Why do people retire from basketball? It stops being fun.

There is a disturbing trend happening in American basketball- too many are retiring from the sport. And it's not just the adults.

It’s the kids.

The National Alliance for Sports reports 70 percent of kids quit playing sports by the age 13 -- and never play again.

One of the top reasons for why kids stop playing is not ground breaking.  The game stops being fun.
  
Last month afforded me the opportunity to share Ultimate Hoops' strategy related to youth basketball to group of Life Time Fitness investors in New York.  Afterwards, one the attendees asked me privately how I define a successful youth basketball program.  

I believe basketball success should be defined by the individual.  But what defines failure is universal:  

When the game stops being fun.

When any sport stops being fun, people quit.  Why stay?  Our core belief at Ultimate Hoops is when our customers quit us, no matter their age or skill level, it’s not their fault.

It’s ours.  We’ve failed them. We stopped making the game fun. 

So we’re on a mission.  Your basketball career should never end at 13-years-old. Or when you graduate from High School. Or when you turn 40.  

We’ll never tell you your hoops career is over.  Instead, we’ll push you to keep going.  To leave your own basketball legacy- not one defined by others.  To always improve, no matter your age or ability. 

To #NeverRetire from the game.