Buying Sandlot: The Business of Youth Sports

Kyle Pagan talks to Co-Founder and CEO of Game1.ai Amir Donath. In the episode, Amir explains how Game1 differentiates between early and late bloomers, why AI should complement and not replace coaches and scouts, the role of biological age in TalentID, and why development, not just winning, should be the north star of every youth sports organization.

0:00 - How Game1.ai Identifies Soccer Talent

11:09 - Building Trust With Customers

19:50 - The Messaging Around Sports Specialization

24:07 - US Soccer's Own Scouting Tech

26:01 - Expanding Beyond Soccer

Kyle Pagan and Kyle Scott discuss a jam packed week of news from the uncertainty around Norway’s youth sports model, D1 Training launches a new verified testing platform, USA Baseball changes the bat specs for high school, and more.

0:00 - USA Baseball's Changes Bat Specs

12:06 - The Norway Model Faces Uncertainty

28:06 - D1 Training's New Testing Platform

34:38 - Update: Stay To Play Lawsuit

38:22 - A Media Defense Of Private Equity In Soccer

44:44 - Postgame Show

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Kyle Pagan and James Kratch talk to Co-Founder and CEO of Real America Freestyle Wrestling Chad Bronstein. RAF is a rapidly growing wrestling league that announced the launch of Next Gen, a national youth wrestling series that will stream on Fox Nation. Chad breaks down why he believes wrestling is on the verge of becoming America's next breakout sport, the Next Gen tournament, RAF's plans to acquire 30-40 wrestling clubs, emerging markets like Texas & Florida, and creating a "Disney World” atmosphere at events for wrestling families.

0:00 - Next Gen Tournament & Club Wrestling Network

8:54...

Kyle Scott and Kyle Pagan interview Jeremy Goldberg, President & Co-Founder of LeagueApps, and Kate Quattlebaum, VP of Safety at NCSI, as LeagueApps announces they’ve acquired the background screening and compliance app. We discuss why LeagueApps made safety its next major investment, how they’ll integrate NCSI into the company, the conversation around athlete safety evolving, and their plans to simplify background checks and compliance for youth sports operators.

0:00 - LeagueApps Acquires NCSI

7:25 - NCSI's Role in Compliance

14:12 - Easier, Faster, & Securer Processes

17:33 - The Challenge of State Regulations

Kyle Pagan speaks with Paul Anton, CEO and Co-Founder of huupe, a company behind the world’s first smart basketball hoop. huupe uses an integrated screen, computer vision, and AI-powered training that transforms a driveway or gym into an interactive player development experience. We dive into the origins, their core products, why consumer expectations around sports training are changing, and the future of connected sports equipment.

0:00 - The Smart Basketball Huupe

2:36 - Tracking Stats, Highlights, & Shots

6:33 - Target Market & Proprietary Tech

14:27 - The Different Levels of Data Tracking

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Kyle Scott and Kyle Pagan talk to the founder of 108 Performance, Eugene Bleecker, about 108's journey from a small training facility to MLB player clients, how the next generation of athlete development will combine software, education, products, and AI into a single ecosystem and we dive into his ambitious professional women's softball project in Knoxville, Tennessee.

0:00 - 108 Performance's Journey

4:23 - The Knoxville Miracle Opportunity

8:41 - A Unified Platform of Player Development and Media

15:01 - The Future, Raises, & Innovation

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Kyle Pagan and James Kratch speak with President of U.S. Sports Camps, Justin Hoeveler, about their new partnership with UCLA Softball, the continued rise of girls sports, what the World Cup could mean for soccer participation, and whether flag football can avoid some of the pitfalls that other youth sports have experienced as they've scaled.

0:00 - U.S. Sports Camps Partners with UCLA Softball

8:48 - NIL Opportunities & AI in a Service Heavy Business

13:29 - Importance of In-Person Experiences

16:04 - Can Flag Football Avoid Pitfalls?

20:46 - World...

Kyle Scott, Kyle Pagan, and James Kratch discuss their takeaways from the "Field of Fees: Private Equity’s Role in the Commercialization of American Youth Sports" hearing on Capitol Hill. Is the Let Kids Play Act in jeopardy? How are conversations being led by misleading numbers? What should private equity be liable for? We're even seeing one PE firm go on the offensive. Kyle Scott also submitted a statement after originally being asked to be a witness.

We want to thank BlackMagic Design Cameras for sponsoring the show! Whether you're a sports facility, club, school or...

