Oct
16
1:00 PM13:00

Next Steps in Building a Youth-Centered Model for Sports

What would a truly youth-centered model for sports look like? We speak with athletes and the head of the organization charged with oversight of amateur sports in the United States – the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee – about how we can achieve a new state of play.

Announcements by Wolfgang Baumann, TAFISA

Giving Kids a Right to Play Sports

The voice of professional and college athletes has grown across sports, but what about kids — who is advocating for them? What do they want and deserve in a sport experience? Project Play talks with player representatives from Athletes for Hope about principles that can be used to improve the delivery of programs and promote the goals of health, safety and equity — by race, gender and ability.

The Future of Olympic & Paralympic Sport

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented unexpected challenges and opportunities for sport in the U.S.  Participation in sport brings tremendous value to society, and serves as a pipeline to compete on the world’s biggest stage. What have we learned and what should we consider? With an eye on future Games, including the return to LA in 2028, we want a positive story to tell about our nation’s state of play broadly and the expanded impact of sport in our country. What’s the role of the Olympic and Paralympic community in making it happen? And what support is needed?

 
 

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Oct
16
11:00 AM11:00

Rethinking the ROI of Youth Sports

Many parents have seen the cost of elite youth sports balloon in pursuit of a college scholarship. But as loss of revenues from COVID has decreased the number of scholarships available, how has the equation shifted for parents, colleges, and youth sports programs?

Welcome

Michael Lewis on Why Parents Play This Game

The author of The Blind Side and Moneyball shares insights about his adventures as a travel team parent of a softball-playing daughter, the subject of a new audiobook.

Where Did the Incentives Go?

Youth sports have been reshaped by the chase for the NCAA scholarship and team roster spot, with parents investing in private training as early as grade school in the hopes of a downstream ROI for their child. Since COVID-19, colleges have cut hundreds of programs, moving many to club status. This session explores where the trend is headed and asks: How will youth sports be impacted? How can colleges help center the model more on the values of health and inclusion?

 
 

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Oct
15
1:00 PM13:00

Building the Capacity of Community Providers

Affordable, local community sports programs are key to increasing access to sports for all. We talk to grassroots organizers and tech entrepreneurs that are developing tools and ideas to support these programs, and Alex Morgan shares why it’s all so important.

Why Sport for All Matters, with Alex Morgan

The U.S. women’s national team soccer star explains how the quality of her youth sport experiences shaped the athlete she is today and why she wants every kid to have one.

Building Human Capacity
Introduction by Ivan Giraud, GoGo squeeZ

Project Play’s Call for Leadership recognizes the need to recruit more youth and school coaches, including more women and former college athletes. Explore emerging opportunities that can help build an army of qualified coaches who can deliver high-quality, low-cost community sports.

Building Tech Capacity

Our Call for Leadership also recognizes the need to provide community-based providers with better digital tools to more efficiently train coaches, deploy programming, and partner with organizations. Explore several promising ideas, including those that can also help families.

 
 

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Oct
15
11:00 AM11:00

Redefining Winning in Youth Coaching

Coaches teach kids so much more than Xs and Os. In this hour, athletes discuss a model for coaching that serves youth development, and a high school coach and athlete put it in practice.

Welcome

Announcements by Susan Crown, Susan Crown Exchange

When Kids and Coaches Talk

What does the new model for coaching actually look like between a coach and a kid?

  • Marty Hauck, Rolla High School Coach

  • Hannah O’Connor, Rolla Student and Wrestler

Finding Mastery in Coaching Youth

Top athletes explore the art of motivating and serving youth with Michael Gervais, sports psychologist for the Seattle Seahawks and host of the Finding Mastery podcast.

Laurie Hernandez: How to Hear Young Athletes

Olympic gymnast Laurie Hernandez rationalized to herself that her coach pushed her just like any coach challenges young athletes. She came to realize there was nothing normal about the behavior. It was emotional abuse. In this session, Laurie shares her perspective on coaching kids.

 
 

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Oct
14
1:00 PM13:00

New Models, New Athletes

Even before COVID-19, many students faced barriers to accessing a quality youth sports experience. In this hour, we ask athletes to share ideas on how to make room for students from underrepresented populations, and how young people can use their voices to stand up for racial equity.

How to Make Room for All Students

Conversations with athletes and leaders on why underserved populations need to be included more intentionally in the next model for school sports.

How Students Can Advocate for Racial Equity in Sports

Athletes who have used their voice share their advice for high school athletes. Featuring Allyson Felix, Terrell Owens, Crystal Dunn, Laurie Hernandez and more.

 
 

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Oct
14
11:00 AM11:00

COVID-19 Will Transform School Sports

Seasons have been pushed off. Costs have risen. Budgets have been slashed. Liability and insurance concerns have grown. Mental health problems have increased. College sports opportunities have decreased. We speak to young athletes and experts on the challenges facing middle school and high school sports.

Welcome

Announcements by Joe Janosky, Hospital for Special Surgery

A Historic Challenge for Schools

Seasons have been pushed off. Costs have risen. Budgets have been slashed. Liability and insurance concerns have grown. Mental health problems have increased. College sports opportunities have decreased. School sports experts analyze the COVID-19-infused challenge.

The Great Middle School Sports Search
Introduction by Doug VanDeVelde, Kellogg’s

Project Play and Mission Tiger announce the winner of the $20,000 competition and release a best practices guide to help middle schools develop the most students through sports.

  • Joshua Luang, Jamieson School (Chicago, IL) Student

  • Anduena Kraja, Jamieson School (Chicago, IL) Student

  • Joseph Nakanishi, Jamieson P.E. Teacher and Coach

  • Michael Olszewski, Jamieson P.E. Teacher and Coach

  • Hayden Hurst, Atlanta Falcons, moderator

 
 

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Oct
13
1:00 PM13:00

The Story We Can Tell by 2024

It will take collective action to keep kids in sports, and to grow access in more communities. In this hour, we speak to key leaders and champions from Project Play’s network on how they plan to mobilize.

A Call for Leadership
Introduction by Dave DuPont, TeamSnap

How national sport organizations and prominent athletes are mobilizing to meet the moment.

Announcements by Stacey Ullrich, Under Armour and Jason Keller, TopYa!

 
 

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Oct
13
11:00 AM11:00

The Opportunity of Now

2020 has been a year of unprecedented challenges in youth sports. In this hour, we dissect the national data on sport participation rates and the impact of COVID-19 and hear from community leaders on how they are responding to an environment in which the divide between sport haves and have-nots has grown since COVID-19 gutted local leagues and sport programs.

Welcome

The State of Play in 2020
Introduction by Dan Porterfield, Aspen Institute

Project Play discusses the findings of the annual State of Play report and the impact that COVID-19 has had on youth sports participation.

A Historic Challenge for Communities

Community leaders describe the state of play for youth where they live and how they are responding to an environment in which the divide between sport haves and have-nots has grown since COVID-19 gutted local leagues and sport programs.

 
 

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