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:
🎥 Camera Maker Keeps Making Splashes
XBotGo is on a roll.
The AI-powered, 4K sports camera maker partnered with TeamSnap earlier this year. And now it has signed Argentina and Atlético Madrid soccer star Julián Alvarez as its first global brand ambassador.
The partnership kicks off what founder and CEO David Tan said will be a busy next year or so for XBotGo. He told Buying Sandlot the company plans to launch 3-4 new cameras in 2027, including a high-end model that will have "ultra-wide, whole-field view" with 10-15x zoom capabilities and sharper images.
XBotGo currently has two cameras on the market -- Chameleon, which starts at $329, and Falcon, which starts at $699. Tan previously said he expects prices to come down with future releases.
The company is also working on wearables and other new hardware, as well as new software tools for performance tracking, strategy data and other uses.
"We're going to keep our key characteristics -- cost effective, affordable, accessible. And the innovation will be top-notch, one of the best AI sports cameras in the world,” Tan said. “We are just innovating faster than our competitors and we are trying to do more with less. That's our belief."
Tan added: "We're trying to not just record your exciting moments, we're trying to analyze the footage and trying to get more data and help athletes understand how he or she play in the game and replay what they do on the field."
Viewer experience is also part of the equation. Tan said XBotGo is a few months away from launching a tool that makes a youth soccer game look like it is being broadcast from a professional stadium -- which could potentially open up new avenues for sponsorships.
Alvarez will be the face of the "Dare to Dream" campaign during the World Cup, which will be "focused on grassroots football culture, youth sports visibility, and increasing access to high-quality sports storytelling through AI-powered technology" and feature interactive social media challenges during the tournament.
Tan said the 26-year-old’s humble beginnings as a youth player appealed to XBotGo.
"We are very excited about this moment," he said. "This is not a simple celebrity reach. I believe his story will inspire many, many people."
👥 Buying Sandlot Premium Community Launching This Week
Our revamped Buying Sandlot Premium Community will open for memberships among service providers and investors tomorrow. More than 100 operators have already opted in and have begun to receive their invites.
The revamped Buying Sandlot community will offer:
Peer Networking: Networking areas so youth sports operators and service providers of all sizes can connect, share best practices, and partner
Investment Opportunities: A true peer-to-peer platform so youth sports founders and operators can connect with interested capital
Data and Reports: Segment-specific benchmarking reports, industry pulse data, and detailed investment lists
Initial reports include:
Youth Sports Funding and Platform Consolidation Report (June, 2026)
Youth Sports Transactions Database (June, 2026)
Youth Sports Facilities - Planned and Under Development (May, 2026)
The Raise: Intel On Why Operators Need Capital (May, 2026)
Great Youth Sports Facility Benchmarking Report (July, 2025)
Vetted Directory of Service Providers: Pre-vetted platforms and tools when you need them, without unsolicited sales pitches (Q3)
Other Benefits (Investor Pro and custom tiers only): Private webinars, warm introductions, Deal Drop market intel reports, quarterly calls, custom reports, and later this year, access to raw intelligence, real-time dashboard
Independently-owned operators gain access at no cost and can apply simply by filling out our operator intake survey.
💼 Big News On The Transaction Wire
Steve Sanders — most recently Spire Academy’s CEO — has joined TPH Academy as its new chief growth officer. He will “lead growth and partnership strategy across academics, athletics, and community” for the academy-style, hockey-focused platform.
"Sports academies are one of the few places where you can have a multigenerational impact. The more I learned about this landscape, the more I saw how much it matters. Helping shape young people during the most important years of their lives is work I care deeply about." -- Sanders
TPH pairs academics with established hockey clubs across about 20 locations in the U.S., Canada and Europe; it also has some soccer academies.
Sanders, a veteran who was an Army officer and helicopter pilot, also previously had roles at IMG Academy and several other developmental and entertainment platforms.
