Stay to Play: Booked Into a Corner

Episode 51: Jennifer Palmer (Investigative journalist, Oklahoma Watch)

🎙 In this episode: I talk with Jennifer Palmer, investigative reporter with Oklahoma Watch, whose article “Forced Housing, Hidden Kickbacks” exposed the hidden costs and power plays in youth sports travel. We dig into the Stay-to-Play model, the legal gray areas, and why so many parents feel trapped by a system that claims to serve them.

🔹 The Article That Blew Up
Jennifer’s piece became one of her most shared stories—striking a nerve with parents who’d long suspected something wasn’t right.

🔹 Follow the Kickbacks
Tournaments aren’t just picking hotels at random. Many receive $20+ per booked room—raising serious ethical and financial questions.

🔹 Required Rooms, Inflated Costs
Families are often forced to book more nights than needed. One night becomes three, and a manageable cost becomes a stretch—or a second job.

🔹 The Legal Line Gets Blurry
Antitrust experts are raising eyebrows. Can you force someone to buy Hotel A just to participate in Tournament B?

🔹 Not Just Cheer: A Bigger Problem
A federal lawsuit involving Varsity cheer included Stay-to-Play policies. It’s not just a cheer issue—it’s baked into many youth sports systems.

🔹 Hidden Deals, No Transparency
Most of these contracts happen behind closed doors. Parents aren’t shown the terms—they’re just told, book here, or don’t play.

🔹 The Power Imbalance
Palmer says this is really a story about power. Who gets to decide how families travel—and why are parents afraid to say no?

🔹 FOMO & Fear
Teams comply because they fear missing out—or being blacklisted. Tournament organizers know it, and they use that leverage.

🔹 Cities Want Their Cut
Tournaments justify this model with economic impact stats. Cities want those hotel nights to back up public spending on giant facilities.

🔹 The Bigger Burden
Youth sports are already expensive. Palmer asks: why are we piling more pressure—and more cost—onto families?

🔹 There Is Another Way
One expert warned over a decade ago: if your tournament can’t run without hotel rebates, it’s time to scale back—not pass the bill to families.

🔹 What If the Roles Were Reversed?
Can you imagine the NBA telling fans they must stay at a certain hotel to attend a game? So why is this okay in youth sports?