We signed our daughter up for competitive soccer at age seven, and within a season she was having meltdowns before every game. The pressure to perform, the constant drills, and the coach's win-focused attitude crushed the joy she had playing in the backyard. Kids need unstructured play to develop creativity and resilience, not adult-organized leagues that mirror workplace performance metrics. Is pushing children into structured competition at such an early age really preparing them for life, or just teaching them that their worth is tied to winning?