- Buying Sandlot
- Posts
- PlayOn Begins To Integrate MaxPreps Into Its Portfolio
PlayOn Begins To Integrate MaxPreps Into Its Portfolio
🥎 The business of youth sports
Kyle Scott
May 02, 2025
This is Buying Sandlot — the only newsletter that focuses solely on the business of youth sports.
A quick welcome and thanks to our many new subscribers. This venture started in earnest a month ago, and we already reach nearly 3,000 professionals in youth sports— including many key decision-makers. The response - through email and LinkedIn - has been overwhelming.
Let’s go.
In the email today:
🎥 PlayOn Rebrands VidSwap to MaxPreps Advantage
In the first sign of how PlayOn plans to integrate MaxPreps, which it recently acquired, into its portfolio, the company announced that it will rebrand VidSwap as MaxPreps Advantage.
With advanced breakdowns, MaxPreps Advantage transforms game film into actionable insights while simultaneously creating shareable content. Game footage is auto-captured and broken down, generating verified stats, scores, and multiple recap videos, all of which will upload automatically to MaxPreps.
synergy
VidSwap provides automated game film breakdown, statistics, and highlight generation for coaches and athletes. In late 2024, PlayOn partnered with AI-camera maker Pixellot to offer VidSwap’s analytics to its NFHS Network member schools at no cost.
Consolidating some these services into the better-known consumer brand of MaxPreps seems like the obvious route.
🧳 IHG Hotels Expands Presence At LakePoint Sports
From the press release:
LakePoint Sports, the premier travel and youth sports destination, is proud to announce the return and expansion of an integrated media activation by IHG Hotels & Resorts. IHG will expand its presence at LakePoint in 2025, reaching millions of athletes, families, and coaches who travel to the campus each year.
This year’s campaign will include an enhanced digital presence, increased on-site visibility, and title sponsorship of the Summer Showstoppers Champions Weekend. IHG aims to help sports families discover the convenience and comfort of its 20 well-known hotel brands including Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites, and Candlewood Suites. With hotel locations located near tournament venues across the country, IHG makes it easier for teams to stay close to the action while enjoying the amenities that matter most.
🏢 Youth Sports Facilities News
Keller, Texas: The Keller Sports Park is set to complete $43M in renovations by early next year. City officials believe the 140-acre complex can become a hub for youth sports and drive economic growth.
Windsor, Colorado: We touched on the debacle at Future Legends Sports Complex in our last send. What we realized after hitting send: Former Major Leaguer and current broadcaster Ryan Spilborghs is a co-founder of the facility. FWIW: The other co-founder is a California developer who appears to take the lead when discussing the complex's litany of legal woes and Spilborghs is not mentioned in recent reporting.
👨💻 WATCH: Arizona Athletic Grounds President On Partnership With NBC Sports Next, Pixellot
Arizona Athletic Grounds is the nation’s largest multi-sport complex, hosting over 2.4M visitors and over 20K games annually. AAG President Meg Stevens discusses the importance of streaming and the partnership with NBC Sports Next and Pixellot above.
Watch here.
👨🦰 Parents Behaving Badly
From the Neighborhood Watch files in St. Louis Park, Minnesota:
A homeowner is suing her next-door neighbors and the city over the location of their in-ground basketball hoop.
The lawsuit comes after the St. Louis Park Planning and Zoning division and the City Council told the family with the basketball hoop that they can have it right where it currently is.
If that sounds crazy … it is actually crazier. The brouhaha started when a couple installed a hoop for their sons and their neighbors objected it was too close to the property line. The hoops was then moved with the town signing off on its placement. But the neighbors have continued to launch legal salvos, including a failed effort to get a restraining order against the kids’ father. Now they want a temporary injunction blocking the boys from shooting hoops for four months.
Minnesota nice, huh?
⏱️ On3 Acquires Rivals From Yahoo
Big, big news in the sports media world.
On3 is buying Rivals from parent company Yahoo, creating a merger of two of the three major high school recruiting ranking services — 247 Sports, owned by CBS, is the other one. Yahoo will remain part of the ownership group.
Get this: On3 founder Shannon Terry co-founded Rivals, sold it to Yahoo for $100M, then co-founded 247, sold it to CBS and then launched On3 and is now buying Rivals back. The circle of life.
My take:
There are myriad angles to discuss about what this deal means for the college sports media ecosystem, given both companies reported heavily on both recruiting and the day-to-day existences of major athletics departments. And it sort of sounds like On3 will be the traditional college sports coverage hub while Rivals will be the flagship for recruiting content.
One thing that jumps out from a youth sports standpoint: On3 has been very aggressive in the NIL sphere. That will now be paired with Rivals’ recruiting focus. It will be interesting to see if the rankings process becomes more sophisticated - not just some local guy’s list - and a greater focus is placed on monetizing the athletes the company grants five-star status to. We already see some of this with invitational camps and events like The Opening.
At the same time: The capability is there to make a strong move into youth sports content and coverage that maybe transcends just elite recruits. Recruiting services for middle schoolers already exist, but they are extremely niche. Will the combined On3/Rivals manpower have the resources to make it mainstream — especially if these kids are also seeing NIL? It will be interesting to watch.
🏈 Another Youth Sports/Sports Betting Headline In Ohio
This one is a bit more noble than allegations of illicit wagering on kids' games in Cincinnati (and subsequent violence as a result).
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine's proposal to double the state's sports betting tax -- from 20% to 40% -- is gaining steam again in the state legislature.
The governor wants to use the added revenue to fund future stadium projects and youth sports, although the specifics are unclear.
🔗 More Youth Sports Links
Want to reach more than 2,600 investors, owners, and operators in the business of youth sports? Buy an ad in Buying Sandlot right here or reach out to me directly by replying to this email.
👥 Welcome To New Members
You can view the full list of members who wanted an introduction to the Buying Sandlot community right here.
Let me know how I can help you make a connection!
Would you like to be introduced to the largest growing community of youth sports investors, owners and operators? Take our subscriber survey!
We’re new— help us build up our social media accounts by following along:
Good game.