A new federal proposal targeting private equity’s role in youth sports is putting fresh attention on an increasingly expensive, adult-driven system that critics say is pricing children out of play, pressuring families and pushing young athletes into year-round specialization.
The Let Kids Play Act, introduced in the Senate by Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and referred to the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, would prohibit so-called “vulture investors” from investing in youth sports entities and bar practices including junk fees, mandatory travel arrangements, restrictive contracts and consolidation strategies that limit family choice.
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Supporters say the measure responds to a youth sports marketplace that has grown far beyond neighborhood leagues and school teams. The bill defines youth sports broadly, covering leagues, clubs, teams, facilities, tournaments, camps, showcases, technology platforms and other entities involved in organized athletic participation for children under 18.
Linda Flanagan, author of “Take Back the Game: How Money and Mania Are Ruining Kids’ Sports — and Why It Matters,” said in an interview that the attention on private equity is useful but incomplete.
“That particular act gets traction because private equity has such a terrible reputation,” Flanagan said. “It’s easy to make them the bad guys, when really they’re not all bad guys, but some of the practices that they and other firms engage in are destructive to — or not helpful or healthy for — kids or families.”
Flanagan said the central problem is not only who owns youth sports assets, but what the modern system asks of families: higher prices, longer travel, more games, earlier specialization and growing pressure to treat children’s activities as pipelines to college recruitment.
“There is a cultural imperative on parents to cultivate their kids’ interests and talents,” Flanagan said. “It is all about anxiety about how they’re going to make it in the world.”
In written testimony before the House Education and the Workforce Committee’s Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education, Flanagan described youth sports as a “feast or famine” system. Children in low-income communities often have fewer opportunities to play, while children in wealthier areas face pressure to specialize and compete at younger ages, she said.
Project Play, an Aspen Institute initiative, says 27.3 million children ages 6 to 17 participated on a sports team or took sports lessons after school or on weekends in 2023, representing 55.4% of U.S. youth. Federal health officials have set a long-term objective of 63.3% participation by 2030.
But the growth has come with costs. Flanagan testified that families spend about $40 billion a year on children’s sports, and that the Aspen Institute found family spending on a child’s main sport has risen sharply since 2019. A youth sports travel analysis included in the document cites the U.S. Travel Association’s 2026 report, which identified youth and amateur sports as the group travel segment that “never wavered” even as broader group bookings softened.
Those economics have made youth sports attractive to investors, facility developers, hotels and cities seeking tournament-driven tourism. Youth Sports Business Report describes the industry as a major business market spanning facilities, sponsorship, investments, technology, events, coaching and parent resources.
Flanagan said the business momentum risks changing the purpose of youth sports.
“It just makes youth sports entirely about money,” she said. “There’s something really lost when that happens.”
Injuries are another concern. Flanagan cited Aspen Institute research finding that 44% of children who played sports in 2023 were injured that year, including one in 20 who tore a knee ligament and one in 12 who sustained a concussion. She said the injury problem is tied partly to early specialization and high training volume.
“Kids are playing more games; they’re playing more hours,” Flanagan said. “The injuries I spoke of are a function of the early sports specialization.”
The strain also reaches parents and siblings, Flanagan said. Families split weekends among tournaments, practices and travel. Some parents reduce work hours to manage schedules, while siblings are dragged along or left behind.
“Family dinners have been severely diminished,” Flanagan said. “Family time in general is a strain.”
The legislation would give federal regulators enforcement authority, allow state attorneys general to bring civil actions and create private rights of action for people harmed by violations. It also would create a Youth Sports Fund to support lower participation costs, community access, scholarships and safe operations for affected youth sports entities.
Flanagan said reform should not be limited to federal legislation. She pointed to state-level efforts to improve coach training, background checks and safety oversight, including proposals for independent agencies or centralized registries of coaches and sports providers.
“There’s no reason why they can’t register with the state,” Flanagan said of youth sports coaches. She said states could take responsibility for “coaching, oversight, certifying, training, background checks” and lists of banned coaches.
Still, Flanagan said the renewed policy attention matters because youth sports affect public health, education, family life and community connection.
“It is a collective problem,” she said. “It kind of requires a collective action, because otherwise it’s just on the back of every parent.”
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