Aspen Sports & Society

Encourage high school students to apply to Projcet Play's Service Learning Through Sports program now! Deadline is December 15, 2023. Link in bio.

➡️ Meet Noor Alexandria Abukaram, a huge inspiration for this project. At the district invitational in 2019, Noor ran a personal best in the 5K of 22 minutes, 22 seconds. She was on a high after her high school cross country team qualified for regionals. It didn’t last. Noor checked the individual placings and didn’t see her name. She had been disqualified for wearing her hijab without a waiver.

Distraught and humiliated, Noor consulted her family. Ultimately, she decided to share her story on social media. As her experience went viral, Noor learned that she was not alone. Muslim female athletes in the U.S., and around the world, experience the same barrier to participation. Noor stepped into the moment. She conducted 130 interviews over six months. She organized a panel discussion in Sylvania with prominent Muslim female athletes. When an Olympic athlete created the hashtag , Noor’s experience grew into a global movement.

Noor wanted bold, systemic change. She elected not to sue and instead pursued legislative action at the state level. A lawyer and family friend helped her craft a vision for religious expression that did not require a waiver. Soon after, a state senator worked with Noor to draft Senate Bill 181, a state law that prohibits Ohio schools and interscholastic organizations from adopting rules banning the wearing of religious apparel during athletic events. In February 2022, it was signed into law by Governor Mike DeWine after passing unanimously in both the House and Senate.

Encourage high school students to apply to Project Play's Service Learning Through Sports program now! Deadline is December 15, 2023. Link in bio.

Matt Diaz is an example of a young person committed to improving access to sports. In New York City, a movement to expand access to school sports teams for more Black and Latino/a students began with a simple question from Matt Diaz, a Latino student at Bronx Academy of Letters:

“Why can’t I play volleyball at my school?”

An avid player, Matt was frustrated that he couldn’t play the sport he loved. He and others began asking questions of each other. They organized themselves. They identified champions to help collect data. Soon, they realized the scale of the problem. Compared to other New York City public high school students, they learned that Black and Latino/a students are far less likely to have the chance to play the sports they love, or in which they excel. In 2018, Black and Latino/a students were twice as likely as students of other races and ethnicities to lack access to any public high school sports team. There also were 17,323 Black and Latino/a high school students attending schools with zero Public School Athletic League (PSAL) teams.

Ultimately, they identified legal arguments related to New York City’s Human Rights Law – city council members, pro-bono lawyers, and other adults all helped. They protested and attracted media attention. They sued the city and reached a promising settlement in 2022.

Coaching is typically a rewarding way to give back and inspire youth. But it's getting harder to find coaches. Volunteerism is down. Difficult relationships with parents create stress. What's working?

Read State of Play 2023: https://projectplay.org/state-of-play-2023/coaching-trends

As many children are priced out of sports, schools play a vital role to make access more equitable. More schools recognize this importance, and they're identifying funding sources and community partnerships to grow access, says The Aspen Institute's Jon Solomon.

Kids Are Getting Priced Out of Youth Sports. How Schools Can Help The rising costs of participating in organized youth sports is making these activities unaffordable for many families.

Do you know a high school student who wants to lead a project or initiative addressing sports access? Apply now for The Aspen Institute's Service Learning Through Sports program.

Deadline is Dec. 15: https://projectplay.org/service-learning

"If and when our kids show the desire and commitment to pursue more advanced youth sports options such as travel ball and that makes sense for the family, that's great! But until then, let's stop shaming kids and families for taking the rec sports route."

Why We All Need to Fall in Love with Rec Sports Again Why do we treat recreational youth sports leagues as undesirable?

ACL injury rates among high school athletes grew 26% over 15 years. “It's important for high school athletes and their parents and coaches to understand that the health issues related to ACL injury can last a lifetime.” Read the latest analysis: https://projectplay.org/news/2023/11/22/analysis-serious-knee-injury-among-teen-athletes-grows-26

The good news: our partners, including Hospital for Special Surgery, have developed evidence-based tools to prevent most of ACL tears. Learn how from the National ACL Injury Coalition: https://projectplay.org/acl-injury-prevention/main

The application is still OPEN‼️High school students improving access to sport can still apply to our Service Learning Through Sports micro-grant and mentorship program💵🖇️. Reach out to U.S. high school students you know who lead, or aim to lead, a project or initiative addressing an issue of sports access for this funding and mentoring opportunity!

Deadline: December 15, 2023. Learn more and have high schoolers apply at as.pn/servicelearning or link in bio

New York state law now requires an automated external defibrillator plan at every game, practice or camp for youth sports programs with five or more teams. There must be at least one person in attendance who is trained to use the AED.

Hochul: Legislation aims to keep kids safe from cardiac emergencies The legislation was supported by Bills' safety Damar Hamlin.

Less than 1/3 of youth coaches in 2022 were trained in concussions, general safety, physical conditioning, sports skills & tactics, and motivational techniques. Only CPR & basic first aid training increased from 2019 to 2022.

