A look back at our campaign to keep kids in the game
TOM FARREY
Executive Director, Sports & Society Program
One year ago next week, 9-year-old Derek Heyswiver (an anagram for Kids Everywhere) retired from sports, announcing as much at a packed press conference that included journalists, his parents and coaches.
Kobe Bryant announced the news with a tweet, followed by an in-studio appearance on SportsCenter as ESPN launched the PSA campaign on all networks. Clayton Kershaw, Albert Pujols, Cody Bellinger, Kerri Walsh Jennings, Blake Griffin, Swin Cash, Cassius Winston and other stars chimed in on social media, most of them encouraging Heyswiver to unretire. In the first week alone, the campaign to address the problem of early attrition in youth sports generated 167 million impressions. Nearly every major national TV news network ran pieces on the campaign, as did many online outlets.