Kids crave more fun in youth sports.

• Position: YOUR LIFE - Survey - Brief article

Local youth sports leagues, coaches, and parents need to have a serious timeout to think about how they can bring fun back to athletic programs, reveals a national survey of eight- to 14-year-olds commissioned by i9 Sports, Tampa, Fla.

* 84% say they sometimes wish they had more fun when competing.

* 84% explain that, at one time, they quit a team or wanted to quit--because it was not any fun; teammates were mean; and there were too many practices that interfered with other activities.

* 31% wish adults were not watching their games--mostly because grownups yell too much; are too distracting; make players nervous; and put pressure on kids to play better and win.

* When asked their number-one reason for playing sports, 56% say to have fun.

* When asked how they feel if their team loses, 63% maintain they still have fun.

* 42% would rather be playing video games than sports--because video games are more fun; sports can be too competitive; the coach does not let them play as much as they want; and they feel too much pressure to win.

* 20% have witnessed a physical fight between players; 59% a verbal fight between players; and 36% a...