Youth $ports

D-1 or Bust: Is It A Must?

Episode 30 (Mary Martin Hampton, Centre College Women's Soccer player who started her career at Univ. of Florida)
In this episode, I sit down with Hampton, who shares her incredible journey from starting on the 3rd level soccer team at age 10 to reaching the top level by high school and playing Division 1 soccer.
🔹 A Journey of Progress – Not every kid makes the top team at a young age, and Hampton is the perfect example. She worked her way up through determination and hard work, showing that growth takes time.
🔹 The Reality of Long-Term Development – Some kids reach their potential later than others, and that’s okay. Athleticism often surpasses skill as the key to long-term success, especially as kids develop.
🔹 The Importance of Multi-Sport Participation – Hampton strongly advocates for playing multiple sports through high school. It helps avoid burnout, provides cross-training, and teaches important life skills like time management and communication.
🔹 High School Soccer Love – “I loved high school soccer so much...You couldn’t have paid me to NOT play.” Hampton reminisces about the unique joy of high school sports and why it’s a time to cherish, not just for future college aspirations.
🔹 The "D1 or Bust" Mentality – The pressure of thinking you need to be Division 1-bound can be overwhelming. Hampton shares how she wishes she hadn’t been so narrow-minded in the recruiting process, and how she learned to trust her own path.
🔹 The Realities of D-1 Athletics – Once she made it to D-1 soccer, Hampton quickly realized that everyone was the best at their previous teams. D-1 athletics isn’t just about loving the game, it’s a 24/7 commitment and a whole different level of dedication.
🔹 Finding Your True Place – Feeling homesick and realizing something was missing, Hampton shares how she ultimately found the right place for her—a reminder to listen to your heart and not just the pressure from others.
🔹 Advice for Younger Players – Hampton offers advice to younger athletes going through the college recruitment process, stressing the importance of keeping an open mind and staying true to yourself.
🔹 And, of course... More HOT TAKES! – You won’t want to miss these piping hot takes that will leave you thinking long after the episode ends.
A must-listen for young athletes and parents navigating the pressure of youth sports and recruitment!

A Disappearing Middle Class

Episode 29: Chris Dardano (Soccer Coach, Soccer Dad, Former Club Admin.)
In this episode, I sit down with Chris Dardano, who shares his extensive experience and unique perspective from the world of youth soccer.
🔹 Where Does the Money Go? – A seemingly simple question, but Dardano gives a complicated answer. He breaks down the financial trail in youth soccer, explaining where your fees actually end up.
🔹 The Disappearing Middle Class in Youth Soccer – With the watering down of recreational leagues, many resources are being diverted to club teams, but at what cost? Dardano discusses the decline of quality in recreational soccer and the shift toward more elite club programs.
🔹 The Ripple Effect of Fewer Rec Options – As recreational soccer opportunities shrink, more families are turning to club soccer, creating a bigger gap in quality. This shift leads to a lower quality product overall.
🔹 The Need for Quality Coaches and Facilities – For a middle-class, quality club/rec option to thrive, Dardano stresses the importance of having quality coaches and well-maintained facilities. Unfortunately, many top coaches are drawn to elite programs, leaving the middle tier underfunded and lacking.
🔹 The Decline of Local Youth Sports Leagues – Youth sports leagues aren't as localized as they used to be, leading to challenges in facility management, travel logistics, and community involvement. This shift has impacted the overall quality and accessibility of programs.
🔹 Volunteerism and Fundraising Struggles – These days, fewer people are willing to volunteer or fundraise at the grassroots level. Many would rather Venmo their way out of it, contributing to a growing disconnect between families and local youth sports programs.
🔹 Youth Sports as a Toll Booth – Dardano offers perhaps his most intriguing take: Youth sports have increasingly become like a toll booth, where parents are paying for access but aren’t always sure where their money is going or what it’s actually funding.
🔹 And of course... MORE HOT TAKES! – You’ll definitely want to tune in for some spicy opinions that will make you rethink the state of youth sports today.
This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in the economic side of youth sports and how it’s affecting the development of young athletes!

