This is Buying Sandlot — the only newsletter that focuses solely on the business of youth sports.
I (Kyle) am back from 10 days in Europe and in desperate need of some cold drinking water, since inexplicably everything over there is served room temperature in half-filled glasses. Shoutout to James for HOLDING IT DOWN while I was gone— we added 700+ subscribers and broke 60% open rates. Perhaps I should head back for 2 more months of cold gelato and warm water.
Let’s get to it!
In the email today:
📺 Survey: Youth Sports Streaming Is Just Getting Started
Looking for the next big thing in the industry?
A recent joint report from live video solutions company Native Frame and Reeplayer, which provides AI-powered cameras to stream soccer matches, makes a compelling and multi-faceted case for youth sports streaming:
Only 22% of respondents to a youth sports tech survey said they use streaming technology
Over 60% of those who currently do not stream are interested in doing so
Close to 60% of live streaming is done on Facebook or YouTube, despite the many platforms catering specifically to sports streaming
GameChanger is the clear No. 1 specialized streaming platform, but only has a 9% market share
A host of other providers (Hudl, LiveBarn, etc.) make up about a third of the rest of the market, but no single platform has greater than a 3% hold
60% of respondents feel video quality is the top area for improvement
That last note feels important.
While free is always tough to beat, social media platforms will always have limitations— especially if you are a complex trying to stream six games at once. You get what you pay for, and this leaves plenty of opportunity for the specialized providers.
But it feels like the fragmentation pains will linger for a while. Consolidation is inching along at a three yards and a cloud of dust pace, based on these survey results.
Deals like NBC SportsEngine Play’s acquisition of LocalLive or LiveBarn’s attempts to find a buyer are likely small steps on that road. The same goes for Perfect Game adding pro game-like features to its streams.
Remember: A pre-pandemic study projected the youth sports streaming market would be worth $5.5B by 2024.
If it has gotten there - or even in the ballpark - with less than 25% participation and more providers than anyone can keep track of … that suggests there is major upside. And future dealmaking will signal just how bullish investors are.
Our Take:
Since we have written about youth sports as a potentially valuable streaming rights product in the past:
The survey found current streamers are less concerned with the “rights” aspect of youth sports. It makes sense when you consider the primary streaming opportunity is in the long-tail of events that are interesting only to family members and really good friends. But we still contend there are a handful of highly-compelling amateur sports (like Texas High School Football with Capital Letters) that can earn sponsorship and rights deals.
Also: A lot of respondents noted a desire for statkeeping and automated highlights tied to streaming. That is good news for AI firms like SportsVisio, who we highlighted last week.
🏒 Ice Continues To Be Hot On The Facilities Front
Trend Watch™: The demand for rinks.
The Sports Facilities Company gobbled up a bunch of ice complexes recently. And now officials in Folsom, California, are reviewing a proposal to build a 410K-square-foot multi-use complex on 21 acres that would emphasize hockey (and offer a lot more).
Part of the developers’ pitch: Sacramento County is the nation's biggest county by population without a year-round ice facility.
The complex would have three NHL-size rinks
Rinks divide to allow up to nine simultaneous youth hockey games
Rinks can be used for other ice sports
Rinks can also be converted for basketball, pickleball, tennis, volleyball, wrestling and other sports— the space can hold up to 27 youth hoops courts
The project also proposes a 126K-square-foot covered outdoor turf field and pavilion
The outdoor space can also hold concerts and the Folsom Rodeo
Close to 800 parking spots and access to city trails
No price tag has been attached to the project yet. Construction would also require major expansion of roads near the location, so that could be a hurdle.
🏢 More Youth Sports Facilities News
Niagara Falls, New York: A feasibility study for a $200M multi-purpose youth sports complex was unveiled. The report concluded the facility will bring over $50M in economic impact in the first five years of operation and generate over 14K additional annual hotel nights — officials claim this will allow seasonal hospitality workers to find year-round employment.
Shearwater, Florida: Ground has broken on the St. Johns County Tournament Complex. It will have eight rectangular fields — five artificial turf, three grass — a track, a playground and other multipurpose fields. The complex will cost about $38M.
🎤 New Tech To Combat Referee Abuse
Element Athletics, a Canadian startup, has launched an AI-powered tool designed to curb the verbal abuse against youth sports officials.
Referees wear armbands with embedded wireless microphones
Signs are placed at venues warning coaches, fans and players that they are being recorded
AI then combs through hours of audio and identifies potential abuse
Incidents are reported to the officials’ supervisors and oversight groups
Kyle’s Take:
Official abuse is a problem, but this solution feels Nanny State-ish at best, and dystopian at worst. In other words, like something that was funded by a Calgary-based non-profit.
For starters, the use-case is extremely niche. The deterrence of the sign might be the most impactful part. Never mind that there is little economic incentive to pay for this specific product vs. just setting up a stream or any other recording device to deter official abuse.
🔗 Youth Sports Links
📋 Job Alert: Engineering Manager, Information Security -- GameChanger
The Dick’s Sporting Goods-owned youth sports app is hiring an engineering manager in charge of information security.
As the Information Security Engineering Manager, you'll lead a small but high-impact team focused on building and scaling security practices across our cloud-native infrastructure, applications, and internal systems.
This is a hands-on, strategic role that blends leadership, technical depth, and cross-functional collaboration. You'll work closely with Engineering, Product, Legal, and senior leadership to drive initiatives in cloud and application security, GRC, incident response, and security automation. You'll report to the Director of Information Security and shape the future of our security program while supporting the professional growth of your team and helping GameChanger scale safely and securely.
The position will pay $180-$210K annually. A full job description can be found on LinkedIn.
If you’d like to list an open position here and reach 5,000+ youth sports professionals in a single email, email me.
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Good game.