Coach training rates don’t account for the quality of the instruction and whether it makes a difference. “What we hope coach training does is inspire people to get on a pathway toward behavior change,” said Megan Bartlett, founder of The Center for Healing and Justice through Sport. “But behavior change comes from a feedback loop and someone seeing things you don’t want to do and calling you on it. It doesn’t change in episodic training. What the coaching field doesn’t have is accountability and anybody coaching the coaches on a consistent basis.”

Read State of Play 2023: https://projectplay.org/state-of-play-2023/coaching-trends

Can turmoil lead to transformation in youth sports? Following a brawl at a youth football game in Gulfport, Mississippi, the city's mayor is creating a youth sports commission that extends beyond the fight. Work will include assessing coach training/certification and the viability of leagues/ activities.

Gulfport Came Up with a Game Changing Move as Youth Sports Commission Emerges to Tackle Turmoil and Transform Future Play Gulfport transforms youth sports after recent turmoil with the launch of Youth Sports Commission, paving the way for positive change.

Private equity is flowing billions of dollars into youth sports, causing providers to consolidate. “The smaller organizations are getting smaller, and the bigger organizations are getting bigger," said Jeremy Goldberg of LeagueApps.

Read State of Play 2023: https://projectplay.org/state-of-play-2023/costs-to-play-trends

From USA TODAY Sports: "Maybe (your child) should just be playing sports ... for the mental and physical health benefits, or for simply the fun. There will be a time to specialize later. But that time is unique for each athlete."

When should kids specialize in a sport? Five tips to help you find the right moment As we transition from fall to winter sports, here's how to find the right moment for your child to specialize (if he or she specializes at all).

Do you know a high school student working to improve access to sport? Encourage them to apply for 's Service Learning through Sports micro-grant and mentorship program with The Allstate Foundation.

Learn more and apply by Dec. 15: http://as.pn/servicelearning

For the first time, State of Play 2023 includes youth sports participation rates by state. 📈📉 See how your state fared in 2020 and 2021 (most recent federal data available) on our interactive map at as.pn/sop2023 or link in bio. Massachusetts and Minnesota led the way.

North Dakota had the highest girls sports participation rate in 2020 and 2021, according to the latest federal data. Nevada was the lowest. 7 of the 10 lowest rates came from the Southeast.

Read State of Play 2023: https://projectplay.org/state-of-play-2023/participation

Join us today from 12-1 pm ET for Future of Sports Journalism. Watch here: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/future-of-sports-journalism/

What does the future hold for investigative and enterprise sports journalism? Join us tomorrow for our Future of Sports Journalism conversation.

Free registration: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/future-of-sports-journalism/

Soccer was the only team sport with a significant increase in regular participation among kids 6-12 coming out of COVID-19. Golf and tennis had spikes as individual sports.

Learn more in State of Play 2023: https://projectplay.org/state-of-play-2023/participation

NEW: The Aspen Institute's State of Play 2023 report is out from . Our annual report analyzes national trends in youth sports tied to participation, health, coaching and costs to play. New data and analysis are available, including sport-by-sport participation from 2022.

For the first time, State of Play 2023 includes youth sports participation rates by state, aligned with the federal government's national goal of 63% participation by 2030. Check out how your state fared during the heart of COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021, the most recent federal data available. Massachusetts and Minnesota led the way.

Full report: https://projectplay.org/state-of-play-2023-introduction

What's lost when enterprise and investigative sports journalism disappears? Join us this Wednesday (12-1 pm ET) for our virtual Future of Sports Journalism conversation.

Free registration: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/future-of-sports-journalism/

Coming in 2024 – State of Play Colorado: Aspen to Parachute.

We spent this week in the Roaring Fork and Colorado River Valleys, talking to kids, coaches and administrators about youth sports and play in the region. Learn more: https://www.aspen2parachute.org/state-of-play

Do you know a high school student working to improve access to sport? Encourage them to apply for Service Learning through Sports, our exciting new micro-grant and mentorship program at . Don't miss this chance to help us fund a student's project and make a difference.

As proud recipients of a grant from The Allstate Foundation, The Aspen Institute will support youth committed to making sport and play more accessible in their community. Inspired by our School Sports Equity Toolkit, Service Learning through Sports is a one-year program that provides micro-grants and mentorship to select U.S. high school students who lead, or aim to lead, a project or initiative addressing an issue of sports access. The program aims to support the students' projects, further their understanding of the school sports equity toolkit and develop them as service learners.

Deadline to apply: December 15, 2023.

Learn more and apply: as.pn/servicelearning

For kids who don’t come from golfing families, an invitation from a peer might be their only opportunity to play the game. If a child is on the golf course "with a wedge and a buddy, and has fun, it breaks down the mystique."

Ray: How the 100 Hole Hike for Youth on Course is getting kids into golf The average youth sport parent spends $883 per season for their child. The barrier to entry can be even higher for golf.

