Why Your Kid Isn’t Active and How to Fix It with Tom Farrey

The Hard Way With Joe De Sena

In this episode, Joe De Sena talks with Tom Farrey, author of Game On: The All-American Race to Make Champions of Our Children, about the state of youth sports in America. Tom explains that only 1 in 4 kids are active, largely due to barriers in the U.S. sports system. Now leading Project Play, he works to make sports more accessible and fun for all children. They discuss how Spartan Races promote self-improvement over competition, and how Norway’s child-focused sports model could inspire the U.S. Tom emphasizes the importance of letting kids enjoy sports rather than pushing them into activities they don’t love. They encourage parents to listen to their children’s interests and prioritize fun and accessibility to keep kids engaged in sports. Timestamps:

00:00 Intro 01:03 Mapping the Problem: Why Aren’t More Kids Active? 03:31 Youth Sports Around the World 05:46 Challenging Kids to Do Hard Things 07:46 Screens and Devices as a Competition to Youth Sports 10:23 Rethinking Competition for Kids 11:51 Breaking Through School Bureaucracies to Reach Kids 13:15 How Can Parents Support Their Child’s Interests 16:57 Should You Let Your Kid Quit a Sport? 19:01 Parents Overanalyzing Their Child's Performance 21:29 Norway: The World’s Best Youth Sports System 25:10 - What the U.S. Can Learn from Norway 26:16 - Final Thoughts: Creating Better Youth Sports Systems