St. Joe’s graduate probes Olympics’ effect on youth sports, interviews former Olympian, now administrator
When Andrew McDermott, a graduate of Saint Joseph Regional High School in Montvale, went on a study abroad program at the Paris Games through Queens University of Charlotte to research the impact of the Olympics on youth sports, he first made a stop at his alma mater. There, he interviewed Patrick Kivlehan, who won a Silver Medal in 2020 as part of Team USA Baseball. Kivlehan is also the school’s Director of Student Services.
Both men graduated from the Catholic school, where they excelled in baseball. Kivlehan played football and baseball at Rutgers, spent 13 years in the minors and majors with the San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds, and Arizona Diamondbacks, and played internationally.
Kivlehan at the 2020 Olympics
Although the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo proceeded without fanfare due to the pandemic and athletes walked into an empty arena, it was Kivlehan’s chance to compete as an Olympian since the sport had gone on hiatus in 2009. It’s every kid’s dream, he said.
“I wanted to win, not as an individual, but as part of a team. Seeing athletes represent their country and the reaction to winning gold is an overarching goal. Every kid wants that feeling,” Kivlehan recalled. “It’s an honor to represent our country at the highest level and gives kids something to dream for, to rise to the collegiate levels and beyond.”
McDermott said baseball is not as globally known as other sports, adding that Olympians like Kivlehan help to attract more youth to America’s favorite sport. The International Olympics Committee cultivates thousands of programs worldwide to encourage youth sports participation and instill Olympic values. Olympians like Kivlehan often start programs and academies, spreading the love of their sport to today’s youth.
McDermott at the 2024 Olympics
After interviewing Kivlehan, McDermott headed to Paris for 18 days with classmates Karsyn Sadler and Nicole Rojas. The group was tasked with documenting, producing, and publishing their findings on the popularity of different sports and how the Olympics are leveraged to create a more prominent youth following. McDermott provided research, analytics, marketing, and logistics, performing much of his work before the trip.
Non-traditional sports debuted at the 2024 Olympics, and the group learned how they are more accessible to today’s youth and are growing in popularity and acceptance. The group examined these sports, which included skateboarding, sports climbing, freestyle BMX, surfing, 3×3 basketball, and break dancing, and their popularity with today’s youth. Urban sports offer more access to youth without having to hire expensive coaches and join expensive academies.
They interviewed 2004 Olympics gymnast Carly Patterson and a table tennis coach, shadowed Team USA Women’s Field Hockey Captains Amanda Golini and Ashley Hoffman, and learned about how surfing and skateboarding are being promoted.
In her interview, Patterson extolled the benefits of grueling gymnastics training at a young age, which included learning life lessons about character and competition, and the cons, which included balancing everything else with a sport that dominates lives for a short time.
They also interviewed table tennis coach Pascal Tong Monsoux. He has been playing the sport that entered the Olympics in 1988 for more than 50 years. It is wildly popular across Europe. On the day he was interviewed, he offered free sports accommodations for public use—tables and paddles—in a park for people to get a taste of the game.
“In France, the two best players that we have, they start to play at three and four (years old),” he said, noting that fostering an interest in the sport at such a young age in Paris gives France more chance to win Olympic medals. He cited 17-year-old Félix Lebrunamong, France’s best table tennis player.
McDermott and the crew also visited the exhibition “Spot 24,” created by Paris je t’aime in partnership with the Olympic Museum. There, they viewed artwork, collector’s items, activities, and memorabilia related to urban sports popular with today’s youth. Videos of professional breakers, also known as break dancers, gave young fans in attendance a taste of the new and emerging Olympic sport.
Over the past 20 years, youth sports have progressed as “narrow,” McDermott also learned. “Athletes pick their favorite early and stick with one sport. There aren’t as many multisport [athletes],” he said.
As the mental health of athletes comes to the forefront, McDermott plans to pursue his master’s degree in Sports Psychology—a field growing along with youth interest in non-traditional Olympic sports.
“Victoria Garrick and Simone Biles brought attention to mental health in sports,” McDermott said, adding that his share of injuries like torn ligaments and getting hit with a line drive took a toll on his mental health. “These are difficult long-term injuries that can be taxing. Athletes need to be strong physically and mentally.”
Featured photo: St. Joe’s alum Andrew McDermott interviews Patrick Kivlehan, who won a Silver Medal in 2020 as part of Team USA Baseball and is now Director of Student Services.
