ESPN Launches Take Back Sports; A Year Long Initiative to Get More Kids Playing Youth Sports and Having Fun

Initiative Includes $5 Million Investment and Collaboration with Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation

Original post from ESPN Newsroom

ESPN announced the launch of Take Back Sports, a new youth sports initiative dedicated to increasing access to play for young athletes. Introduced at the Aspen Institute’s Project Play Summit — where ESPN serves on the 63X30 committee aimed at getting 63% of kids playing sports by 2030 — the initiative will address critical challenges in the youth sports landscape. Only 38.3% of kids ages 6-12 played sports in 2023 on a regular basis, according to data from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association and the Aspen Institute’s State of Play 2024 report. Take Back Sports will focus on three primary areas to drive change:

• Philanthropy and investing in youth sports organizations that are breaking down the barriers to play

• A national campaign focused on helping parents, coaches and caring adults make the youth sports system stronger (which will launch later this year, along with new content that will be integrated into ESPN’s studio shows and event coverage)

• Purposeful storytelling on youth sports across ESPN platforms together with athletes and league partners

As part of the initiative, ESPN is teaming up with Stephen and Ayesha Curry and their Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation to tackle the barriers preventing youth participation in sports. A feature on the Currys’ efforts to reshape youth sports in Oakland will air during NBA Today on April 3. With a renewed focus on ensuring every student in the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) has access to high-quality sports and play opportunities at every stage of their education — from elementary school play spaces to middle school sports — Eat. Learn. Play. is expanding access to organized sports and providing free sports programming for Oakland student-athletes. Youth sports participation in Oakland — and across the country—has steadily declined in part due to rising costs of travel sports and lack of funding for school sports, and recognizing this challenge, Eat. Learn. Play. has taken decisive action to reinvigorate school-based athletics with the refurbishment of schoolyards and basketball courts and by providing essential resources and support.

Additionally, ESPN is committing $5 million to support organizations focused on removing barriers to youth sports participation in four key areas, including:

• Community recreational leagues where kids of all skill levels and backgrounds have a place to play.

  • ESPN has made grants to the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Sports 4 Life program, Special Olympics Unified Sports, among other programs that provide access to sports.

• Quality coaching training where coaches become further developed in critical competencies to better help kids thrive.

  • ESPN is teaming up with Positive Coaching Alliance and the National Recreation and Park Association as part of the Million Coaches Challenge to provide training to coaches throughout the country.

• Encouragement of multisport play in an effort to prevent injuries and burnout, ultimately helping kids develop into stronger athletes.

  • ESPN has invested in multisport programs through Boys & Girls Clubs of America ALL STARS program, as well as 2-4-1 Sports.

• Promoting the fun in sports, which according to a study by the National Institute of Health, children cite ‘fun’ as the primary reason for participation in organized sport and its absence as the number one reason for youth sport attrition. 

  • ESPN is collaborating to better equip kids to have fun through support of mental wellness programming with Doc Wayne, including its sport-based therapy programs and trauma-informed education for coaches, as well as Athletes for Hope CHAMPS program.

“It’s time to take back youth sports from a system that has prioritized profit over well-being,” said Kevin Martinez, Vice President of Corporate Citizenship at ESPN. “Travel leagues have overtaken recreational leagues, specialization has replaced multisport play, and winning has come at the expense of fun. We need to shift the focus back to what matters — making sports accessible, enjoyable and rewarding for all kids. With ESPN’s deep sports expertise and unwavering commitment to community impact, we are uniquely positioned to help drive this change to elevate the conversation, invest in meaningful solutions and unite stakeholders to reimagine youth sports for the next generation.”

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About ESPN Corporate Citizenship
ESPN believes that, at its very best, sports uplift the human spirit. Its corporate citizenship programs use the power of sport to positively address society’s needs through strategic community investments, cause marketing programs, collaboration with sports organizations and employee volunteerism, while also utilizing its diverse media assets. For more information go to www.espn.com/citizenship.

Press Contact
Garrett Cowan | garrett.cowan@espn.com