2024 Youth $ports Wrapped Edition

Episode 28: 2024 Youth $ports Wrapped Edition
This week, we're flipping the script and handing out some TROPHIES AND AWARDS to celebrate the first six months of the Youth $ports Podcast! 🏆
🔹 Top 10 Most Listened-to Episodes – We count down the top episodes that you, our listeners, couldn't get enough of. Find out which episodes earned the most attention!
🔹 The Most VIRAL Moments – We revisit the hottest moments that took the internet by storm. From unforgettable quotes to wild takes, these are the moments everyone was talking about.
🔹 Most Touching Moments – We highlight the emotional and heartfelt episodes that resonated with listeners on a deeper level.
🔹 Youth $ports Pod Sweethearts – Who do our listeners love the most? We reveal which guests have earned the heartiest love from our audience.
🔹 Ranking the Top 10 Craziest Youth Sports – Everyone loves a good ranking, so we take on the task of listing the top 10 craziest sports.
🔹 Teasers for Future Episodes & Guests – Get the scoop on what’s coming next! We tease some exciting future guests and topics you won’t want to miss.
🔹 The Hottest of the Hot Takes – As always, we wrap things up with the most piping hot takes from the podcast so far. You’ll hear bold opinions that have sparked discussion among our listeners.
...And of course, much more to keep the conversation going!

The Times Are Changing

Episode 27: Dr. Bob Dranoff (Former D-2 East Coast Conference Athletic Commissioner, Current graduate professor at St. John's University)
- Both at the youth sports AND collegiate level, sports are more commercialized than ever. 
- A focus on making rules and regulations that only benefit the "elite of the elite."
- Trickle down effect of some new rule changes in college athletics with revenue sharing, NIL, scholarship limitations and roster changes. Will universities have to make tough decisions about cutting programs, how much funding to provide, etc? We haven't even seen the tip of the iceberg yet with some of this stuff...
- The trickle down effect. When one thing in a system changes, it inevitably effects everyone at every level in some way. 
- If the scholarships and secondary sports at universities begin to get cut or receive less funding, does that impact sports at the youth level? Do people scale back because this financial pay off at the end of a scholarship no longer exists? Or do people just become even MORE competitive for those limited spots?
- College enrollment is down all over the country. How does this impact collegiate sports?
- Are some smaller schools using athletes to boost enrollment? Do parents and kids see through this, or are they just happy to keep playing their sport?
- Is it disingenuous for D3 schools to be using athletics to get kids in the door and paying $60,000 a year because they just want to keep playing their sport? 
- Universities using new sports on the women's side, club side, etc. to boost enrollment. Provides more opportunities. Is that a bad thing for athletes?
- When we talk about D3 sports, in some ways it is a continuation of the "pay to play" model we see at the youth levels. 
- Dranoff has spent a lot of time researching how we teach leadership to athletes. And the finding in many cases is... We don't. It's dependent on individual coaches and leadership styles. 
- The alarming statistics around dropout rates in youth sports (70%!!!! of kids involved in team youth sports drop out by 13)
- We focus so much on individual improvement and success in sports at the expense of learning what it means to have a ROLE on a team. 
- While many of us see the "problems" plaguing youth sports... our involvement with it is finite. Are people really willing to rock the boat, or change the system, when they have a kid who is only part of it for a short time? 
- And a holiday HOT TAKE!

The $hip Has $ailed

Episode 26: Aaron Flaker (Former President/Co-owner and Co-founder of JAM Brands, current Co-Owner of Athletx Sports Group)
- Flaker discusses his intro into the world of cheer (spoiler alert: He started out as a mascot!)
- The history behind how cheerleading has undergone a MASSIVE transformation through the years...
- Cheer has all of the markers of every other sport/competition, but the unique addition of aesthetics. 
- The incredible story behind Flaker's first business venture, which grew into one of the largest cheer events in the world (Jam Fest turned Jam Brands)
- Digging into the nature of dance/cheer competitions and the seemingly 438439 different divisions at each competition. Do people even care if the competition is legit, or are they just happy to claim they are "national champions?"
- Smart people have recognized that the world of youth sports is a business. We don't get mad at other enterprises for capitalizing on the demand. Why do we get mad at those making money off youth sports?
- Are we running the risk of pricing parents out of youth sports?
- Maybe we will forever and always romanticize youth sports... But is the vision of what we remember it to be the reality today?
- And of course... MORE PIPING HOT TAKES