As the media landscape evolves, what does the future hold for sports enterprise and investigative journalism? What are the most promising business models to support this work?

Join us Nov. 15 for our next Future of Sports conversation: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/future-of-sports-journalism/

Join us for the Project Play Summit 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland! Sign up for presale through the link in bio for first access to lowest Summit ticket rates.

How do other countries organize youth sports, get and keep kids playing, and receive support from government? examined the world's leading sport systems to understand their governance structures. Learn key findings. https://projectplay.org/news/the-value-of-sport-system-design

To inform public conversation on the future of the U.S. sport system, The Aspen Institute studied governance models and ecosystem results in 11 peer countries, with a focus on youth sport participation rates and elite performance. Read full results for each country: https://projectplay.org/world-sport-systems

What does the future hold for enterprise and investigative sports journalism? We are excited to add award-winning sports journalist Andrea Kremer to our Nov. 15 discussion.

Learn more & register: as.pn/sportsjournalism

Sports both reflect and shape our society. Journalism unpacks those relationships, along the way making the games that we play more interesting and relevant. The New York Times, HBO Real Sports, and Los Angeles Times helped set the standard. Now, each outlet is changing how it covers sports – and Real Sports ended its run after 29 award-winning years. What happened?

Learn more & register for the free virtual conversation: as.pn/SportsJournalism

Hawaii education officials settled a class-action lawsuit filed by female athletes at the state’s biggest public high school alleging widespread and systemic s*x discrimination, as well as retaliation against the girls who raised those concerns.

Hawaii will hire an independent evaluator to ensure that girls at Campbell High School have equal opportunities in terms of sports offerings, facilities, transportation and scheduling. The school must create a hot line to report violations and protect students who raise issues.

Hawaii Settles S*x Discrimination Case With High School Female Athletes The landmark class-action case was one of the farthest-reaching challenges to high school sports under federal Title IX protections.

Congratulations to Koa Sports, a 2023 Champion. Before each season, Koa hosts promotional days for kids to test different sports without committing.

Meet all of our Champions: as.pn/ppchampions

's State of Play Tacoma-Pierce County report "provides a firm basis for local officials to re-imagine how Pierce County parks and recreation facilities and programming are envisioned and developed in the future."

Pierce County kids are idle — ‘sad, depressed, hopeless.’ New study shows where it’s worst The report includes staggering data — revealing a population of young people lagging behind the statewide and national average for physical activity. | A Matt Driscoll column

📣We are proud to release State of Play Tacoma-Pierce County, our 12th community report. The report identifies ways to grow quality access to sports & play in the Tacoma, WA area. Thank you to our partner, the Names Family Foundation.

Read: as.pn/SOPTacomaPC

What's fueling a youth mental health crisis? Researchers point to the decline of independent activity and play by children.

"I don’t want to dismiss organized sports totally, there is a place for it. But it shouldn’t be a substitute for more free play."

Children today have less independence. Is that fueling a mental health crisis? Childhood has transformed in ways that are profoundly affecting the way children develop by limiting their ability to play independently, researchers find.

Pro sports have developed a model based around a few key matches drawing millions of viewers. Youth sports are headed the other way, with millions of games airing but each only drawing a few viewers with deep connections to the athletes involved.

AI Is a Game Changer for Youth Sports—and for GameChanger GameChanger president Sameer Ahuja redefined the then-decade-old company’s business over three hours in March 2020. Usage of the app, which helped parents and coaches track stats during youth baseball and softball events, had crashed to zero amid nationwide COVID-19 lockdowns. Meanwhile, GameChang...

Congratulations to Youth on Course, a 2023 Champion that offers golf access for $5 or less. YOC has a new initiative that empowers members to invite their peers to the golf course and guide them through their first rounds.

Meet our Champions: as.pn/ppchampions

What does the future hold for enterprise and investigative journalism in sports? Could the public get less, or more, coverage of important topics as the media landscape evolves? What are the most promising business models to support this work? And what do we lose if longform sports journalism gets deprioritized in a streaming world?

Join us Nov. 15 for The Aspen Institute's free conversation online. Register now: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/future-of-sports-journalism/

Congratulations to USTA Southern California, a 2023 Champion that works in neighborhoods disproportionately impacted by violence to provide tennis participation, social and emotional learning, life skills opportunities, and interventions.

Learn more: https://projectplay.org/champions

Massachusetts state lawmakers held an informational hearing this week exploring the possibility of regulating sports for younger children across the state.

Regulating youth sports in Massachusetts a possibility as lawmakers float governing body “So much more has to be done on the education of parents, and kids, as well, that you should be playing other sports,” state Sen. Barry Finegold said during a hearing on whether youth sports should…

Congratulations to Boys & Girls Clubs of Laredo, a 2023 Champion for introducing a new program teaching nutrition, physical fitness and good character. This is a response to the negative impacts of COVID-19 on its community leagues.

Meet our Champions: https://projectplay.org/champions