I agree about the change in change in sports in the US. Part of it has to do with the cost of participation. A year of competitive soccer here is like $1800, plus uniforms and additional tournament fees. For that kind of money, people tend to expect a lot of... something. You want your money's worth, right? This unfortunately means that they push a lot on the kids and make everything very overkill and overdone. It also means that the very best athletes may not be represented or get the chance to complete because of the financial barriers to entry. My daughter's "A" team wasn't the best players... it was the best players who could afford the fees.
(As an aside, this is why I keep advocating for TAG funding for our state, even though we've opted out of the public schools for our daughter -- because every gifted child deserves an appropriate education, not just the ones who can afford to seek an alternative.)
