Monday News Roundup
September 14, 20269 min read
Pay to Play, Then Pay to Stay πΈπ
Connecticut lost 4,611 athletes and blamed pay-to-play fees; hockey parents are suing the country's biggest rink operator over hotel mandates. Plus: a Wing-T play your grandfather ran π, CUGGO hydration sticks π and Kim Kardashian's youth-baseball show πΊ.
Number of the Week
4,611
You're seeing more and more school districts that are in financial positions where they have to go to pay to participate. One of the negatives is when those are instituted, it does have an impact of declining participation.
GAME PLAN
Good morning βοΈ Great players need time to recover, and so do the people coaching them. We took LDW off, the first Monday we've skipped since we launched, and we're back π.
This week Connecticut counted the kids it lost, four hockey parents sued the country's largest rink operator over stay-to-play hotel mandatesπ, the Supreme Court settled one transgender-sports question and left the harder one open βοΈ, and Congress went after the offshore books taking bets on the Little League World Series.
Plus a zero-sugar hydration stick from CUGGO with a founder's opinion about what's in the cooler π, a Wing-T play your grandfather ranπ and a viewing calendar with Kim Kardashian's youth-baseball show on it πΊ.
The Scoreboard
Everything that moved across youth sports last week, in one line each.
52stories
Showing all 52 stories
RULES & CONDUCT17
Four parents filed a class action against Black Bear Sports over stay-to-play
The suit says the country's largest rink operator ties a roster spot to a hotel booking and takes kickbacks from the hotels; it seeks at least $5 millionSources USA Today Β· Yahoo Sports
The Supreme Court's transgender sports ruling left the harder question open
West Virginia v. B.P.J. upheld participation laws now on the books in 27 states, but none of them say what happens to transgender boysSources Athletic Business
Congress is going after offshore books taking action on the Little League World Series
Rep. Kevin Kiley called odds on 10-to-12-year-olds "deeply troubling"; no licensed U.S. sportsbook offers youth marketsSources NGSC Sports
A new CTE study put the NFL's brain problem on youth football's doorstep
About a quarter of deceased former pros studied had it, and none of them started taking hits in the prosSources Washington Post
California sent the governor a bill requiring mental-health training for school coaches
AB 1626 has the state build a model course by September 2027 that club and rec leagues can use too; Newsom has until September 30Sources CalMatters
Maryland opens child-abuse records to youth sports programs October 1
Screeners will see substantiated findings a criminal background check misses, but running the check is voluntarySources FOX45 Baltimore
An Illinois bill would take transfer eligibility away from the IHSA
HB 5808 would grant full eligibility whenever both principals sign off; the veto session starts November 17Sources Newsline Local
SafeSport pushed out free preseason abuse-prevention material for parents and coaches
Handbooks, bystander training and the banned-coach database, at no costSources PR Newswire
High school sidelines are filling up with hired content creators
One Texas game drew 70 to 80 shooters; Arizona added background checks and cut credentials from about 1,300 to 800Sources Front Office Sports
A Pittsburgh youth league suspended two coaches indefinitely after a third-and-fourth-grade game ended in a brawl
The coach said his players were taking racial slurs; the league also banned the parent who filmed itSources Athletic Business
The IHSA condemned racist conduct by students at a Lincoln-Way East game
Five students, none of them players, were recorded making gestures at Homewood-FlossmoorSources Shaw Local
Fights and pepper spray at a Westside-ARC game in Augusta sent a student to the hospital
Multiple arrests, and a district still "evaluating" what to do about the crowdSources WRDW
A former booster club treasurer was indicted for taking $411,761 from an Aliso Niguel football program
False treasurer reports covered two years of it, which is what a single-signer account buys youSources ABC7
The Better Business Bureau is warning parents about fake high school game streams
Scammers tag the school to look official, take a $1 fee, then enroll the card in $60-a-month billingSources KNOE
Three Memphis-area schools pushed kickoff back 30 minutes in a triple-digit heat index
TSSAA rules require cold-water immersion tubs on siteSources Action News 5
Twenty-seven Missouri and Kansas games moved to later kickoffs
Nine in Missouri, 18 in Kansas, in Kansas City's hottest opening week of September since 1960Sources KCTV5
