The Pure Athlete Podcast

Does social media have a big potential impact on the youth sports journey? You bet it does. With teens averaging over 4 hours per day on social platforms, and 68% of pre-teens active on at least one social platform, we need to understand the impact on our young athletes. On this episode, we discuss the positive role social media can play in helping young athletes with motivation, skill development, key learnings, and recruiting. In addition, most of the discussion is focused on creating awareness for young athletes, parents, and coaches on the negative influence social media can have on the youth sports journey. Studies point to perfectionism, performance comparisons, body image issues, self promotion/absorption issues, bullying and much more that add even more pressure and stress on young athletes, contributing to anxiety, depression, and emotional withdrawal. Parents and coaches need to be aware of these issues, and be intentional with boundaries and/or guidance to help their young athletes pursue their goals in a healthy way.

On this episode, one of America's favorite and most respected sportscasters joins the guys and begins by sharing his thoughts about the upcoming final season of Inside the NBA, as well as a hilarious story involving Charles Barkley. EJ then opens up about his days as a walk-on first baseman for the Georgia Bulldogs, his experience being cut his sophomore year, and his thoughts on the current state of youth sports. In addition, EJ will inspire and challenge you as he shares his experience as a father of six, on "blackberry moments," and on the things that matter most in life. You will enjoy this episode and we hope you share it with others.

Former MLB Star Matt Holliday and his wife Leslee are raising their four kids in today's complex world of youth sports. Their oldest two boys shared their dad's passion for baseball, and their talent led the family into the crazy world of travel ball. As a senior in high school, Jackson became the first pick in the MLB draft. His brother, now a high school senior, looks to following a similar path. Their younger son and daughter had other passions, which Matt and Leslee were equally committed to supporting. In this episode, Matt and Leslee share their hearts for how they wanted to raise their kids, not just as athletes, but as high-character people. They share how they are navigating the craziness of sports and other activities to support their kid's dreams, but not at the expense of their marriage, their family life or their faith. You will be challenged and encouraged to hear Leslee's and Matt's hearts and wisdom as a sports mom and dad trying to get all of it right.

We kick off Season 3 with a great conversation with Baylor Men's Head Basketball Coach Scott Drew, one of college basketball's most successful and most respected coaches. Coach Drew shares how his basketball playing days ended early in high school due to his size, but he pursued his passion for the game as a coach. He discusses the incredible influence his dad had on him, his coaching philosophy, how he stays balanced in the midst of the demands of big time college basketball, his approach to recruiting people who fit his program, and so much more. Coach Drew also shares about the role his faith plays in how he coaches and develops his players, and he shares his answers to five rapid-fire questions from Jeff. You may not be a Baylor fan before listening to this episode, but you will likely be after listening.

On this season's final episode, Jeff and Britt address a number of questions and comments from listeners covering a wide range of youth sports topics, including some controversial ones. The guys also share some of their favorite, most impactful moments from Season 2, including important advice from Falcons QB Kirk Cousins and Coach Tony Dungy. This video is sponsored by Guardian Sports, the nations leading impact reducing soft-shell helmet cover engineered for impact reduction. For more visit guardiansports.com. This episode is also sponsored by Booster Enterprises Inc, the leading high school athletics fundraising partner. For more info, go to choosebooster.com-- Follow us @pureathleteincwww.pureathleteinc.com

If you're playing youth sports, you're experiencing winning and losing regularly. Some experience one more than the other, but over the course of time, we all experience both. As parents and coaches, how do we teach young athletes the value of responding properly to both? Do we even model the right responses, or are we also too caught up in the results? On this episode, Jeff, Britt, and Brad discuss why we all want to win, the positive aspects that result, while also talking about the positive aspects of losing (yes, there really are some). They also share their thoughts on the bad responses to both winning and losing, from arrogance to sour attitudes, from kids and parents alike. Finally, we've all seen ugly examples of really poor responses to both winning and losing and the guys call some of these out as a reminder to all of us to seize these opportunities to teach out young athletes to compete to win, to win with grace, and to respond to losing with the right attitude. This episode has something for everyone - don't miss it. This video is sponsored by Guardian Sports, the nations leading impact reducing soft-shell helmet cover engineered for impact reduction. For more visit guardiansports.com. This episode is also sponsored by Booster Enterprises Inc, the leading high school athletics fundraising partner. For more info, go to choosebooster.com-- Follow us @pureathleteincwww.pureathleteinc.com

Former NBA star Jamal Crawford is our guest on this episode, sharing his youth sports story of growing up with the game of basketball in Seattle. Jamal dove into a wide array of topics in this week's episode.How did he develop his elite ball handling skills? How did his parents impact his journey? What was his recruiting process like? He even shares the secret to how he won the NBA 6th Man award three times and which award meant more than any other. Finally, he gives his thoughts on the changes he would like to see with AAU, and how he is taking a different approach with coaching the athletes on his own team.Don't miss this episode! Thanks for tuning in!This video is sponsored by Guardian Sports, the nations leading impact reducing soft-shell helmet cover engineered for impact reduction. For more visit guardiansports.com. This episode is also sponsored by Booster Enterprises Inc, the leading high school athletics fundraising partner. For more info, go to choosebooster.com-- Follow us @pureathleteincwww.pureathleteinc.com

On today's episode, Brad and Britt talk to Dr Abigail Federer, a leading sports concussion specialist at Northside Hospital in Atlanta, shares her expertise and experience treating both male and female young athletes with concussion injuries. Brad introduces the subject by discussing his son's story of suffering concussions while playing three different sports, including the concerns shared by many parents of young athletes. Dr Feder dispels some of the myths and outdated treatment protocols for concussed athletes, discusses common symptoms and markers, and informs parents on what to do if they suspect their child may have a concussion. Immediately following Dr Feder's segment, the guys discuss concussion prevention with the founder of Guardian Sports, who provide innovative safety equipment recently approved by the NFL, and currently being used by every NFL team and many NCAA programs. They share the benefits of Guardian caps, along with the proven data, that is transforming head safety for football players of all ages. This episode is sponsored by Guardian Sports, the nations leading impact reducing soft-shell helmet cover engineered for impact reduction. For more visit guardiansports.com

Super Bowl Champion Tight End Ben Watson is our guest on this week's episode. Not only was Ben a 2nd Team All-SEC player at the University of Georgia and a first round pick in the NFL draft, Ben also had an outstanding 15 yearr career in the NFL, playing for the Patriots, Browns, Saints, and Ravens. In addition to his on-field success, Ben has always been known as a man of strong character, as evidenced by his being awarded the Bart Starr Award in 2018. During our conversation, Ben shares his youth sports story growing up in South Carolina, his passion for soccer as a youngster, how he developed as a football player, and his outlook on college football as an SEC Network analyst. We also heard some great stories from his career including interesting insights from his time catching passes from Tom Brady and Drew Brees. Finally, he shares the many lessons he learned from his parents and as a parent of 7, including on character and leadership. Thanks for listening!--Follow us @pureathleteincwww.pureathleteinc.com

On this week's episode, the guys discuss toxic behavior and culture in youth sports. While we all love youth athletics, if you've been involved for any length of time you have likely encountered toxic parents. These parents can be disruptive, yelling inappropriate comments or remaining silent when they should address bad behavior. We've even experienced or heard stories of toxic coaches who try to win at all costs, play their own kids at the best positions, or require contracts to play on a 10u team. We'll also jump into some discussions about toxic teammate behavior and the overall toxicity level of the current youth sports culture. Thanks for tuning in!--Follow us @pureathleteincwww.pureathleteinc.com