2026 MOSHAPE Kaleidoscope of Kindness

While high school athletic administrators play a key role in developing young student-athletes, research has also noted concerns within organized youth sport settings such as increased emphasis on winning, increased costs, athlete mental health, and increased pressure on athletes to specialize. Such evolving concerns have also contributed to negative outcomes associated with growing demands of the athletic administrator position among which include elevated stress, burnout, and turnover rates of high school athletic and activity directors. Examining administrators’ perceptions of concerns within interscholastic sports provides valuable insights into general youth sport issues at large. This project examined the perceptions of Missouri high school athletic and activity directors regarding interscholastic sports, with a focus on their perceptions of current challenges, participation trends, and emerging concerns. Attendees will learn insights about noted athletic director concerns within Missouri interscholastic sports, and session time will be devoted to discussing solutions to noted issues.