I think it depends on the individual kids, the parents, and the coaches...and maybe somewhat on the sport as well. If there is too much pressure placed on kids, I can certainly see how it would stop being fun and potentially turn them off of physical activities. On a different but somewhat related note, my gripe with a lot of organized sports is the huge time commitment required, to the point where almost every weekend is taken up with games/practice. Not conducive to families getting to enjoy other activities together like going for a hike, bike ride etc. and doesn't allow much time for parents to occasionally have a break either. I don't remember having swim meets/practices on the weekends, other than the big state meet at the end of the summer; practice was on weekdays and meets were Tuesday and Thursday evenings. However, I have friends whose kids play soccer and it seems like every weekend during the season has a game or tournament...not sure if this is something that happens more in certain sports or if things have just changed that much in the last 10-15 years.