This is Buying Sandlot — the only newsletter that focuses solely on the business of youth sports.
Today, we rolled our premium content and community features over to our main platform, Beehiiv. Premium subscribers should have received an email earlier detailing how to log in with their email address to both read premium content and access community features. If you haven’t joined Buying Sandlot Premium yet, now is a great time to do so, as we have lots of interesting data points set to release… and you will get a meaningful discount on the Buying Sandlot Summit (May 4-5, 2027).
Let’s get to it.
In the email today:
🗣️ Stay-To-Play’s Staying Power
Youth sports’ hottest topic is not going anywhere — and it could have big impacts on the industry.
The Let Kids Play Act and various viral media reports have drawn the bulk of the attention so far. But the federal lawsuits against Black Bear Sports Group and Team Travel Source distill all the various narratives and talking points into neater packages — and with higher, more tangible stakes than a long-shot bill.
The fact that major players in the space are engaging in the conversation after almost all have sat out the LKPA discourse signals as much.
First, on the Black Bear front: Former Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler, a partner at Greenberg Traurig and BBSG’s counsel, reiterated the hockey company denies all claims in the lawsuit and plans to vigorously fight the lawsuit brought against it.
“There’s certainly nothing illegal about stay-to-play,” he told Buying Sandlot.
“The only thing that would be illegal if it was not transparent. On the websites of all of these tournaments it says the tournament will get a rebate for kids staying there. People know it up front. The lawsuit it says it’s ‘deceptive, unconscionable and unfair.’ But I think it’s the exact opposite of that. It’s transparent, it enhances the experience and it’s completely fair to every kid on every team from wherever they come. Everybody plays under the same rules.
“As long as it’s being done with transparency and it’s being done to the benefit of the tournament, its teams and its players, then there’s a reason everyone is doing it. It’s a good thing.”
Gansler said Black Bear anticipated the suit after learning attorneys were reaching out to families to solicit plaintiffs (a common-but-scrutinized practice in class action suits that is still ongoing).
"They got three families," he said. "I think that speaks volumes to the merits of the lawsuit, and the fact that families do enjoy the way in which these tournaments are run.”
Fastbreak AI has also weighed in on the debate, publishing a lengthy rundown of its “Stay-to-Save” approach. The management platform advocates for stay-to-play, but criticizes "a broader pattern of distrust that had been building for years."
Fastbreak acquired housing firm GroupHousing earlier this year and has said it aims to have 1M hotel nights on its platform by next year. Its comments come after Otto Sport AI CEO Luke Zaientz made the case for transparent stay-to-play and its benefits in a recent interview with Buying Sandlot.
"Transparent, market-rate stay-to-play works," the Fastbreak manifesto says. "Deceptive stay-to-play is on borrowed time."
Block rates should “ideally” run 15-20% below market weekend pricing
Deadlines, policies, terms should be clearly outlined in registration information
All events should have commuter exemptions for local participants
Hotel loyalty redemptions should be available inside blocks
Military, government officials on official orders should be exempt
Organizer rebates should fund “documented event costs”
Families should get live public rate comparisons before booking
Fastbreak said organizers will still receive rebates, but all families pay less than the market rate when they book through its platform. Stay-to-Save also covers lodging options outside of hotels.
🏉 A continent’s largest tournament, streamed in full*
Tropical 7s, held annually in Tampa, bills itself as the largest youth rugby event in North America.
Every kick, phase, scrum and try at this year’s edition was streamed thanks to Blackmagic Design.
Youth sports production company Game On Live Studio uses BMD products in all its work, including its role broadcasting Tropical 7s — 250+ teams and 750+ matches across 15 fields (and 1.2 million square feet) over four days of frenetic action, streamed live in its entirety at a level not previously seen in the sport.
ATEM Mini Extreme ISO, Mini Pro ISO switchers for multi-camera streaming
ATEM Streaming Bridge converter
DaVinci Resolve, the world’s most popular post production solution
Everyone who watches youth sports — athletes, parents and grandparents, coaches, college recruiters — has come to expect streaming that looks and sounds professional.
Blackmagic Design can deliver just that for your club, event, facility of school. Our suite of affordable products are the same high quality as those used by professional sports teams and in Hollywood, delivering easy-to-learn multi-cam streaming that open new revenue streams.
For more information, visit Blackmagic Design.
