Darryl Strawberry has the best advice for baseball parents

Will we still be able to call baseball “America’s pastime” in a decade?

The question isn’t exactly new.

When Rob Manfred became commissioner of Major League Baseball in 2015, one of his top priorities was to flip the youth participation charts upside down.

According to a May 2015 article from the Wall Street Journal, which cited the National Sporting Goods Association, participation in baseball for Americans ages 7-17 has dipped from 8.8 million in 2000 to 5.3 million in 2013. Softball has seen a decrease, as has basketball, soccer and football. But none of those dips compares to baseball’s.

Why? Many — myself included — believe too big of an emphasis has been placed on performance rather than just allowing a kid to, you know, be a kid. The burnout rate is clear in any number of youth studies.

Some of my best memories from playing baseball, soccer and hockey as a child stem from the cliché orange slices and “Ecto Cooler” Hi-Cs — maybe that speaks to my ability more than anything.

The pressure wasn’t there to “chase” an athletic scholarship.

Once I entered middle school and high school, my family trekked the country with my travel team, because it was fun and ultimately a bonding experience. Maybe that’s why I’ve never turned my back on the sports of my youth.

While speaking at the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art in Biloxi on Friday, eight-time MLB All-Star Darryl Strawberry had a poignant — albeit simple — message for the parents in the audience.

“With today’s generation, we can’t force our kids to make them believe they’re big leaguers at age 13. Because they’re not,” he said, his final words drowned by echoing applause. “The parents need to give them a break. That’s the reality of it. You need to let them have fun.”

The key, Strawberry said, is only three little letters.

“Parents today push their kids and before you know it they’re 18, 19 and don’t want to play anymore,” he said. “We just have to get back to understanding that the game is fun. You know? It’s fun. Fun. Remember, fun.”

Asked about other players he came across during his 17-year MLB career, Strawberry reflected on his time from 1995 to 1999 with Derek Jeter, then an up-and-coming Yankees shortstop.

“We need to get back to letting kids have fun and enjoy themselves,” Strawberry said. “Parents need to chill out. Don’t go to games yelling. Let them play. I think that’s what happened with a guy like Derek Jeter. His parents allowed him to be who he was. Parents, if you want your kids to play, just allow your kids to develop.”

Goals are important. We should all have ambition to better ourselves.

But Strawberry’s point isn’t one of participation ribbons.

Let children develop their own goals. It’s great to want your children to be an All-Star at whatever sport they play — but let that goal develop organically rather than being force-fed.

This story was originally published June 28, 2016 at 1:33 PM with the headline "Darryl Strawberry has the best advice for baseball parents."