This is Buying Sandlot — the only newsletter that focuses solely on the business of youth sports.
Let’s get to it.
In the email today:
🧢 Dick’s, SidelineSwap Launch Bat Trade-In Program
Affordability is the topic du jour in youth sports right now.
The expanded partnership between Dick’s Sporting Goods and SidelineSwap addresses the matter while also making business sense.
Dick’s has launched a baseball and softball bat trade-in program at all locations nationwide using SidelineSwap’s tech.
Easy-to-use website to see how much bat is worth
Instant quote and trade-in at brick-and-mortar stores
Can also ship bats to processing center based on web quote
Customers receive Dick’s gift card toward new purchase
SidelineSwap reimburses Dick’s, then re-sells bats
“It’s really about expanding the impact,” SidelineSwap co-founder and CEO Brendan Candon told Buying Sandlot. “Our whole mission is to make sports more affordable and to keep gear out of landfills. And for us to do that, we have to have as big a reach as possible. There’s really no better partner to do it with than Dick’s.”
SidelineSwap has had over $300M in gear transactions since it started in 2015 and has hosted about 2K trade-in events at select Dick’s locations since 2022. Those pop-ups exchanged store credit for any sports gear; Candon said he hopes to eventually grow the all-location program beyond bats.
Candon said he believes “a good for-profit business can actually do a lot more,” so all of the trade-in bats will hit SidelineSwap’s marketplace. But it does accept donated gear without resale value at its events, distributing it to various local, national and international partners.
A bat program is in the Dick’s wheelhouse given its bat review digital content and GameChanger’s baseball/softball dominance.
Candon said SidelineSwap partners see an average 2-3x spend lift when customers participate in trade-ins, plus more repeat visits. About 30% of trade-in participants had not visited a location in the last year.
“In an environment where affordability is top of mind for everybody, this is such a cool way to put money back in people’s pockets,” Candon said. “It’s not just giving a 20% discount. It’s giving them fair and good value for used products so they don’t collect dust and then it increases accessibility and gets more people into the game, whether they’re buying new or buying used. We feel like this is a big step.”
🧪Intel: SidelineSwap says it has more than $300M in all-time gross merchandise value and has raised over $18M, including from DICK’S Sporting Goods and eBay Ventures. Current estimates peg the US sporting goods market at around $40B-$50B (though estimates vary wildly based on what you lump in there).
It’s unclear how big the used sporting goods market is. Play-It-Again Sports, a longtime leader in the used sporting goods space, does $350M per year in sales. It’s harder to quantify how many sales take place on online marketplaces like eBay and Craigslist. But we can figure the used sporting goods market is in the low single-digit billions, and it’s projected to grow faster than the overall sporting goods market— especially when you consider increased participation efforts will focus heavily on underserved areas. Dick’s is well-positioned to help lead that charge through partnerships like this one.
📆 EventConnect Is A Partner Helping To Shape The Future Of Youth Sports*
I (Kyle) asked Eric Vardon, President of Buying Sandlot sponsor EventConnect, which has renewed with us to support the brand over a longer period of time, for some talking points so we could write effective ad copy for him.
We expected some bullets on how EventConnect bills itself as the “operating system for youth and amateur sports.”How their software helps event organizers grow room nights, end spreadsheet chaos, and keep every datapoint in one place. Or how they help increase room night reservations by up to 30%, while saving 24% of hotel costs for teams.
That sort of thing.
Rather, we received 4 bullets on why they saw Buying Sandlot as a valuable investment for themselves and the industry as a whole:
Investing in the Industry, Not Just Advertising: Supporting Buying Sandlot reflects our belief that strong industries are built through shared insight, transparency, and informed leadership. We believe the best companies don’t just build products — they invest in the conversations that move the industry forward.
Aligned with the Voices Shaping What’s Next: If you care about where this industry is going, you should care about who’s covering it.
It’s All About Community and Experience: EventConnect exists to improve the experience for athletes, families, organizers, and partners. Supporting Buying Sandlot is an extension of that mission — helping the industry learn from itself and make smarter, more connected decisions.
Showing Up Where the Industry Gathers: Whether it’s the newsletter or the podcast — including conversations with the leaders in the industry — EventConnect wants to be present where real dialogue is happening, not just where others place their ads or post their talking points on social media.
Where the industry gathers. Has a good ring to it. Might have to use that.
Support sponsors like EventConnect who allow us to gather in your inbox.
