November 2022 newsletter

National Coach Survey, World Cup, Future of Sports

FEATURED ITEMS:

  • It’s time to support coaches
    Sports & Society’s Dr. Vince Minjares shares a call to action in response to the National Coach Survey

  • Future of Sports: U.S. in the World’s Game
    Join us for our next free, virtual event on Dec. 15 (12-1 ET)

  • How soccer can transform youth sports
    Revisit our conversation at the Project Play Summit with U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone, USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter and NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman

  • Stay connected to Project Play
    Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn

Plus ideas, insights, and some inspiration from Ted Lasso…

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Summit rewind: What kids want and need

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As kids across the country return to school, the importance of centering their voices couldn’t be more timely. The first play in our youth sports framework is Ask Kids What They Want.

At the most recent Project Play Summit, we asked three girls how they got involved in sports and what they feel like when playing. Only 15% of girls nationally meet the CDC recommendation for 60 minutes of physical activity.

What if the NBA developed its player pipeline?

Adam Silver is done with one-and-done. The National Basketball Association commissioner wants teams to be able to draft players right out of high school, at age 18, down from the current minimum of 19, a requirement that ends up forcing prospective NBA players to enter college for just one season. He calls it the “right thing to do” and hopes the players’ union agrees in the next labor negotiation.

Summit rewind: Soccer lessons to revitalize your rec league

Jason Targoff, president of Cambridge Youth Soccer in Massachusetts, set out to change the perception that travel teams are for the “good” players and local or rec leagues are for the rest. Or that you have to choose one or the other. By implementing small changes focused on making the league more fun and engaging, he said the kids were more enthusiastic and games became more of a community event. So how did they do it?

Summit recap: National soccer leaders call for more local play

Top soccer leaders endorsed the creation of more local programs as a solution to the often expensive travel team model that has come to dominate the youth soccer ecosystem, limiting access to a sustained experience for low-income youth, including many minorities.

February 2022 newsletter: A new playbook for high school sports, athletes as university employees, and more

Featured

  • Sport for All, Play for Life: A Playbook to Develop Every Student Through Sports coming March 9

  • Karissa Niehoff and Najee Harris featured speakers at Reimagining School Sports event on March 10

  • Future of Sports: What if college athletes become university employees?

  • Ideas, Insights, Invitations, Inspiration

How Norway won all that Olympic gold (again)

Norway has the population of Minnesota. But that that didn’t stop the tiny Scandinavian country from topping the medal standings at the recently completed Beijing Olympics, just as it did in 2018 at the PyeongChang Games. Indeed, this time, its athletes won a record 16 gold medals across six disciplines. The performance burnished Norway’s reputation as having the best sport system in the world, both in elite performance and making a meaningful contribution to communities and its democracy. We invited three architects of Norway’s sport system to share their insights.