While social media has put all teens under a microscope, this is especially true for student-athletes. Self-promotion used to mean walking the hallways wearing a letterman jacket; today, teens use social media along with innovative platforms like Hudl (the leading sports video analysis platform where players create and share highlight reels) to promote their accomplishments to a much wider audience. The result is that high school athletes are accessing a new level of national celebrity.

Before his star turn as the number one pick in the 2019 N.B.A. draft, Zion Williamson was a high school basketball player who actively pursued the limelight through flashy plays, such as mid-game 360-degree dunks. As a teenager, Williamson amassed millions of Instagram followers, including the rapper Drake. Compare that level of hype to the pre-social media rise of Michael Jordan, who — without Instagram and YouTube — was third pick in the 1984 draft.

As N.B.A. player Stephen Curry said of teen ballers today, ​“It’s the highlight-driven generation.” Even for teen athletes who don’t aspire to Williamson-level fame, the new normal is to jumpstart your own celebrity rather than wait to be discovered. Social media training, once reserved for college teams and pros, is becoming compulsory high school curricula.

With the pressure for student-athletes to perform mounting, it’s hard not to wonder how long these levels of intensity can last? Cameron at Hillcrest High School told us he has, “…really no time off.” His classmate Cross said that during wrestling season he’s hungry and tired and often thinking, ​“I’ve just gotta get through the day.” Julia sacrifices freedom and sleep. According to Fiona, ​“If you miss a day or you’re sick you really fall behind with work.”

Nearly a third (29%) of Gen Z athletes said they often feel anxiety around having to perform to a certain level; 27% said they’ve experienced athletic burnout so extreme that they’ve considered quitting sports altogether. Many high schools now employ sports psychologists and life coaches to ensure that stressed out kids have their heads in the game when it matters.

To keep up, many teens are training not only their physical selves, but also their mental, emotional and spiritual sides. As Cole, 16, from Greenville, SC, told us, ​“Fundamentals can only take you so far. After that, it’s creativity and hustle.” Case in point: meditation has become as standardized as weight training (the Headspace app emphasizes the benefits of mindfulness for athletes). Relaxation drinks, such as Dream Water and Just Chill, are being touted as the next big thing to hit the beverage market. And recovery modalities from cupping to infrared saunas, are having a moment. Sleep is considered an underutilized competitive advantage, and teens are now setting bed timers, donning Under Armour’s bioceramic recovery sleepwear and tuning into Spotify’s Sleep Sound Library. Sleep-training coaches may be up next.

Extreme, niche and, frankly, oddball sports are becoming our new American pastime. Adventure sports, such as rock climbing, mountain biking and BASE jumping, are projected to be the most-watched category of sports of 2020. Student-athletes we surveyed expressed interest in competitive bowling and horseback riding. Teens told us they wished their high school offered organized badminton, ultimate Frisbee and pickleball. 

Meanwhile, several Div. 1 universities — and even pro franchises — have added a once-niche pastime to their rosters: esports. It makes sense! If you’re one of the millions of kids that doesn’t have a chance at becoming star quarterback, you might as well try to get good at League of Legends.