Digging Into Youth Sports Participation Numbers

Digging Into Youth Sports Participation Numbers

From Buying Sandlot: The Business of Youth Sports by Buying Sandlot

May 8, 2026 · 53 min · Episode 57

About this episode

The episode discusses youth sports participation data and the implications of a USA Today investigation into Black Bear Sports Group.

Kyle and Kyle dig into the latest participation data released by the Aspen Institute. The report indicates an increase to 58% in 2024. We also talk about the USA Today investigation of Black Bear Sports Group and its effect on the youth sports ecosystem. 0:00 - A Premium Community Update 4:54 - Digging Into Youth Sports Participation Numbers 34:07 - USA Today Takes On Black Bear Sports Group 43:11 - The Messaging Challenge for Private Equity 49:56 - The Show Schedule for the Next 2 Weeks Follow Us: Subscribe to the Newsletter: https://www.buyingsandlot.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/buying-sandlot/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buyingsandlot TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@buyingsandlot

People in this episode

Host: Kyle

Topics covered

  • youth sports
  • participation data
  • Black Bear Sports Group
  • USA Today investigation
  • private equity
  • community update

Keywords

  • youth sports
  • participation numbers
  • Aspen Institute
  • Black Bear Sports Group
  • USA Today
  • private equity
  • sports ecosystem

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Aspen Institute, USA Today, Black Bear Sports Group

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