Written by The other day I spoke with my 15 (and 9 months as she likes to frame it for obvious reasons) year old sister about her most recent soccer tournament. She tells me it was close to Richmond, VA, two hours from our hometown in Silver Spring, MD. I was surprised. It was the closest tournament to home she’s had in months. She usually travels 4-6 hours a week for both practices and games. I could never imagine traveling that much to play sports in my youth. On rare occasions, I would arrive in a neighboring east coast city to play in a playoff game, but the majority of my experiences have revolved around local sports. I played for the traditional mom and pop league with kids from my neighborhood and school that I’d known for years. Unfortunately, many of these leagues have been fazed out of the youth sports ecosystem and replaced with high-octane and ultra-competitive travel teams. Coaches gather the best players they can find and travel across the country to compete in tournaments for prestige and supremacy in ranking. The mobilization of youth sports across state lines has established a billion-dollar industry in youth sports and tourism, with it comes a slew of business opportunities and everyone wants a bid.
Private youth sports clubs and tournaments have become a seedbed for entrepreneurs and investors seeking to grow sports start-ups. You can find businesses for any of your sporting needs. There are companies that find and schedule private coaching for athletes through mobile applications, offer performance analytics software for youth teams, and process payments for club teams and tournament organizers. These businesses undoubtedly add value to the youth sports experience, tapping into a market that is structured similar to professional sports and thus in need of professional sports services. However, a bevy of ethical complications arise when your primary consumers are children and sports-crazed parents.
Ironically, the problem with the youth sports marketplace is also its structure. The sports industry sells passion and culture as its core product, fandom is what drives the business. Without fans who are willing to pay irrational amounts of money to attend games and engage brands, the business would not be lucrative. This schema is mirrored and magnified in youth sports with parents who contribute unreasonable amounts of money to their child’s athletic career. The issue with this is that often parents must be both the CEO and the fan. Parents want to support their children’s endeavors but sound financial decision-making should also be a key consideration as well. According to the Aspen Institute, families spend an average of $693 on one sport per year on their youth athletes. Some families put off payments and retirement savings to support a child’s athletic career. Travel sports has certainly become an investment, as most parents expect the money they spend on specialized training and sports to translate into college scholarships. Most families have little to no chance of achieving the desired result, as an estimated two percent of high-school athletes are awarded scholarships to play in college. Regardless of the outcome, the dollars spent on youth sports and tourism are impacting economic sustainability in more ways than one.
Youth sports and tourism are driving sports-led economic development and revitalization. Given the size and readily available market of youth sports, one can argue that attracting youth sporting events is more beneficial to boosting local economies than a minor league baseball team. Youth sports events bring moms, dads, grandparents, and siblings to a city for days at a time, generating hundreds to thousands of dollars for local restaurants, hotels, and other businesses. Several smaller cities are investing in sports mega-complexes in hopes of attracting youth sports tournaments. Governments are setting aside tax dollars to build venues trusting that youth sports will be the economic catalyst for the revitalization of their local economy. I think this will become a hot topic in smaller cities looking to rebound in a post-covid world. All in all, it is nice to know that youth sports and tourism has the potential to positively impact communities across the nation with the massive sums it churns out each year.
The ecosystem that is youth sports and tourism is fascinating, to say the least. As a billion-dollar industry with an uncapped market, it has a ton of potential to reinvigorate communities across the nation and spark innovation in the industry. There is so much potential for positive impact and connectivity within contemporary youth sports for athletes, entrepreneurs, and communities to engage in. The jury is still out, as there are still negative consequences and controversy surrounding unhealthy engagement in youth sports culture. Some would say the industry preys on overzealous parents looking to turn their children into stars, but there are pros and cons in every industry. I will let you decide.