College sports have had a rise in congressional attention in recent years, unsurprisingly yet warranted due to how badly the industry has treated college athletes. That said, with all the focus on the college sports industry, lawmakers and the general population alike are overlooking the silent crisis within the youth sports industry.
Youth sports are the bona fide backbone of every major sports organization within the United States. These programs are the very things that introduce future aspiring athletes into the industry and help cultivate the necessary skills and connections needed if a youth athlete ever wants to dedicate themselves to a professional career. That said, the youth sports industry has inadvertently grown harder and harder for families to partake in due to the rising influence private equity has had on youth sports teams.
Private equity within youth sports isn’t a recent thing, but the rate at which these firms are acquiring youth sports teams across the country is accelerating. Many of these youth teams are roped into being brought out with promises of better facilities and technology to help their athletes, unfortunately the trade-off is higher prices for families.
Families that can’t afford to keep up with youth sports expenses, be it travel, equipment, or apparel costs, are effectively being priced out. This usually leaves low-income families and children unable to participate in quality sports programs, raising the barrier to entry primarily towards well-off families.
Additionally, private firms have also come after families who want to take photos or video of their children at events, prohibiting any recording, which leaves parents forced to use respective streaming services or the official recordings provided by these firms. Youth sports, which used to primarily be used to foster community engagement, are now being turned into for-profit ventures that are focused primarily on revenue rather than the well-being of child athletes and their families.
Youth sports are worth more to be owned by the American people than being shelled out to fill corporate interests.