A lightning strike set off a three-alarm fire at a St. Petersburg school gym
The JV volleyball team was practicing inside and got out; more than 40 units respondedSources Athletic Business
MONEY & DEALS7
OHSAA sent $1,250 to every member high school and $198,000 to 198 seniors
The enrichment fund has now moved $598,000 back into Ohio programs in three yearsSources OHSAA
Minnesota opened $750,000 in Mighty Ducks ice-arena grants
Up to $500,000 an arena for refrigeration and $25,000 for air quality, 1:1 match required, applications close October 26The Sports Facilities Companies signed its first national sponsorship, with BSN Sports
140-plus venues and roughly 30 million annual visits now buy as oneSources PR Newswire
DRYWORLD became the uniform and merchandise partner of the US Army Bowl
The December game at AT&T Stadium fields the top 80 boys and 30 girls in the countrySources GlobeNewswire
An Ohio high school signed an all-school adidas deal through BSN Sports
Soccer and track first, the rest phased in; the pitch to the AD was consistency and family discounts, not cashSources Herald-Star
Drew Weatherford is betting private capital is underweight in youth sports
His "sports continuum" runs from youth platforms to the Big 12, the USL and the RaysSources Front Office Sports
McClatchy layoffs wiped out the Sacramento Bee's sports department
About 90 jobs company-wide, including a prep reporter of 38 years; one more metro where nobody covers the kids' gamesSources SFGATE
FIELDS & FACILITIES8
Henderson picked a developer for a $108 million sports complex on the old Fiesta casino site
A 150,000-square-foot fieldhouse with two dozen courts and a 145-room hotel, on land the city bought for $32 million and will sell for $30 millionSources Las Vegas Sun
Des Plaines is financing 90% of a $22 million athletic facility on a former YMCA site
A $19.8 million city loan repaid over 20 years, with the operator putting in $2.2 millionSources Youth Sports Business Report
Concord, N.H. advanced a $22.4 million Memorial Field plan
The $13.9 million first phase buys turf, a track and drainage, and takes the site from about 700 usage hours a year to 2,200-plusSources Concord Monitor
Lompoc is scoping a $7 million soccer expansion at Riverbend Park
Turf, parking and a path, with no restrooms or concessions in the design; AYSO wants the existing fields fixed firstSources Lompoc Locals
Camdenton, Mo. opened a $4.1 million community center paid for by a 1998 half-cent sales tax
Courts, an indoor track, and 150 to 200 memberships in the first weeksSources KY3
Geneseo, Ill. put $11,030 into traffic and drainage studies before a five-field complex can move
Whether Route 82 can take the access decides the projectSources Geneseo Current
South Charlotte neighbors are fighting a plan to turn a school park into a youth baseball complex
The league holds an extended-use agreement with the district and says it is down to two fields, but nothing has been filedSources Hoodline
A food hall opened in the old Rawlings plant across from O'Fallon's sports park
The building made big-league bases for 40 years, and the business model is tournament downtimeSources St. Louis Business Journal
TECH & PARTNERSHIPS4
Every NCHSAA girls flag football game is streaming on the NFHS Network in the sport's first sanctioned season
154 North Carolina schools, after a two-year pilot the Panthers put more than $2.5 million behindSources NFHS Network
Hudl signed a long-term deal with Missouri's athletic directors association
Cameras, streaming, ticketing and fundraising bundled into one state-level decisionSources Hudl
PlayVS opened its eighth scholastic esports season with 25 state and regional partners
Nine renewals, Connecticut, Kentucky and Virginia among themSources PR Newswire
A survey of 9,500 adults tied girls' sports to what happens at work later
Women who played three-plus years were 50% more likely to hold a leadership role; the study was brand-fundedSources Athletic Business
ON THE FIELD11
High school participation hit a record 8.4 million, and New Jersey still went backwards
The state fell nearly 3% while girls flag football rose 15% and girls wrestling 20%Sources NorthJersey.com
Connecticut dropped 4.1% and fell from 29th to 32nd nationally
The CIAC chief pointed at pay-to-play fees, while girls flag football went from 10 schools to 23Sources CT Insider
Ohio ranks third in the country with 347,994 athletes
Seventh in population, and first in schools fielding girls wrestling and bowlingSources Knox Pages
Six more Michigan schools gave up varsity football for 8-player
Rosters of 16 to 19 kids; the state now runs 102 eight-player teamsSources WKAR
