Youth $ports

By Ally Tucker

This podcast explores the changing landscape of Youth Sports (or Youth $ports, rather) in America and how it continues to shift away from its roots. What started out as a golden period in many childre... more

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FAQs about Youth $ports:

How many episodes does Youth $ports have?

The podcast currently has 81 episodes available.

Youth $ports episodes:

January 14, 2026 Included
Episode 80: Chris Collins (Ability to Include, Inc.)
🎙 In this episode: I sit down with Chris Collins of Ability to Include, a nonprofit focused on reducing disparities in education, recreation, and advocacy for children with special needs and their families. We talk about how Chris’s love of soccer and background in special education shaped his coaching philosophy, why sports are one of the most powerful (and underused) tools for teaching social and emotional skills, and how inclusive programs can change the lives of not just kids—but entire families.
🔹 From Soccer Player to Inclusive Coach
Chris shares how growing up around soccer and coaching competitively intersected with his early work supporting preschoolers with special needs.
🔹 Teaching Meets Coaching
He explains how strategies used in special education translate seamlessly to motivating athletes in competitive environments.
🔹 Applied Behavior Analysis on the Field
Chris breaks down how ABA principles help reinforce effort, behavior, and emotional growth through sport.
🔹 Praise Is the Baseline
Regardless of wins or losses, positive feedback at the end of practice should be non-negotiable.
🔹 TOPSoccer and Inclusive Play
A look at the national TOPSoccer program and its mission to provide meaningful soccer experiences for athletes of all abilities.
🔹 Why Volunteers Matter So Much
Volunteer coaches and mentors are essential in creating safe, fun, and engaging environments for inclusive sports.
🔹 Sports Teach What Curriculum Can’t
Skills like flexibility, communication, emotional regulation, and handling loss develop naturally on playgrounds and soccer fields.
🔹 Generalizing Skills to Real Life
Chris explains why the ultimate goal is helping kids apply classroom learning to real-world situations.
🔹 A Different Kind of Coaching Fulfillment
Transitioning away from club soccer, Chris reflects on the gratitude and perspective he’s gained from inclusive coaching.
🔹 Breaking the Isolation for Families
Ability to Include provides community and connection for families who often feel isolated raising children with disabilities.
🔹 Sports as a Lifelong Connector
Chris shares how his strongest friendships came through sports and why every family deserves those same opportunities.
🔹 The Missing Piece: Adults with Disabilities
We discuss a major blind spot in society: limited programs and community options for individuals with special needs after high school.
🔹 Hot Take Life Advice
A personal lesson learned the hard way: never compare a friend’s ex to vanilla ice cream… especially if they might get back together.
...more
51min
January 07, 2026 A Different Lens
Episode 79: Jenna Filipkowski (Psychologist/Soccer Mom)
🎙 In this episode: I sit down with Jenna Filipkowski, a youth soccer parent and psychologist who offers a refreshingly honest look at the youth sports landscape. Jenna admits she never loved soccer growing up, becoming a “professional soccer mom by happenstance.” Together, we explore how quickly youth sports become intense, expensive, and all-consuming, why parent behavior on the sidelines would be considered wildly dysfunctional in a normal workplace, and how social hierarchy, information gatekeeping, and fear of missing out quietly shape the youth sports experience. We also talk about the unexpected beauty of it all—and how, done right, sports can create a lifelong bond between parent and child.
🔹 A Soccer Parent by Accident
Jenna didn’t grow up loving the game but found herself fully immersed once her son started playing.
🔹 The “Vibe Checker” Role
Rather than focusing on tactics or technique, Jenna embraces being the supportive manager and emotional temperature-checker.
🔹 Drinking from a Fire Hose
Youth sports offer incredible benefits, but the intensity, cost, and commitment escalate fast.
