Uneven Playing Field

Episode 21: Jeff Kellman (Inner city high school football coach, Milwaukee)

- Kellman has coached at both well-funded and poorly funded high schools in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The discrepancies between the 2 are massive...

- Coaches having to pay for basic equipment out of their own pockets vs. 65 million dollar athletic complexes

- Athletes seeing the lack of resources and opportunity provided to them.... How does that impact how they feel others value them? Do they internalize these feelings?

- Fundraising is supposed to be the great equalizer, right? But is it really when some families can just write the checks...

- Not having access to film. Such a simple, yet very massive disadvantage for a football program. Not being able to use it for recruiting purposes is also a huge disadvantage. 

- Not only are there competitive disadvantages across youth sports, but also SAFETY disadvantages. Why should not having the same funding as other schools = unsafe environments for athletes?

- Some coaches have the luxury of massive coaching staffs who can focus on position groups, while others have to share duties among 2-3 coaches. 

- Getting to coach football vs. coaching life

- Even with an uneven playing field, coaching kids who truly need the experience and the role models is rewarding. 

- Youth sports can provide so many POSITIVES for young kids. Why are we making it LESS accessible?