Pro Bowl Star Jonathan Stewart Says Youth Sports Build Lasting Life Skills

Youth sports are rarely about watching your child blossom into the next Patrick Mahomes or Aaron Judge. They are not even focused on becoming a collegiate athlete. The real value lies in something much bigger than winning games or chasing glory. Pro Bowl running back Jonathan Stewart knows this truth better than almost anyone else. He tells parents that these activities provide kids with a community to help them grow into young adults and develop positive habits that last a lifetime.

Stewart starred in the NFL for eleven seasons before shifting his focus. Now he coaches a middle school football team alongside two of his former Carolina Panthers teammates, Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen and Hall of Fame linebacker Luke Kuechly. Beyond sharing his infinite football wisdom with players on the field, Stewart recognizes that youth sports offer something more important than any trophy: belonging to a group of peers.

This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX News may be compensated. This content was created by a team that works independently from the FOX newsroom. CLICK HERE FOR MORE OUTKICK SPORTS COVERAGE. The truth about youth sports is clear. It is not for your kid to become an NFL great. Not to make it to the league, and definitely not to make the spectacle of being a star player. Youth sports gives your kid a community that matters far more than stats or scores.

"It gives them a sense of prioritization," Stewart told OutKick in a recent interview. "You are a kid, you have to make time to play. You have to make time to study, you have to make time to take care of the things at home." Making your bed in the morning and washing your own jersey teaches responsibility. Ironing your own clothes builds character. Whatever task you have to do helps you become a man or a young woman while surrounded by supportive friends. This is how you build a community that supports growth.

"This is the middle school age where we're now a community that's giving you the tools to be successful teenagers," Stewart added. Charlotte Christian School in North Carolina may boast one of the most decorated middle school coaching staffs of all time, but Stewart emphasized that credentials are not the most important thing. Above all else, the 39-year-old wants to be a good mentor to incredibly impressionable middle schoolers who need guidance every day.

"The thing that I like most about this age specifically is how impressionable they are," Stewart explained. "They are sponges. They want to learn and they want to be good." These students are okay with being pushed and can listen when you talk to them like adults. At the high school level, coaches must talk to teens like teens, but at this younger age, adults speak directly to children who receive the message and trust it completely.

The former Panthers running back said youth sports give kids a platform to find belonging and purpose among their peers without feeling isolated. "As people, our personalities, the things that we believe in, this is an opportunity to mentor," he stated. The goal is to get your young men ready to become responsible adults before they even reach graduation. That vision appears in middle school football and extends throughout baseball, basketball, or whatever sport those kids play. You get a chance to have your kid be around other kids to become friends easily with teammates. This path helps them find belonging and purpose quickly.

"Because it can be lonely being a middle schooler trying to find your way," Stewart noted while watching his players practice. He sees many kids on the team and wonders if they would be somewhere else without football. What would he be doing after school? Would he be at home by himself or is he here amongst guys having fellowship before practice? They are laughing, giggling, and playing around until all of a sudden they must figure out what that on and off switch is for when practice starts right now.

Stewart never thought he would coach football professionally or even locally. Olsen and Kuechly had coached Olsen's sons throughout youth football programs and asked Stewart to join them year after year. Their invitation changed his life completely.

Stewart used to have two daughters, which made him think coaching was a bad idea. But when those girls started going to Charlotte Christian School, the former running back changed his mind and joined the staff. With Stewart on the sidelines, his daughters have become much more interested in the sport. They actually enjoy attending the games now and look forward to them every time. They like seeing their dad out there coaching the kids up and they ask tons of questions about the game or practice. It feels like a special time of year because they didn't get to see him play football back then, Stewart said.

Being able to connect those dots makes his daughters feel pretty good about themselves and their family as a whole. They understand that football is just part of who they are. Stewart sees the sport as a teacher for many important lessons in life. He told people that football is family and you show up no matter what happens. It teaches selflessness, responsibility, and how to prioritize things. But most importantly, it teaches you more about yourself and what you can get out of yourself.

Watching kids grow and develop as both players and people is incredibly rewarding for him. He mentioned a favorite player named Jack who was probably the size of a pencil or pen back then. Not really that small, but he started off as a smaller kid. Stewart said he would take Jack to a battlefield because he knows Jack will have his back. He knows Jack is loyal to the game and the cause. He believes in what they are doing and will do whatever it takes to make things right. Maybe he gets it wrong sometimes, but if you give him a shot, he puts in the effort every single time.

Last year Jack was a seventh grader and now he is an eighth grader who helps out the seventh graders. He has become more vocal this year and his confidence just keeps rising through the surface. It is really cool to watch. Yesterday they had a game and Jack was making tackles now. He plays corner, but Stewart isn't talking about just wrapping guys up. He means going in for the kill. They put him at running back yesterday too and gave him a toss, the first one of the year. He stiff-armed a guy and scored a touchdown right there. That is what makes you feel good.

In today's day and age when it feels like we see parents brawling with each other or yelling at referees, remember that youth sports are for the kids. Youth sports aren't even about the game itself; it is about the community that comes with it. Oral hygiene is incredibly important, so the NFL has partnered with Oral-B and Crest to make them the official toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, and mouthwash of the league. Stewart has introduced a Panthers toothbrush into his routine. He says taking care of yourself is just as important as working out or what you eat on a daily basis regarding health standards because they are talking about gut health.

Besides waking up to brush his teeth, the former running back said he uses mouthwash about four times a day. Unfortunately for him, not all the coaches in his career cared as much about their breath as Stewart did. He won't name names but some coaches had ranky breath that you could tell immediately. It is unfortunate when you meet people with funky breath because they don't even know it themselves.

Stewart spent 10 seasons with the Panthers and one season with the New York Giants. Over his career he played in 134 games where he rushed for 7,335 yards and 51 touchdowns while catching 162 passes for 1,295 yards and seven touchdowns.

Troy Polamalu earned a Pro Bowl spot back in 2015. He is now facing serious charges related to child abuse allegations. The former Steelers star was arrested on Wednesday morning. Police say he allegedly hurt his six-year-old stepdaughter. A second victim, also a minor, could be involved too. Authorities are looking into how these crimes happened over time. His family has issued statements addressing the situation directly. Legal teams are preparing for what comes next in court.