*Sponsor
🏟️ Buying Sandlot Summit Session Details: Startups: The Next Wave Of Youth Sports Tech
We’ll bring together leading startup founders building the next wave of companies in youth sports— with a focus on the consumer.
🏥 Go4 Partners With Spooky Nook Sports
The sports health and safety platform will provide its services to the Manheim, Pennsylvania, facility — the biggest indoor complex in North America.
On-demand access to athletic trainers
Venue-specific emergency action plans (EAPs)
HIPAA-compliant, real-time injury documentation
Go4 has over 25K ATs across all 50 states in its network. The partnership kicks off next month.
“Spooky Nook Sports represents exactly the kind of organization we built Go4 for. A world-class venue that takes athlete safety as seriously as it takes competition. This partnership is about more than coverage. It’s about making sure that every sideline at Spooky Nook is staffed by a credentialed professional, backed by the right plans and documentation to protect every athlete who walks through their doors. We’re proud to be their partner.”
We’ve been talking about how athlete health and safety represents a big business opportunity— especially with the liability that comes from more professionalization in the space. To date, this has largely taken the form of compliance and insurance (good things!), but efforts have lagged behind elsewhere, partly because things don’t scale as well outside the digital realm. Enter Go4, which will be speaking at the Buying Sandlot Summit, and partnerships like this one that put athletic trainers on sidelines and venue-specific Emergency Action Plans in place.
🤠 SFC Makes A Splash In Texas
The Sports Facilities Companies will manage the Odessa Sports Complex — a $140M project that will be the biggest youth sports facility in Texas.
12 baseball/softball fields
10 basketball courts/20 volleyball courts
10 turf multipurpose fields
SFC had previously been involved in the planning process for the venue. Construction is underway in the land of Friday Night Lights and Landman.
🏌️♀️ Uneekor Junior Academy Launches
When we wrote about youth golf’s participation surge earlier this year, Invited Clubs CEO David Pillsbury said there was a need for more focus on developing and supporting elite junior golfers.
The Uneekor Junior Academy checks that box.
The program is not about general participation or “democratizing” access to the high-end golf tech firm’s products. It is effectively an NIL initiative for elite youth golfers.
The 18U program is application-only and exclusive to junior golfers “actively competing on national or regional tours.”
Golfers will be featured on Uneekor platforms and received branded gear; reigning U.S. Kids Golf Champion “Birdie” Bristol Tippens was named a Uneekor ambassador in conjunction with the launch.
The main perk: Uneekor will provide a “generous discount” on its launch monitors and simulators to academy members, as well as “exclusive software access.”
The monitors included in the program start at $4.5K and $8K; the retail price for both with sim kits tacked on is north of $10K.
🩺 Interesting Situation In Alabama
The state is the only one that does not allow physician’s assistants and nurses to sign off on youth sports physicals.
A bill has been proposed to change that law and join the rest of the nation.
Advocates argue PAs and nurses are already conducting the exams and the legislation would clear kids quicker while reducing administrative burden.
But the medical advisory board for Alabama’s high school sports governing body and other doctors are pushing back on expertise and oversight grounds.
🍌 A Savannah Bananas Knockoff
The Chicago Snowballs are billing themselves as “the nation’s first professional co-ed sportstainment baseball program” — a dubious claim given women have played for the Bananas.
The organization says it and a partner team will do a Midwest barnstorming tour later this year, starting in May at a small public stadium in the Windy City.
Quick Take: This was bound to happen at some point. It is worth noting the Harlem Wizards have managed to survive in the Harlem Globetrotters’ shadow for over 60 years by being more accessible on smaller stages. If the Snowballs (or any other Bananas copycats) can gain traction, that means much more available in-person exposure to sportstainment for youth sports families, which could impact whatever ambitions the Bananas have.
🤦♂️ Parents Behaving Badly
Two more youth basketball brawls in the South:
Florence, Alabama: A postgame dustup between coaches following an 8U boys game turned into a melee with parents flying out of the stands. At least one punch was thrown and some people reportedly had their clothing torn and suffered cuts. It was unclear if any arrests were made.
Plano, Texas: At least one man has been charged with assault following an incident at a youth hoops game. Cops are reportedly considering making more arrests; about 10 adults were said to be involved.
🔗 Youth Sports Links
🤳 Follow Buying Sandlot on Social
We’re new— help us build up our social media accounts by following along:
Good game.