- Inaugural Take Back Sports Youth Sports Summit in New York City brought together thought leaders in youth sports, coaching and parenting
- Panelists and speakers included corporate partners, leagues and teams working to improve access to youth sports, support parents
- Hosted by ESPN and Buffalo Wild Wings Foundation
To view ESPN’s Take Back Sports promo with Scott Van Pelt:
ESPN, along with Buffalo Wild Wings Foundation — who has raised more than $28 million since 2013 to provide more kids with access to youth sports —today hosted the inaugural Take Back Sports Youth Sports Summit, bringing together thought leaders and change-makers from the world’s leading sports-related organizations to address the challenges facing youth sports, and explore ways to create a more accessible, positive and fun experience for young athletes and their families.
The keynote solution presented at the summit was ESPN’s own Take Back Sports initiative. With a focus on community rec leagues, quality coaching and multisport play, ESPN has invested $5 million in organizations working to remove barriers to participation through Take Back Sports.
“Here at ESPN, we have two objectives with all of our CSR programs. One, we want to build community impact, and another, to build business impact,” said Jen Paulett, Director of ESPN Citizenship. “We have to build business if we want to build communities.”
Speakers included an array of sports professionals, many of whom shared a first-hand perspective on the challenges facing the youth sports space, whether as sports parents, former childhood athletes, or die-hard sports fans. A key through-line of the summit was the role that parents and families have to play a child’s sports experience, both practically and emotionally. SportsCenter’s Brian Custer moderated a panel of sports podcast hosts from Youth, Inc. Healthy Sports Parents and Pure Athlete, who addressed the barriers preventing kids from having access to affordable and high-quality experiences. Several speakers highlighted supporting parents who lack a clear blueprint to navigate the expensive, competitive, complex youth sports landscape.
“Youth sports give us the safest place for our kids to experience all the things they need to experience, to develop the tools that they’ll take with them long into their lives, so they can have success with whatever they’re doing,” said panelist Jonathan Carone, founder of the Healthy Sports Parents podcast.
The summit concluded with a luncheon, where panelists and attendees were able to share ideas and continue discussions.
Representatives from the following organizations were among the summit’s esteemed attendees: Accenture, All State, AT&T, Augusta National / The Masters, Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, Boston Red Sox, Buffalo Wild Wings Foundation, CAA, Cannon Design, Chobani, DC United, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Dentsu, Discovery Education, Freuds, Game Changer, Gatorade, Gotham FC, Highlights for Children, Hospital for Special Surgery, Little League, League Apps, MLS, MSG, NBA, NBPA, NFL, NHL, NJ Devils, NY Jets, NY Life, Omnicom, Peloton, PGA, Philadelphia 76ers, Players Health, RBC, Relate Social Capital, Salesforce, SponsorPulse, Team Snap, Tennis Hall of Fame, Under Armour, USTA, UTA, WNFC and WWE.