As the fall sports’ season gets under way this weekend, I’m reminded of a troubling cultural phenomenon: the habit of making junk food a part of kids’ early athletic experiences.

This summer my 6-year-old son attended a local basketball camp.

The camp ran each morning for four days and its organizers encouraged parents to send in money at the beginning of the week to set up a credit account that kids could then use to purchase items at a camp concession stand.

Certainly the kids could have survived during these three-hour stretches without candy, soda or even Gatorade in between camp sessions. Instead, the concession stand at the camp supported the idea that healthful exercise and junk food are an appropriate combination for kids participating in athletics.

This weekend my son and his 4-year-old sister will play in their first games of the fall soccer season.

Since becoming a parent of youth soccer participants, I have discovered that a consistent part of their sporting experience today is the post-game snack ritual. Parents take turns bringing snacks for all the kids to enjoy after each game has ended.

Unfortunately, all too often this ritual involves the consumption of unnourishing food and drink immediately after kids have exercised. I’m all for teammates, parents and coaches coming together after games to re-hydrate, refuel and celebrate the kids’ collective efforts.

However, I am concerned that the benefits of our children’s exercise are all but nullified by the post-game consumption of unhealthy food, food they eat simply because we feed it to them!

In this era of increasing rates of childhood obesity, we should stop reinforcing the association of sports and exercise with junk food and instead offer healthy alternatives.

Mary Kate Goodwin-Kelly

Bowling Green