Quick Take: We will have Sanders on the podcast soon to discuss the move. But just saying — he and TPH Chief Academics Officer Adam Ewing spoke together on a education panel at the Buying Sandlot Summit.
⚾️ Curve Sports Teams With The Futures App
The baseball super club platform announced The Futures App will power its official app as part of a strategic partnership.
TFA is an all-in-one platform for coaches, facilities and organizations. It combines player development tools with business operations.
The Curve Sports app will be the centralized mobile hub for its network of locally-operated clubs; it is already live and being used by partner clubs.
Communications
Event management, schedules
Developmental resources, performance tracking
Player data, recruiting visibility
Media content, distribution
Club-specific branding, experiences
"Every organization is able to configure whatever metrics they want and that they care about in their organization," TFA founder Jake Hirabayashi told Buying Sandlot. "They run their players through a test, and you can bulk apply data isolating a single metric for whatever it is that you're testing. They're still using some hardware providers to actually track the data and then they're storing it in our platform."
🚨 A Bad Situation Gets Much Worse
The Oklahoma youth baseball coach who received a lifetime USSSA ban after his son threw a pitch into the opposing dugout has “an extensive criminal record” and admits he never submitted to a background check, according to USA Today.
The coach was previously convicted of domestic assault and battery in front of a child and took a plea deal regarding an alleged incident involving a 14-year-old girl. He also was sentenced for financial crimes and was the subject of six protective orders, according to the report.
USSSA’s website says it requires criminal background checks for all adults, including coaches. But the organization did not respond to questions from the news outlet about its policies or why the coach was never vetted and U.S. SafeSport denied it is affiliated with the org.
Families of players on the coach’s 11U team were not aware of his past, according to the report.
This is undoubtedly a black eye for USSSA, which says it has 3.7M athletes competing under its banner.
But it is more likely the product of a regional or state level failing rather than indicative of a systemic issue — a guy who was trying to evade a background check was successful because of incompetence or negligence or maybe both.
Incidents like this make insurance more costly or scare underwriters off entirely. Either way, it creates a trickle-down effect that ends in higher costs and/or fewer opportunities for families.
Also: This is an area where private equity and other outside capital can make the case for positive impact on the industry.
For-profit businesses will likely be more vigilant — and have more resources — to establish and adhere to strong policies.
Unrivaled Sports operates baseball and softball networks in partnership with USSSA — I’d have to imagine it will make sure every T is crossed and every lower-case J is dotted moving forward.
🇩🇪 Bundesliga Power Launches U.S. Academy
Bayern Munich announced it will start a residential developmental program near San Diego.
The academy will focus on U15 and U17 athletes and “be in line with FC Bayern's training philosophy and methodology, developing young players from the United States according to the same principles, standards and training approaches that shape player development at FC Bayern.”
It will be permanently located at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center, an official USOPC venue.
Bayern Munich just won Germany’s top flight soccer league for a record 35th time.
Quick Take: Bayern Munich is not the first European club to put down developmental roots here — Barcelona and PSG also have academies. But this feels like a bit of a shot across MLS’ bow between using an USOPC facility and San Diego FC opening the league’s first residential academy nearby.
🛞 Facilities Arms Race Update: Pump The Brakes
Reality appears to be setting back in with the proposed $3B mega-complex near Detroit Metropolitan Airport.
Motown Sports Village recently gained a lot of positive (and pretty naive) local media attention. But city officials threw a good amount of cold water on the project during a Romulus Planning Commission meeting, according to MLive.
City has only seen a “conceptual only” plan; no official submissions
City has OK’d concept, but not project
Unclear if developers have bought site land yet
Mayor disputes statement of support attributed to him in project materials
And the (literal) money quote: “What they don’t have is money,” one of the officials said.
🔗 Youth Sports Links
🤳 Follow Buying Sandlot on Social
We’re new— help us build up our social media accounts by following along:
Good game.