🔹 When Soccer Dominates Family Life
Jenna estimates that more than 50% of daily conversation with her spouse revolves around youth soccer.
🔹 The 5:30 Practice Puzzle
Making it to practice requires near-perfect logistical alignment and parents feel it every weekday.
🔹 Why It’s Still Worth It
Watching your child improve, love something, and have big moments makes all the stress feel meaningful.
🔹 Kid-Centered… but Parent-Blind
Youth sports revolve around kids, yet often ignore the realities of working parents and family schedules.
🔹 Sidelines as a Psychological Case Study
From a psychologist’s lens, much of the behavior we normalize on the sidelines would be labeled toxic in any workplace.
🔹 The Social Hierarchy of Teams
Star players, inner circles, and “power families” shape team dynamics more than we like to admit.
🔹 Information Is Currency
Gatekeeping knowledge about clubs, teams, and opportunities becomes a quiet form of power.
🔹 Fear, Panic, and FOMO
Parents worry about falling behind, missing opportunities, or making the “wrong” choice in an opaque system.
🔹 Presence Over Perfection
Despite the chaos, youth sports can be one of the few places parents are fully present and deeply connected.
🔹 A Lifelong Bond—If You Let It Be
Handled well, youth sports don’t end after the final whistle—they can become a positive, shared language well into adulthood, starting with the car ride home.
...more
1h 13min
December 26, 2025 Clocking In
Episode 78: Leslie Davis (Cross Country and Track Coach at Lafayette HS)
🎙 In this episode: I sit down with Leslie Davis, former Kentucky state champion in the 800 and now a cross country and track coach (and English teacher) at Lafayette High School in Lexington, KY. We dig into why running may be the most inclusive and accessible sport in schools, how it teaches kids to choose hard things, and the real mental, physical, and emotional challenges young runners face… from discipline and burnout to body image and puberty. Davis shares what makes track and field so uniquely diverse, and why the boom of running in Kentucky is giving more kids a place to belong.
🔹 From State Champ to Educator-Coach
Davis reflects on her journey from elite athlete to coaching both cross country and track while teaching in the classroom.
🔹 The Case for Multi-Sport Athletes
Why playing multiple sports does more than prevent injury. It exposes kids to different team cultures before they silo off in middle/high school.
🔹 Running Is for Everyone
Cross country and track offer one of the most inclusive spaces in youth sports: affordable, accessible, and built for improvement at any level.
🔹 The Oldest Form of Competition
“How fast can you get from Point A to Point B?” Davis explains the universal simplicity that makes running so powerful.
🔹 You Don’t Need $300 Shoes
As running booms in America, we talk about gear culture, expensive watches, and why grit still matters more than gadgets.
🔹 Choosing to Do Hard Things
“How do you get someone to choose pain?” Davis shares how running teaches kids they can handle discomfort in sport and in life.
🔹 Coaching the Mind, Not Just the Body
Why mental skills are just as critical as physical training for young athletes.
🔹 A Stadium Full of Specialists
Track and field requires a massive, diverse coaching staff—yet gets a fraction of the funding football does.
🔹 Every Kind of Kid Belongs
From multi-sport athletes in EVERY sport to first-time athletes, Davis explains how track represents every corner of the school community.
🔹 A Fresh Start in High School
Unlike travel-heavy sports, running gives kids a chance to try something new in high school and still find success.
🔹 Discipline vs. Obsession
We unpack Type A vs. Type B athletes, burnout, and how discipline can quietly slide into unhealthy extremes.
🔹 Body Image & Food Talk Matter
Davis urges parents to be mindful of how they talk about eating and bodies, especially with motivated young runners.
🔹 Puberty and the Female Athlete
An under-discussed reality: girls’ bodies change, performance may dip, and it can feel like losing “the magic.” But, “You don’t suddenly suck.”
🔹 What the Sport Is Really About
“The point is to see what our bodies can do, not what they can look like.”