*Sponsor
👥 Buying Sandlot Premium Data and Reports
Quicks links to our premium intel and reports:
Premium members get access to all of this data and to a community where they can network with other members. Upgrade to premium for full access.
Already a member? Log in to read premium reports and access the premium community.
📑 Another Big Brand On The Scene
Docusign is the latest major, but unorthodox, youth sports sponsor.
The software has formed a strategic partnership with Underrated Golf, a junior development platform founded by NBA star Stephen Curry. The “Where Deals Get Done” initiative will launch at the Curry Cup event at Long Island’s Bethpage Black this month.
Contract management, e-signature solutions
Streamlined operations
Exclusive educational programming for athletes from “experienced dealmakers across industries”
Underrated’s stated goal is to make golf more accessible. It held a series of regional tournaments in the U.S. this year, as well as one in London.
🧢 On The Dick’s Sporting Goods Beat
The DSG brass participated in a fireside chat on Monday at Goldman Sachs’ Global Consumer and Retailer Conference in New York.
The 34-minute session largely focused on DSG’s disappointing Q2 earnings and industry headways. Executive chairman Ed Stack, CEO Lauren Hobart and CFO Navdeep Gupta fielded a grand total of zero (0) questions about GameChanger.
But Gupta did shout out GC and Dick’s Media Network for being valuable assets while Stack offered an interesting youth sports-related take.
"We really believe a kid playing high school sports, they really need five different shoes," he said. "There are five different shoes on their shopping list."
Shoes for their sport (baseball cleats, basketball sneakers, etc.)
Running shoes
Training shoes
Recovery shoes
Shoes for school, going out
“Between Dick’s and Foot Locker, we are the retailer best positioned to service that need," Stack said.
🏛️ Latest College Sports Bill Would Impact Youth Sports
A pair of Congressional Republicans are introducing legislation that would limit the number of foreign athletes on collegiate sports teams.
The Training and Education for American Members in University Sports and Athletics (TEAM) Act would prevent international athletes from making up more than 20% of a roster in any sport. The bill is co-sponsored by Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI) and Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH).
It would be enforced by amending the Higher Education Act to tie federal student aid eligibility to the quota. The bill would take effect for the 2029-30 academic year if passed.
Idaho lawmakers proposed a similar bill on the state level earlier this year, but it was abandoned after significant industry pushback. That proposal targeted scholarships for international athletes more than roster spots.
Also: The Protect College Sports Act cleared its first procedural vote in the Senate yesterday by a 74-24 margin, moving closer to a final vote.
The TEAM USA Act is almost assuredly going nowhere because of college basketball.
Likely men’s preseason No. 1 Florida has a roster that is almost 50% international. You think the Sunshine State’s delegation wants to take that vote? And it will be the same situation in many other states.
However: These sorts of bills are likely going to keep popping up, and at some point one of them might stick. That is going to impact youth sports, but not necessarily in the way that will be sold.
As I wrote about the Idaho bill in February:
This bill — and potential copycats elsewhere — would be very convenient for schools looking to cut sports. They already want to dump programs like golf and tennis that have international-heavy rosters. Now they can point the blame at politicians rather than acknowledge they would rather use the money to pay the football team.
Yes, there would probably be some sports — women’s volleyball comes to mind — where an international athlete limit creates more opportunities for American athletes. But the net result would likely be fewer overall roster spots for kids because of teams being cut.
📝 Youth Sports News + Notes
PlayMetrics has landed another big client. It is now SAY Soccer’s membership platform. The Ohio-based association has over 100K athletes across 400-plus organizations in 37 states.
Shoot 360 has formed a strategic partnership with COPA Innovation Laboratories after its venture arm led a $7M raise round for the basketball tech training franchise. Shoot 360 has over 60 locations globally and has previously said it is aiming for 600 by 2030.
Pixellot will be integrated into FIBA’s Courts of the World finder tool. The database has over 70K courts around the world. Users will now be able to see schedules and streams for courts that have fixed Pixellot cameras installed.
Overtime has landed a multi-year extension with Adidas. The deal includes the Overtime Elite and Overtime Select basketball platforms and the OT7 football 7-on-7 competition.
🔗 Youth Sports Links
🤳 Follow Buying Sandlot on Social
We’re new— help us build up our social media accounts by following along:
Good game.