This is Buying Sandlot — the only newsletter that focuses solely on the business of youth sports.
Quick update about the newsletter that I posted on LinkedIn on Friday:
Leggo.
In the email today:
🧠 Header Rules Are Making An Impact
It has been almost a decade since the U.S. Soccer Federation banned headers by players younger than 10 and restricted header practice by kids ages 11-13 to no more than 30 minutes weekly.
A recent report concluded the rules have led to a significant reduction in youth soccer brain injuries.
There has been about a 26% reduction in soccer-related concussions since the measures took effect in 2016
Concussions now account for about 6% of all soccer-related injuries; it was about 8% prior to the rule changes
USSF rules also require coaches to contact a medical professional any time they suspect a player may have a concussion
It is not a complete victory, though. Girls soccer players suffer 8.4 concussions for every 10K practices, which is second only to boys playing high school football (10.2 per 10K).
My take:
Concussions are always going to be a topic of discussion around youth sports. There was even a report on the subject in The Economist last week (in our links below).
Proof that rule adjustments and changes can make youth sports safer is colossal, though. And that’s what the USSF has here.
That said: You can’t go overboard with this study.
Cutting headers out at young ages is pretty easy and is not going to open the door to potential unintended safety consequences. Preventing youth football and rugby players from tackling (and then limiting contact as they age) could theoretically leave kids unprepared and more susceptible to injury when they are older. That has to be considered as well.
But all in all a promising report.
🏢 Unrivaled-Backed Diamond Nation Aims To Build a Self-Storage Facility on Their Property
Well, this is one way to maximize revenue per square foot— open a storage facility.
MyCentralJersey.com reports that Diamond Nation has recently updated a 2023 request to build a 3-story self-storage facility in an area currently used for overflow parking at the 7-field baseball facility, which was acquired in April of 2024 by Unrivaled Sports.
The revised plans would eliminate the overflow parking for baseball events. There was some disagreement at the time of the original proposal about how the overflow parking would impact storage customers and vice versa during tournament weekends.
It’s likely that the facility’s founder, Jack Cust Sr., is leading this effort since original plans for the facility were submitted prior to the Unrivaled acquisition. A press release said the Cust family would maintain minority ownership and operational involvement.
Still, a curious use of space given ostensible surging demand for baseball tournaments and Unrivaled’s ownership.
If the tagline line for this place isn’t if you build it, they will store it… then they are doing something very wrong.
🏟️ A Potential Problem In Missouri
The drama surrounding stadium projects for the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals could have a damaging trickle-down impact on youth sports in the state of Missouri.
ICYMI: Missouri lawmakers failed to pass a tax break package to keep the pro teams in the state during their regular annual session ended. Gov. Mike Kehoe will call a special session next month to try to get the bill passed before the teams accept a sweetheart deal to move across the border to Kansas.
At issue: A tax credit program used to attract amateur and youth sports events throughout the state is currently set to expire in August. There is no guarantee it will be extended since it is tied to the stadiums.
My take:
Most of the local reporting focuses on Kansas City losing future events like March Madness regionals to cities like Des Moines and Omaha.
But don’t discount the potential youth sports implications.
The $60M Homefield Kansas City complex just opened and, as we wrote last week, the city of Branson is considering big moves.
At the same time:
The massive $125 million AdventHealth Sports Park at Bluhawk has already opened in Overland Park, Kansas, where the Chiefs and Royals would move to.
A slew of complexes just opened, are under construction or are being proposed in Iowa, Nebraska and other nearby states
The Kansas City Sports Commission said 21 other states would have similar programs that give them an advantage on Missouri if the tax credit expires
The good news is Missouri’s House Speaker has publicly supported the need for the tax credit. And it remains to be seen if lawmakers actually have the courage to be known as the folks that let the teams leave town.
🗣️ Take The Great Youth Sports Facility Survey
If you own, operate, or help run a youth sports facility, fill out our Great Youth Sports Facility Survey, which launched this week.
It only takes 2-3 minutes, and responses will be aggregated and anonymized, and presented in a premium report to Buying Sandlot subscribers— which include other facility owners and, perhaps more importantly, investors.
All questions are optional.
🏢 Youth Sports Facilities News
New Bedford, Massachusetts: A 35K-square-foot indoor facility is expected to have its soft launch next month. The Southeast Sportsplex will have pickleball courts, batting cages, basketball space, turf and golf simulators, among other offerings.
Windsor, Colorado: A sports marketing company is attempting to intervene in the mess involving the currently-shuttered Future Legends Sports Complex. Sports Media CEO Dan Kost is calling on the city of Windsor to take an equity stake in the facility and create a commission to oversea its revitalization while re-opening the complex for youth sports competitions.
York County, South Carolina: A new proposal would charge every resident of the county — which sits right over the North Carolina border and is considered part of the Charlotte metropolitan area — a parks and recreation tax. Officials in cities and towns argue the new plan could mean a net reduction in youth sports funding compared to the current system where only residents of unincorporated areas pay a tax.
📊 Poll
As we build out our premium memberships, which item would be most interesting to you so Buying Sandlot can foster a community of youth sports professionals?
We’re exploring all of these, but input on where to start would be helpful! Thanks in advance.
Which would most interest you?
- 🤳 Community forum (example: message board, chat group, Slack)
- 📈 Segment-specific reports (investor surveys, facility revenue data)
- 🍻 Small-group in-person events (facility owners summit, investor day)
- 📺 Interactive live streams and webinars (connect with leaders in the space)
- 🇺🇸 Large-scale youth sports conference (go big or go home, baby)
⚾️ US Sports Camps, Players Way Launch Baseball Initiative
The Players Way Summer Series, a partnership between US Sports Camps and the MLBPA’s youth development initiative, will launch in June. It will consist of six four-day camps at different locations nationally, plus a one-day camp, a showcase event and a tournament. A full schedule is here— more sites will be announced.
⚖️ Proposed State Law Would Criminalize Referee Harassment
Lawmakers in Pennsylvania have proposed legislation that would make harassing youth sports referees a third-degree misdemeanor.
The Respect the Whistle Act has the support of the state’s governing body for high school sports and the National Association of Sports Officials.
But the ACLU has questioned its merits on constitutional grounds.
Pennsylvania has already made assaulting a referee a first-degree misdemeanor.
My take:
It is really difficult to envision this bill becoming a law. It’s the classic example of opening Pandora’s box. But we are going to keep seeing similar efforts and ideas as long as a) parents and fans behave badly and b) leagues battle official shortages.
📋 Job Alert: Program Coordinator I (Youth Sports Research Council), Rutgers University
Rutgers is hiring a program coordinator for its Youth Sports Council within the School of Arts and Sciences on the New Brunswick campus in New Jersey. The position’s listed salary range is $57,356 to $85,388 with a mid-range of $71,372.
Among the key duties of this position are the following
Organizes, administers, and coordinates various facets of the Youth Sports Research Council's (YSRC) educational programs, courses, and workshops within established guidelines and goals set forth by the Director in coordination with the Senior Program Coordinator.
Schedules, facility coordination's, materials management, and ensuring compliance with registration and reporting procedures.
Supports financial tasks such as payment collection and reporting, as well as developing and distributing marketing materials, and managing the YSRC website.
The full job posting can be found on LinkedIn.
If you’d like to list an open position here and reach nearly 4,000 youth sports professionals in a single email, you can book this slot and upload all the details right here.
🔗 More Youth Sports Links
👥 Welcome To New Members
You can view the full list of members who wanted an introduction to the Buying Sandlot community right here.
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Good game.