Why do youth sports leagues make kids vote for each other?
Publicly announcing exact peer vote counts turns team selections into a popularity contest. This practice hurts children's feelings and makes the process feel pointless for parents who see it alienating kids instead of fostering teamwork.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Questioning league norms or discussing whether coaches should handle selections instead
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Idk if I’m too “woke” but I just don’t see the point in an all-star team to begin with. It just makes some kids feel bad.”source ↗
“(FWIW my son was voted to the team, but I feel it’s more of a popularity contest).”source ↗
“It does seem a little weird they would announce all the votes. Also a little weird the kids are voting for each other.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 2Do youth sports get cancelled for heavy rain?
- 2How to help a child who refuses to play sports from anxiety
- 5How to handle high energy kids who act out in public classes
- 6How to handle a child hanging out with bad influence friends
- 5How to handle sibling rivalry when kids compete in the same activities
- 4School retreat where students hunt teachers in the woods