🔹 Why Kids Keep Showing Up
At the end of the day, kids just want something fun, challenging, and team-centered… and running is exploding in Kentucky because of it.
...more
1h 26min
December 17, 2025 Culture Shock
Episode 77: Jordan Heuglin (Trinity Boys Soccer Head Coach)
🎙 In this episode: I sit down with Jordan Heuglin, head soccer coach at his alma mater, Trinity High School in Louisville, KY, to talk about winning at a high level without losing perspective. Jordan reflects on his unconventional soccer journey, the pressure parents and players feel in today’s youth sports landscape, and why culture—not trophies—has become the true measure of success.
🔹 From Rec Soccer to the Top of Kentucky Soccer
Jordan shares his rare path to high-level soccer, playing mostly recreationally until freshman year at Trinity, when he realized club soccer was necessary just to keep up.
🔹 The Burnout Blessing
Coming to club soccer later helped Jordan avoid burnout, a perspective that now shapes how he thinks about long-term player development.
🔹 Why Parents Feel the FOMO
Jordan points out that every player on Trinity’s roster last season had club experience, helping explain the pressure families feel to start early.
🔹 Pressure vs. Expectations
Jordan reframes expectations as a positive..proof that people care…and explains why perspective determines whether pressure becomes productive or destructive.
🔹 Rethinking What “Success” Really Means
Only one team wins the final game each season, so measuring success solely by championships guarantees failure for everyone else.
🔹 Culture Over Everything
Coming off of back-to-back 18+ win seasons, Jordan says this past year was one of the most memorable of his career because of the team’s culture.
🔹 Building Leaders Within the Team
Jordan breaks down how a leadership team and bi-weekly meetings help him take the pulse of the program and address issues early.
🔹 The Stages of Becoming a Team
From forming to storming to performing, Jordan explains why teams that move quickly through early stages often have an edge.
🔹 Talent Gets You There. Character Keeps You There.
Following a successful first year, Jordan revamped his tryout process to prioritize coachability, work ethic, competitiveness, and body language.
🔹 College Coaches Are Asking a New Question
Beyond talent, Jordan reveals the lingering question college coaches now ask: “How are the parents?”—and why that matters more than ever.
🔹 When Culture Is on the Line
Jordan is clear: no amount of talent is worth culture degradation, and he shares why putting expectations and values in writing is essential.
🔹 The Bigger Picture
Jordan also weighs in on the public vs. private state championship debate and the importance of supportive athletic directors who align with a program’s vision.
...more
1h 11min
December 10, 2025 It's a Business, Man
🎙 In this episode: I sit down with Cameron Korab, founder of the Youth Sports Business Report, to unpack why the word business makes so many people feel uncomfortable when placed next to youth sports and why ignoring that reality might be hurting families more than helping them. With the industry valued at $54 billion and projected to skyrocket to $300 billion by 2035, Korab breaks down what’s driving the growth, who’s entering the space, and how the right brands could actually lower the cost for families.
🔹 The Business Nobody Wants to Talk About
People get uncomfortable admitting youth sports is an industry, but the numbers don’t lie: it’s already a $54B market and rapidly expanding.
🔹 A Mission to Inform
Korab created the Youth Sports Business Report to be the most trusted source for news, insights, and analysis across the entire youth sports landscape.
🔹 Everyone Is Connected to Youth Sports
Like “the 7 degrees of Kevin Bacon,” almost everyone either played youth sports or knows someone who did…making it a universal topic.
🔹 The Narrative Has Turned Negative
Korab believes the national conversation often focuses on what’s wrong, overshadowing how positive youth sports can be when done right.
🔹 Private Equity’s Long Game
PE firms entered youth sports 15–20 years ago, eyeing consolidation and opportunity. Korab sees a chance for new players to improve the space rather than exploit it.