Kyle Pagan is joined by two leaders helping shape the future of club baseball. Jack Cressend, founder of Knights Knation Baseball and Tyler Naquin, Director of Baseball Operations. Knights has built one of the most successful club baseball organizations for nearly two decades. They’ve produced more than 1,000 college players, over 100 MLB Draft picks, and have a growing network of programs across the South. During the episode they announce a new partnership with Curve Sports, discuss what the future of club baseball looks like, how data is changing recruiting, and why relationships still matter.

0:00 - Kn...

Kyle Scott and Kyle Pagan talk about Unrivaled Sports' latest baseball move for Ripken Nationals while we wonder if they will build a LLWS competitor, FlexWork and ProCamps merge, which could create an opportunity for pro teams to leverage new revenue streams. Also a streaming message comes out of Cannes.

0:00 - Will Unrivaled Build A LLWS Competitor?

14:46 - Youth Sports Camp Operators Merge

19:49 - Pro Teams Leverage Youth For Different Rev Streams

37:19 - Youth Sports Messaging Still Needs Work

43:51 - A Message For Streamers Comes Out Of...

In this episode we discuss trends we saw from a World Cup experience, recap the insights gathered from our interview with Nina Johnson and Rep. Chris Deluzio, Perfect Game announces their next media rights move, and another facility sells their naming rights.

0:00 - Trends from World Cup Experience

6:29 - Insights from Bananas Interview

16:06 - Insights from Rep. Deluzio Interview

22:42 - Perfect Game's Next Media Rights Move

26:38 - How Will Data Rights Play Out?

34:58 - Another Facility Naming Rights Deal

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Rep. Chris Deluzio joins the show to discuss what inspired the framework of The Let Kids Play Act, the biggest debates surrounding the bill, and why the legislation targets "vulture practices" that he argues are driving up costs and limiting access.

0:00 - Reactions & Progress of the Let Kids Play Act

5:47 - Addressing the Vulture Practices

13:00 - Fors & Against of Stay To Play

18:33 - Redirecting Funds to Community Programs

21:54 - Sponsorship as a Solution

24:03 - Balancing Control & Investment

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Banana Ball Chief of Staff, Nina Johnson, dives into how the Savannah Bananas are approaching youth camps and tournaments, what a future Banana Ball youth league could look like, the challenges facing community-based programs, and how parents a lot of times shape sports decision-making.

0:00 - Bananas Vision for Youth Programming

10:26 - Maintaining Control Over the Experience

20:27 - Scaling Banana Ball Through Acquisition

25:54 - Balancing Accessibility & Affordability

30:47 - Rec Leagues vs. Organized Experience

42:13 - Parents & Community Role In Sports

47:13 - "Sandlot" Style Intiatives

We're joined today by RCX Sports' CEO, Izell Reese, and Brand Velocity Group Founding Partner, Austin Ramos. We discuss BVG’s recent acquisition of RCX, why they believe youth sports remains a compelling investment opportunity, how RCX grew NFL FLAG into the largest youth flag football league in the world, why affordability and accessibility remain at the center of their mission, general thoughts on private equity’s role in youth sports and if The Let Kids Play Act had any effect on the sale, and global expansion plus what comes next.

0:00 - Inside The BVG/RCX...

Today we're talking about a bill in Massachusetts that wants to establish a state governing body for youth sports, the MLB draft proposal could have some drastic effects on youth baseball, news releases in the age of The Let Kids Play Act, and a youth Whiffle Ball League is a point for organized pick up.

0:00 - Buying Sandlot Premium Update

5:51 - Youth Sports Regulation in New England

11:28 - Benefits & Challenges of Regulation

35:07 - MLB Draft Plan Could Bring Major Change

49:10 - The Case for Sponsorship in an...

On today's episode Quinten Griffiths, CEO of Sportball, one of the largest rec sports providers in North America talks about why Sportball believes the future of youth sports starts before kindergarten, how the company is helping parents navigate specialization in sports, why Quinten sees a massive opportunity for non-competitive youth sports in America, and he gives his thoughts on the Let Kids Play Act targeting private equity’s growing interest in the industry.

0:00 - Sportball Is Betting Big on Texas

6:35 - Unique Coach, Business, & Culture Model

24:42 - Government & PE's Role in Yo...