Patience Is A (Lost) Virtue

Episode 25: Aaron Anderkin (Youth sports Dad/coach/former athlete)
- Can any other youth sports parents relate to 90% of their non-work life being consumed by sports?
- Growing up in a small town, idolizing the "hometown heroes" 
- The challenge of doubling as both a youth sports parent AND a youth sports coach. How do you strike the correct balance?
- The trickle down effect we are seeing of players, parents, coaches, etc. seeking IMMEDIATE GRATIFICATION. 
- Kids compete for a ring or trophy every weekend now... It used to be a year's long investment toward winning such big prizes. 
- FOMO drives so much of the vicious cycle of doing more, more, more in youth sports. 
- Real talk: Puberty is the great equalizer. All of the success at young ages does NOT equal success at the older ages. 
- As a coach or youth sports parent, the true measure of success is your kid answering YES to the following question: "Do you want to play again next year?"
- Parental red flags (especially on social media!!!)
- And of course... MORE HOT TAKES

Heart & Soul

Episode 24: Philip Manga & players from the Box2Box Organization
- Box2Box is a non-profit organization in Lexington Ky that strives to empower the youth to seek community through sport, to develop identity relevance and belonging. 
- The game of soccer opened up so many doors for Philip Manga in his life. When he came to the United States with his family from the Republic of Congo, he struggled to find his place in the community. 
- Manga was able to find a connection to his community through the game of soccer. 
- Even with an athletic scholarship to the University of Evansville, Manga struggled to keep up with the pace of the academics due to his Fluency in the English language. 
- Now Manga and the Box2Box organization strive to provide opportunity for refugee children in the Lexington area, not only in the game of soccer, but with building a community and having a safe place to work on homework after school. 
- Box2Box, much like the sport of soccer, is so much more than a game. It opens doors for children. 
- Sports offer so much for so many kids, especially those who are longing to connect in a new country. Why not look for ways to make youth sports MORE accessible for young children?
- Hear from some of the young gentlemen who are part of the Box2Box Tumaini Academy. They share some of their struggles and success along the way. 
- If you listen to this episode and can't see the beauty in the opportunity these young children are seeking and the avenue sports gives them to find it... Well, I'm not sure what else you need?

The Day The Music Died

Episode 23: Charlie Ely (Medically retired college football player)
- What happens when sports has been a huge part of your identity your entire life, and then it gets stripped away because of injuries?
- What it's like to be an athlete who shows early potential, has great size and big dreams. 
- Football is a grind. You almost never go through a game pain-free, but it's part of the mentality. 
- Is the "no days off" mentality really better in the long-run than taking breaks? 
- The pure joy of playing the sport you love with your teammates.
- The college football recruiting process. They love you... until you can no longer do anything for them. What happens when you suffer a severe injury right before heading to campus? 
- The harsh reality of scholarships being pulled, promises being broken and an 18 year old being left to scramble to put the pieces together. 
- The toll playing sports your whole life and having multiple injuries along the way can take on the body. But at the end of the day, would you trade in those experiences? Most athletes would probably say no...
- The life lessons amidst the pain of having to medically retire from the game you love. 
- What happens next? 
- HOT TAKES

A Big Fish In A Small Pond

Episode 22: Jessie Weis (Mother of Top 100 Basketball Prospect, Gabe Weis)
- Jessie Weis is the mother of a Top 100, 4-star basketball prospect (Gabe Weis) from a small town in Kentucky
- Weis walks us through the natural progression of Gabe's development and the opportunities that came as a result of his hard work. 
- Parents don't have to PUSH doors open for their children when it comes to youth sports. Let your child's hard work and ability open those doors. 
- What it's like being the big fish in a small pond. High school sports are not always enough for high end athletes. Sometimes they need more. 
- Weis details her son's (and family's) choice to attend a prep school, Montverde Academy for this junior and senior years of high school.
-The decision was met with scrutiny and judgement, but Gabe was willing to sacrifice the "normal high school experience" for the chance to play and practice with better players every day. 
- Weis shares some details of the recruiting process for a Top 100 rated recruit. 
- Every family's situation is different. You have to do what's best for YOU. 

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?