🔹 Recreational vs. Travel: A Shift in Balance
Rec sports should make up the biggest slice, but the explosion of travel teams (A through M squads) has crowded out traditional rec options.
🔹 Brands Could Become Heroes
With the right intentions, big brands could step in to relieve financial pressure instead of adding to it.
🔹 The Wild Potential of the Audience
The youth sports audience is as large—or larger—than that of all professional sports combined, with over 55 billion cumulative annual touchpoints.
🔹 Good Actors vs. Cash Grabs
Korab argues that “good actor brands” could reshape affordability, while I raise concerns about pop-ups chasing quick money off parents’ FOMO.
🔹 Families Want Simplicity
Parents are overwhelmed by too many apps, platforms, and teams. A major consolidation feels overdue.
🔹 Hoping for a Better Future
If the right companies step into the space, youth sports could become more accessible, less predatory, and more balanced for families.
🔹 A Final Hot Take
We wrap with a spicy truth bomb about how to actually know whether your employer values you.
...more
48min
December 03, 2025Yelling At Clouds
Episode 75: Jordan Parker (Closest thing we have to a co-host)
🎙In this week’s episode, Jordan Parker and I yell at clouds for an hour and 45 minutes. Just kidding, sort of. A few clouds were yelled at, but we also had an interesting dialogue about 4 big things:
The recent study about Harvard giving more As than ever and how that translates to youth sports.
The insane prices of sporting events these days (hello, World Cup!)
The parental insanity around post-season awards
What we miss about the 90s… A better time.
...more
1h 53min
November 19, 2025 Sister Act
Episode 74: Jess & Jen Langer (Sisters, former tennis players)
🎙 In this episode: I sit down with sisters Jess and Jen Langer, who grew up side by side in the intense world of competitive youth tennis. One sister rose through the national ranks while the other burned out before high school, and together they unpack how personality, pressure, and identity shaped two completely different athletic journeys.
🔹 Sisterhood and Sports
Jess and Jen started tennis at a very young age, both showing early promise and climbing quickly through local, regional, and national tournaments.
🔹 When Talent Meets Pressure
Though their parents kept things balanced, coaches pushed hard, especially for Jen, who was encouraged to pursue sponsorships and a professional track at just 15.
🔹 The Cost of Early Specialization
Jen shares what it was like to leave behind a “normal” high school experience to train at a tennis academy, only to burn out within 18 months.
🔹 Playing for Joy vs. Playing for Results
While Jen chased rankings, Jess played because she loved being with friends and was just as excited to sing the national anthem as she was to compete.
🔹 Nature, Nurture, and Birth Order
The sisters reflect on how their contrasting personalities (and classic big sister/little sister dynamics) shaped their very different relationships with the sport.
🔹 “You Can’t Outplay Who You Are”
Jen talks about being a textbook type-A competitor, while Jess embraced a more balanced, social approach to tennis.
🔹 The Hidden Toll of Youth Sports
Despite her success, Jen reveals that she later needed therapy to process the pressure and emotional weight of her early athletic years.
🔹 Homeschooling for Sports: Proceed with Caution
The sisters offer honest advice for parents considering homeschooling to accommodate training: it’s a massive decision, and kids may not fully understand the long-term trade-offs.
🔹 Mutual Admiration (and a Little Envy)
Jess admires Jen’s drive and intensity; Jen admires Jess’s ability to stay balanced and see beyond competition.
🔹 From Tennis Courts to…Anything But Tennis
Ironically, neither sister plays tennis anymore—though Jen keeps getting nudged toward pro pickleball.
🔹 Absolutely Zero Hot Take Skills
Despite years of elite competition, both admit they are hilariously terrible at knowing what qualifies as a “hot take.”
...more
1h 1min
November 12, 2025 The Man in the Mirror
Episode 73: Dan Blewett (Coach, Speaker, Former professional baseball player, author)