On today’s episode we check back in on the Youth Sports predictions we made in January, now that we’re at the halfway point. How many did we get right and how many have we been flat out wrong about so far? We look into the state of international expansion, government legislation, flag football infrastructure, and the SportsEngine sale. Later in the episode, we'll have more predictions for rest of 2026 centered around The Savannah Bananas, interoperability, sports academies, and plenty more.

0:00 - Youth Sports Expands Internationally

7:52 - An Elite High School Football Plat...

A former hacker and DARPA program manager Jason Syversen launched SportsVisio after an 8-figure exit from his cybersecurity company. SportsVisio brings computer vision and AI to youth sports and helps teams, clubs, schools, and facilities automatically capture games, generate highlights and box scores, and track stats typically only available to the highest levels. We talk about the product, democratizing sports analytics, why AI-generated highlights are becoming a must-have rather than a nice-to-have, trends in youth sports & facilities (he also owns a 30,000 sq. ft. sports complex), the role youth sports plays in national security, and future funding plans.

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Huck Sorock, Co-Founder and CEO of Refr Sports, is one of the fastest-growing companies in the officiating technology space. A former hockey player and referee, Huck experienced firsthand the challenges officials face—from inefficient scheduling and long payment delays to the broader referee shortage impacting youth sports across the country. We talked about how technology is changing officiating, the referee shortage, why assigners hold so much influence, and why Huck believes officials represent one of the biggest infrastructure opportunities in the entire sports industry.

0:00 - Identifying Tech Inefficiencies in Reffing

8:04 - Market Data: Ag...

Jake Hirabayashi, founder and CEO of The Futures App, talks about his all-in-one youth sports technology platform focused on: team management, training delivery, and athlete development. During this interview we dive deeper into the player development modules, expanding to new sports, his thoughts on interoperability, and a new partnership with CURVE sports.

0:00 - Training Modules & Player Development

7:14 - Expansion Into Different Sports

8:35 - Interoperability & Payment Solutions

12:27 - Partnership With Curve Sports

14:51 - Funding Journey & Future Raises

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New Chief Growth Officer at TPH Academy, Steve Sanders, talks about the innovative day school model, growth opportunities in a variety of club sports, education trends, new revenue streams, and the emerging legislation.

0:00 - Premium Community Update!

3:42 - Why Steve Left For Tph & His New Role

6:03 - TPH Academy's Sports, Club, And Day School Model

10:46 - Sports Academy Opportunity & Demand

17:54 - EdTech, NIL Literacy, & NCAA Compliance

26:13 - Partnerships, Growth, & Flag Pathways

32:58 - Market Size, Consolidation, & New Revenue Streams

41:06 - Tourney Shifts...

US Soccer execs spoke about a proprietary AI tool the federation built that will scout 50-70 million American-eligible soccer players. We also talk about the recent amendments the NCAA made to their eligibility rules, World Cup teams are forgoing state of the art training centers for high school sports academies, and there is a business opportunity as high school athletes capitalizing on NIL ball out on prom.

0:00 - Us Soccer Using Ai to Scout 70 Million Players

17:16 - Sports Academies Host World Cup Elite

20:21 - NCAA Amends Age Rule

22:56...

The new President of i9 Sports, Ron Shimek, talks about I9’s plans to scale with intention, their expansion into new mrkets, sports, and schools, and the goals they have around girls flag football plus more.

0:00 - Ron Shimek's New Role at i9 Sports

7:04 - Scaling i9 Sports with Intention

9:59 - Expanding to New Markets & Schools

17:39 - Customer Habits & Expanding Sports

21:23 - i9's Girls Flag Football Goals

24:04 - Rec vs. Club, LKP Act, & "Good PE"

27:41 - One Year Outlook: Media, Tech, Sponsorship

Eli Manning's private equity firm, Brand Velocity Group, makes a significant investment in youth sports acquiring RCX Sports. Another background check debacle happens as the New Orleans Recreation Department fails to conduct proper volunteer compliance. Raising Cane's and LCMC Health spend $2.6 million on stadium naming rights.

0:00 - The Premium Community is Live!

4:47 - Eli Manning's PE Firm Buys RCX Sports

16:17 - Another Background Check Debacle

23:53 - Raising Cane's Inks Naming Rights Deal

30:37 - Sponsorship Opportunities in Youth Sports

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XbotGo's CEO, David Tan, announces Julian Alvarez as global ambassador before the World Cup. We talk about the "Dare to Dream" campaign, the future of AI sports cameras, their product innovations coming shortly, enhancing player development and what Apple's innovative MLS broadcast signals.

