Weekly News Roundup: The Biggest Headlines in the World of Youth Sports
Anwar Stetson
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đ§ Northwestern Report Is Promising For Youth Contact Sports
A study in the latest Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease could be a literal game-changer for youth sports.
People who play contact sports like football and hockey at the amateur level do not have an increased risk of developing brain diseases like CTE, according to a group of Northwestern Medicine scientists.
- The study examined 174 donated brains
- 48 men played contact sports in college or high school, 126 did not
- No professional athletes were includedâ the median age of death was 65
- The study focused on a specific brain region tied to memory
- There was no correlation between participation and the build-up of a protein tied to brain diseases
âThe long and short of it is no, this protein in this specific brain region is not increased in people who played football at the amateur level. It throws a little bit of cold water on the current CTE narrative,” said Dr. Rudolph Castellani, professor of pathology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a Northwestern Medicine neuropathologist
More research is needed, the authors said. But Castellani said that “rather than assuming [protein presence] is inherently pathological, we’re asking whether it might be part of normal aging or a non-specific response to environmental factors.”
“Modern studies on CTE may be expanding the boundaries of what’s considered normal variability in the human brain,” he added.
đ¨ âActive Aggressorâ Scare Derails Big Hoops Tourney
Run 4 Roses â which bills itself as the worldâs biggest exposure event for girls basketball â was shut down Sunday.
All athletes and spectators were cleared from Louisvilleâs Kentucky Expo Center after a report about an âactive aggressorâ on the premises proved false.
Cops said no shots were fired and there were no victims at the scene.
The event said a âmechanical issueâ triggered an alarm. The event will resume today with added safety measures in place.
Run 4 Roses brings in over 200K people annuallyâ it only trails the Kentucky Derby in local economic impact for the city.
â˝ď¸ Kinder, U.S. Soccer Foundation Set 3-Year Partnership
The Ferrero-owned candy brand and USSF recently announced the start of the âGoals of Joyâ initiative.
The three-year program is “designed to empower youth to build positive attitudes toward movement and build vital life skills” through soccer, leveraging the upcoming menâs and womenâs World Cups.
- Only 20-28% of kids 6-17 have 60 minutes of daily physical activity
- The U.S. got a D-minus grade for overall physical activity in 2024
- Initiative will begin in New York metropolitan area and expand
- Over 30K families will be impacted by 2027
đ PlayLA Surpases 1M Registrations Amid Olympics Boost
The 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles are three years away.
The city and region are already feeling the youth sports boost.
- The IOC and organizers pledged $160M for local youth sports when LA was awarded the Games
- LA28 has donated $60M to PlayLA, which serves athletes ages 3-17
- PlayLA offers over 40 sports
- The program recently surpassed 1M registrations
The investments have also reduced costs of city Recreation and Parks program and subsidized participation for low-income families.
New sports offerings have been launched as a result. The city has also been able to beef up equipment and staffing capacities, such as buying surfboards for surfing programs.
đ° PHNX Sports Partners Launches $5M SPV After Ventnor Ventures Acquisition
PHNX, a Chicago-based investment and operating firm, and its portfolio companies have an active capital raise of over $5M after acquiring VV, a boutique consulting and investing group that is behind the ACTIV Sports Summit.
- VV principals Rob Johnson and Taryn McCarty will join PHNX in integrated roles
- The deal is a combination of equity and advisory integration
- Advance Sports, part of VV’s portfolio, will also be part of PHNX’s portfolio
- The $5M raise will be a special-purpose vehicle targeting early-stage systems and technologies; the raise will also provide sales infrastructure for the PHNX portcos
Johnson, who was previously at Playfly Sports and the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers, told Buying Sandlot the SPV will focus on “backing platforms that drive participation, athlete development and help organizers run better.”
Tools for recreational leagues, training systems and community infrastructure are expected to be a particular emphasis. The press release announcing the deal also referenced AI-powered fan engagement and back-office automation.
McCarty has experience at Polygon Labs and Nerd Street Gamers.
Former Comcast Spectator executive Pete Powell leads Advance, which will provide HR consulting and talent strategy.
â˝ď¸ MLS-Led Initiative To Expand Youth Soccer Access
MLS GO, the leagueâs youth recreational program, and RCX Sports have formed a multi-year partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association “to increase access to affordable, high-quality youth soccer programs through local park and recreation departments nationwide.”
- MLS GO and RCX are now proud sports partners of NRPA; they will also sponsor the NRPA Annual Convention in Orlando this fall and have a prominent presence there
- MLS GO PLAY Fund will donate $100K through RCX Foundation to subsidize agencies implementing MLS GO programming
- NRPA has over 60K member agencies
đ Nike, Special Olympics Announce International Partnership
The three-year collaboration was announced on Monday to kick off the Global Week of Inclusion â Sunday is the 57th anniversary of the Special Olympicsâ founding.
The partnership will expand sports access for all youth and emphasize coach education and retention for Special Olympics Unified Sports, a program where athletes with and without intellectual disabilities compete together in team sports.
- The pact will concentrate on communities in Oregon, Berlin, Tokyo and Johannesburg
- Nike will help SO update protocols for training Unified Sports coaches (and trainer education)
- The initiative aims to attract, train and certify over 600 new volunteer coaches across the communities
- Creation of more opportunities for girls to access Unified Sports