🎙 In this episode: I sit down with Dan Blewett, former professional baseball player, current author, coach and speaker, for a reflective conversation about masculinity, sports culture, and what it truly means to be “tough.” Dan unpacks how our culture shapes boys and how sports can still be a healthy place to figure it all out.
🔹 The Pressure to Perform
We kick off with the intense pressure young boys feel not just to play sports, but to be good at them.
🔹 Baseball in Japan vs. America
Dan recalls watching kids in Japan play baseball purely for fun and realizing how rare that is in the U.S.
🔹 The “Play Catch” Experiment
A laugh-out-loud story of Dan using dating apps in D.C. just to find someone to toss a baseball with.
🔹 The “Toxic Masculinity” Debate
We break down why the term can feel one-sided, and how both genders are capable of toxic behavior.
🔹 Growing Up Male
How young boys wrestle with mixed messages about being competitive, emotional, or “too aggressive.”
🔹 Balancing Toughness and Authenticity
Dan shares his personal struggle with wanting to be the “tough guy” while staying true to himself.
🔹 Sports as a Safe Space
How athletics provide a controlled arena to learn teamwork, conflict, and coexistence.
🔹 Coaching Boys vs. Coaching Girls
We debate whether coaches should approach boys and girls differently—and why girls might be more coachable.
🔹 Modeling Steadiness
Dan believes the best thing a coach can model isn’t intensity…it’s consistency and calm.
🔹 Redefining Toughness
Toughness isn’t just muscle. It’s resilience, grit, and compassion. Sometimes it looks like a single mom or a sick dad still showing up.
🔹 Sports as the Village
How being part of a team creates belonging, accountability, and purpose beyond the self.
...more
1h 2min
November 05, 2025 Thin Line
Episode 72: Greta Jarvis (Founder of Center for Active Women)
🎙 In this episode: I sit down with the founder of the Center for Active Women for a powerful and eye-opening conversation about the complicated relationship between female athletes, food, body image, and sport. From disordered eating to the taboo topic of missed periods, we dig into what’s really going on beneath the surface of today’s youth sports culture and how we can do better for the next generation of athletes.
🔹 Discipline vs. Disorder
Where the line blurs for driven athletes who want to perfect their bodies for performance, but risk crossing into harmful patterns.
🔹 Eating Disorders vs. Disordered Eating
Why there’s a big difference between the two… and how almost everyone can relate to at least one part of the struggle.
🔹 The Athlete Mindset
Focus, dedication, and perfectionism fuel success — but those same traits can increase the risk of unhealthy habits.
🔹 The Culture of Silence
Coaches may avoid saying the wrong thing, but are they saying anything to educate and help?
🔹 Shame & Isolation
Despite how common disordered eating is, many athletes suffer quietly, believing they’re the only one.
🔹 When “Healthy” Isn’t Healthy
Our guest’s personal story: diagnosed with osteoporosis at 24 after being told it was normal to miss her period for eight years.
🔹 The Normalization Problem
Why missing periods in young female athletes has become almost expected and why that’s a dangerous misconception.
🔹 Under-Eating & Over-Training
How many athletes are unintentionally starving their bodies of what they need
🔹 Breaking the Taboo
How to make conversations about periods, nutrition, and health less awkward (and more essential).
🔹 Representation Matters
Why more female coaches, trainers, and leaders in sports can make a huge difference in these conversations.
🔹 Real Talk from the Sidelines
Coaches are seeing it firsthand... athletes fainting, lightheaded, or weak... and it almost always comes back to food.
🔹 A Word of Caution
Think twice before complimenting someone’s weight loss. What sounds positive might reinforce something dangerous.
...more
1h 1min
October 29, 2025 The Athlete's Advantage
Episode 71: Andi Johnson (Georgetown College Hall of Famer and Chief Policy Officer & Director of Regional Engagement for Commerce Lexington)
🎙 In this episode: I sit down with Andi Johnson, Georgetown College Hall of Famer and Chief Policy Officer & Director of Regional Engagement for Commerce Lexington. From dominating the court to dominating the boardroom, Andi embodies the long-term power of sports. We unpack how athletics shaped her leadership, confidence, and career…and why the habits athletes build early often become their greatest professional advantage.
🔹 From Playground to Policy Room
Andi can’t remember a time when sports weren’t part of her life. She had a childhood built on competition, teamwork, and communication.
🔹 Organized Chaos
We discuss the shift from kids joining sports organically to today’s ultra-organized youth systems.
🔹 Beyond the Scholarship Dream
Andi shares hard truths: if your only goal is a scholarship, there are easier ways to pay for college…and far greater reasons to play.
🔹 Athletes in the Boardroom
Roughly 94% of women in C-suite roles were former athletes. Andi explains why that stat doesn’t surprise her one bit.
🔹 The Small-College Advantage
A Georgetown president once told employers to hire small-college athletes — for their resilience, time management, and people skills.
🔹 Translating Sports to Life
Andi still flashes back to moments from her playing days when navigating workplace challenges. The lessons never fade.
🔹 Confidence in Every Room
Whether she’s the youngest, only woman, or least experienced voice at the table, sports taught Andi to stand tall and speak up.
🔹 The Post-Athlete Void
We dig into the emotional struggle of leaving sports behind: the loss of identity, the transition, and how society can do better.
🔹 Unlearning the Athlete Mindset
What athletes must let go of after their playing days and how to repurpose that drive for long-term success.
🔹 The Real Wins
When former athletes look back, it’s never about stats or awards. It’s the memories, friendships, and shared moments that last.
🔹 Hot Take: Digital Hoarders Unite
Our “hot take” spirals into self-reflection… and maybe the birth of a new generational label. Are we digital hoarders now?
...more
1h 30min

FAQs about Youth $ports:

How many episodes does Youth $ports have?

The podcast currently has 81 episodes available.

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