“Dear billsimmons , You had my vote to become Sports Czar, Podcast Mogul Category, before I heard your list of the “20 Best and Worst Youth Sports for Parents.” Unfortunately, I can no longer support you in such an important role given your egregious under-ranking of cross-country at #15. From a parent’s perspective, cross-country is unquestionably a top-three sport. Let’s go through every point on your own rubric so we can highlight the overlooked benefits of your child deciding they’re going to spend an inordinate amount of time just running around… •What’s the parent culture? • How expensive is the sport? • What’s the toll on physical and mental health? • Is there scholarship potential? • How much parent entertainment value is there? • Is it easy to understand? • Bonus: Are adults happy they did it, and can you keep doing it as they grow up?” — from New York State’s 2007 Class A High School Champion (and Father to Two Eventual New York State Class B Participants) kylemerber via ...