Three Section I teams in New York cancelled Week 2 outright
One fell under the state's 16-player minimum after three injuries, and four other programs cancelled their seasonsSources Sports Illustrated
Forty percent of Arizona high school football games have been decided by 35 points or more
26% were shutouts, and a 13-time state champ forfeited its last twoSources On3
The FHSAA erased a 38-3 win over one ineligible transfer
An out-of-state player whose parents never relocated cost Miami Carol City the gameSources FOX 35 Orlando
A Union County, Ga. tight end was airlifted after losing feeling in his legs
He was walking again by that night, and a teammate's concussion scan came back clearSources Athletic Business
The first MaxPreps Flag Football Showdown put 350 girls on a national stream
18 programs at Chula Vista, free on MaxPreps and the NFHS Network, with an East Coast version set for Tampa in FebruarySources PlayOn Sports
Bayonne paraded the first Little League team in city history to reach Williamsport
Rain moved the start and shortened the routeSources Hudson TV
The Pend Oreille Cup ran for the 45th time in Sandpoint
U8 through U14 across seven venues, teams from three states, and $20 camping for the weekendSources Bonner County Daily Bee
INTERNATIONAL5
Canada set a Playground to Podium summit in Ottawa for November 9-10
It sits on a $1 billion sport commitment, the first real increase since 2005Sources Government of Canada
Ottawa started moving $112 million in supplemental funding to national sport bodies
Alpine Canada drew $2.77 million on top of $8 million in core fundingSources CJME
New Zealand put another $2.4 million into sport-based youth crime programs as serious youth offending fell 26%
Six community organizations, from an $8 million potSources Newswire
Sport England released free PE video lessons aimed squarely at the girls' drop-off
Dance, fitness and yoga for ages 11 to 16, on a platform that reached 722,000 girls last yearSources Sport England
The Australian Sports Commission brought back its Play Well podcast for a second season
Nine episodes, pointed at parents and community coaches rather than elite pathwaysSources Australian Sports Commission
COACH'S FAVORITES
One thing we'd actually use, and why it earns the pick.
CUGGO Crisp Apple hydration sticks
One stick in 12 to 16 ounces of water. Image: CUGGO
A kids' hydration stick: electrolytes, B vitamins, vitamin C, zinc and a day's vitamin D in 12 to 16 ounces of water. Five calories, zero sugar, monk fruit only (cuggo.com). Diyana G is building the company with her husband, and their two kids are actively involved in the marketing. The brand's mission is to be sweet smart and more intentional with kids' sugar intake.
$29.99 for 15 sticks, about $1.20 a stick on subscription. Try CUGGO β
COACH'S CLIPBOARD
One play you can install at Tuesday's practice. This week: youth tackle football, ages 8β12.
Buck Sweep β Wing-T, to the tight-end side. Both guards pull. Your grandfather ran it.
Run it: Quarterback reverse-pivots and rides the fullback into the backside A-gap. The fullback sells the trap and keeps going. Tight end and wingback block down. Playside guard pulls flat and kicks out the first man outside the end. Backside guard pulls behind him, bows for depth and turns up inside that kick-out for the first defender he meets. The halfback takes it flat, through where the fullback's heels were, and reads the kick-out: the block goes out, he goes up.
Coaching point: The guards are the play. Throw Deep Publishing's guide says it flat out: "without these pullers, there is no Buck Sweep" β it "is dependent on the Guards having the ability to pull and block in space." So the reps go to the two kids nobody watches. Pull, kick, wrap β a dozen each against air before a back ever touches a ball. (Throw Deep Publishing)
Why it works: Three things happen at once β a fullback into the line, two guards leaving, a halfback going wide β and a ten-year-old linebacker can only chase one. It's the Delaware Wing-T play Tubby Raymond ran for 36 seasons, and it still gets to the edge before the defense finishes reading it.
Full breakdown, with video:Youth Football Wing T Buck Sweep β FirstDown PlayBook
THE LOCKER ROOM
Something to end on.
In a 3-on-3 game in Korea, a forward parked himself in the crease. The goalie, who comes up to about the crossbar, had a policy on that:
@gorgeous_sohyun on Instagram β tap to watch
Crease clearing, in its purest form. Sean Avery finally has an heir, and he still needs help with his skate laces.
The next one lands Monday morning.
Free. Join the founders, operators and coaches building youth sports.
Have a story, deal or project we should know about? Send us a tip.View the email version