Many of us have drunk the Kool-Aid, ridden the rollercoaster, and shared the thrill of victory and agony of defeat. We bought into the "high stakes," dog-eat-dog world of travel sports, the Arms Race to nowhere - scholarship, recruiting, NIL money.
The Value Is Real
Value is real - physical fitness, less cancer, lower mental health problems, fewer teen pregnancies, better grades, more college attendance.
Youth sports at their best build more than athletes:
- Competitors (handle adversity)
- Thinkers (make decisions)
- Teammates (serve more than themselves)
Tom Farrey's Highlights
Highlights:
3:23... three hours and twenty-three minutes every day spent on a child's sports...in the "up or out" model.
It's a forty billion dollar business, more than twice the size of the NFL.
Elite athletes' sperm is the most coveted in the Sperm Bank ecosystem.
$300 million annually from the NCAA rose to over $4 billion (not including NIL).
Fifty percent of parents experience anger - officiating, play, self-recrimination.
20% of parents think their child can play in college.
10% of parents think their child can play in the pros or Olympics.
The experience matters. Joy is foundational.
Answers are Possible
We need more local sports, and more local teams, like freshman and JV teams. It's possible.
Participation in middle school sports went from 17% to 62% in Oakland - because on investment by the Curry Family Foundation.
In other countries, like Norway, there's less cost, high participation and great outcomes. "The Joy of Sport for All..." and Norway won the most medals at the Winter Olympics.
It can happen.