0:00 - Xbotgo Announces Global Ambassador

4:32 - What Is The Future Of Sports Cameras?

6:47 - Making The Cameras More Accessible

10:51 - Plans To Release Multiple Cameras Next Year

16:32 - Camera & Fandom Innovation

20:06 - Highlights Vs. Player Development

24:40 - Apple's Innovative Soccer...

A viral baseball incident reveals a gap in USSSA's background check and compliance process. We talk about how safety is still fragmented, CURVE Sports & The Futures App partner, and SPIRE Academy CEO, Steve Sanders, leaves for TPH Academy.

0:00 - Premium Community Update!

4:47 - Viral Baseball Incident Gets Even Worse

9:54 - Background Checks, Compliance, & Innovation

18:30 - CURVE Sports & The Futures App Partner

30:45 - The Future of Interoperability & Tech

46:31 - Leadership Changes at Sports Academies

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An email on social media claims US Soccer plans to absorb US Youth Soccer and the CEO of Coachbetter, Patrick Patzig, comes on to talk about an investment from the German Football Federation, Germany's digital grassroots revolution, and interoperability in Europe.

0:00 - Unveiling the Premium Community

4:00 - The Pope, AI, and Youth Sports?

8:39 - A Youth Soccer Bombshell?

23:43 - German Football Federation Invests in Coachbetter

27:02 - More Coaching Platform or Operating System?

28:37 - Germany's Digital Grassroots Revolution

30:58 - Interoperability & Data Management

35:30...

The NFHS pens an op-ed arguing participation in school sports is the antidote for the rising cost of youth sports, mental performance is becoming table stakes in the industry, and Unrivaled Sports makes a softball move. We then have on scoutSMART CEO, Diane Bloodworth, to talk about leveraging AI to assist girls flag football recruiting.

0:00 - Unveiling the Premium Community!

6:18 - Nfhs Enters the Affordability Chat

13:21 - School vs. Club Sports

22:32 - Mental Performance Becoming Norm

29:13 - Unrivaled Sports Makes Softball Move

34:58 - Youth Sports Spending Under...

Regulatory scrutiny on youth sports continues with the Let Kids Play Act and a new lawsuit filed against Stay-to-Play policies. We look at the pros and cons of the arguments. GameChanger is targeting grandparents in their new campaign with Donna Kelce, Capacity Sports Group sheds light on their growth strategy, and schools provide a sponsorship template for youth sports.

0:00 - Italy Recap & a Major PGA Experience

9:43 - Regulatory Pressure on Youth Sports Ramps Up

20:17 - The Pros & Cons of Banning Stay-To-Play

27:49 - PE’s Role, Media Narratives, & Reality

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Travis Vaughn of Upward Sports comes on the show to talk about how the organization assists churches and communities through sport. We dive into Upward's innovative business model, the custom sports programs, and promoting faith through rec experiences for over 225,000 athletes and 1,500 churches annually.

0:00 - Upward Sports Strategy to Help Churches

8:33 - Operational & Community Approach

10:48 - The Rules Around AI for Biblical Content

16:08 - Growth & Market Insights

17:40 - Connecting Churches & Families

20:22 - League Innovation, Business Model, & Franchising

30:49 - Curriculum Development & Inclusivity

36:02...

Kyle Pagan talks with ShotTracker CEO, Dayveon Ross, about their first of it's kind partnership with MADE Hoops. They talk about ShotTracker's strategy shifting to youth sports, the innovative suite of AI-driven video data products, advanced tracking, real-time data broadcasts, and future collaborations.

0:00 - Inside ShotTracker's Partnership with MADE Hoops

3:32 - ShotTracker's Strategic Approach to Youth Sports

8:23 - Do Youth Athletes Want Data & Video?

9:40 - ShotTracker's Tech: SaaS & Wearables

12:18 - Broadcast Tech & Real-Time Data

18:30 - Brand Interest in Data Analytics

22:20 - Data Compliance...

Varsity Brands CEO Adam Blumenfeld comes on the show to talk about the market opportunities with Club Direct, the acquisitions of Soccer.com and Lax.com, Pro Cheer and Stunt's future, and increasing youth participation through apparel and sponsorship.

0:00 - Market Opportunities with Club Direct

3:44 - Speed, Access, Quality, & Sublimation

10:16 - How Varsity Brands Increases Youth Sports Participation

13:50 - Acquiring Soccer.com & Lax.com

15:17 - How the Impact Program Enhances School Sports

17:07 - Pro Cheer & Stunt's Moment

20:10 - Sponsorship Opportunities in Youth Sports<...

