kiddo learned to be on a team with competitors of different genders and also to compete against adults. It was also through sports, that this once-shy kid learned to become a leader. It will be sad that so much of the fabric of kiddo’s young life will not be an allowable essay topic.
What do your kids do - just not write about it or talk about?