Youth Sports

These stories aren’t just about youth ownership of sports. They are about the reclamation of the entire youth narrative.

The 2026 Winter Olympics concluded with Team USA winning more gold medals than it ever has – and tiny Norway winning even more, a record 18 gold and 41 overall medals. What to make of that? Tom Farrey, who leads the Aspen Institute’s Sports & Society Program, explains that if we understand what really drove those results, we gain the opportunity to build sport ecosystems that better serve children and communities.

We can give young athletes a chance to work on more than just their skills on the court.

Project Play’s Playbook to Develop Every Student Through Sports is a framework to help engage the 6 in 10 students who do not play high school sports, while improving the outcomes for those who do. The playbook is the final report in our Reimagining School Sports series. It collects the best ideas to emerge from two years of research and a national search for innovators.

In urban settings, many students arrive in high school behind the curve in knowledge and skills of the sport they play, due in part to a lack of access at younger ages. The funding debate over athletics vs. academics can be intense in cities, and both sides have valid arguments. Ideas in this report can help refresh the high school sports model for urban schools.

In urban settings, many students arrive in high school behind the curve in knowledge and skills of the sport they play, due in part to a lack of access at younger ages. The funding debate over athletics vs. academics can be intense in cities, and both sides have valid arguments. Ideas in this report can help refresh the high school sports model for urban schools.

In urban settings, many students arrive in high school behind the curve in knowledge and skills of the sport they play, due in part to a lack of access at younger ages. The funding debate over athletics vs. academics can be intense in cities, and both sides have valid arguments. Ideas in this report can help refresh the high school sports model for urban schools.

In urban settings, many students arrive in high school behind the curve in knowledge and skills of the sport they play, due in part to a lack of access at younger ages. The funding debate over athletics vs. academics can be intense in cities, and both sides have valid arguments. Ideas in this report can help refresh the high school sports model for urban schools.