Kyle and Kyle dig into the latest participation data released by the Aspen Institute. The report indicates an increase to 58% in 2024. We also talk about the USA Today investigation of Black Bear Sports Group and its effect on the youth sports ecosystem.

0:00 - A Premium Community Update

4:54 - Digging Into Youth Sports Participation Numbers

34:07 - USA Today Takes On Black Bear Sports Group

43:11 - The Messaging Challenge for Private Equity

49:56 - The Show Schedule for the Next 2 Weeks

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Steve Weyler, lobbyist and sports advisory at Invariant, comes on the show to talk about The Let Kids Play Act and its implications for youth sports policy. We dive into the evolving landscape of youth sports policy in Washington, which is currently targeting private equity involvement, affordability, and safety standards.

0:00 - Legislation in Youth Sports: The Let Kids Play Act

8:42 - PE Backed Operators Are on The Hill's Radar

14:44 - How Perception & Narrative Are Shaping Policy

18:32 - How Safety & Compliance Capitalize

24:49 - Push Back, Midterms, and Sports...

We react to the PlayMetrics and SportsEngine deal and reveal new details as this shifts the youth sports industry. We then discuss the "Let Kids Play Act", as Congressional Democrats looks to ban private equity in youth sports, prohibit “stay to play”, and redirect financial resources back into community sports. Finally, CEO of HeadCHECK Health comes on to share insights from a report indicating troubling gaps in concussion protocol compliance across youth hockey organizations.

0:00 - Reacting to the PlayMetrics and SportsEngine Deal

19:02 - The "Let Kids Play Act" Looks to Regulate Youth Sports

President of Hometown Soccer Holdings, Chris Klein, joins the show to talk about the new KKR and MLS joint venture. The joint venture includes stadiums, investment in the youth to pro, and the quest to expand soccer's reach into mid-size markets and fostering a deeper connection between fans and their local clubs. We then talk about the new legislative developments in Pennsylvania, where a recent bill has passed to divide public and private schools in state playoff competitions.

0:00 -A Buying Sandlot Premium Community Teaser

5:49 - MLS & KKR Announce Joint Venture

9:01...

Fastbreak AI's CEO, John Stewart, details the company's latest acquisition: GroupHousing. Now growing towards north of 450,000 room nights Stewart talks about the youth sports tourism opportunity, integrating new companies into the fold, and sheds some light on another product they plan to launch in 2027.

0:00 - Fastbreak AI Acquires GroupHousing

3:00 - How Much Can the Sports Tourism Market Grow?

4:47 - Who They See as Competition

5:26 - The Unique Value Proposition

6:48 - "We Don't Put Value On Anyone Else's Tech"

8:51 - How They Integrate New Acquisitions

Kyle and Kyle discuss Capacity Sports Group's continued spending spree, the cost of Youth Sports continues to find itself in the crosshairs of politicians, an international travel provider goes bankrupt leaving families stranded weeks before a trip, and a D1 college is adding more athletes as some universities cut teams this weekend. Later, Power Baseball details their new partnership with CURVE Sports.

0:00 - The Buying Sandlot Premium Community is Live!

0:45 - Capacity Sports Group Acquires SIX More Flag Leagues

6:32 - D1 Soccer Team Adds More Athletes to Development Program

14:06...

Kyle and Kyle break down the Sports ETA Tourism report that unveils the youth sports market number many have cited is actually conservative. They also discuss what the new Perfect Game hire signals for the company's expansion and legislative news around the country following safety trends.

0:00 - New Premium Offerings at Buying Sandlot

4:26 - New Tourism Report Sheds Light on Market

12:13 - The Future of Youth Sports Market Growth

25:26 - Perfect Game Hire Signals More Expansion

29:04 - Controversy In Delaware

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TeamSnap CEO Peter Fritzilas and XbotGo Founder David Tan join the show to announce their first of it's kind streaming partnership. They also discuss how the two platforms will integrate, the Falcon's features, the importance of premium cameras in youth sports, and how sponsorship could offset camera costs in the future.

0:00 - Full Buying Sandlot Summit Panels & Podcasts Are Now Available

1:00 - TeamSnap and XbotGo Announce Partnership

2:56 - Exploring the XbotGo Falcon’s Features

5:13 - The Importance of Premium Cameras in Youth Sports

9:54 - Integrating TeamSnap One & Xb...