The Business of School Sport: Are Children Paying the Price?

From R9,500 commercialisation conferences to millions of livestream views, school sport is increasingly being drawn into a professionalised, high-pressure economy. Coaches, psychologists and parents say its educational and developmental purpose is being displaced by performance and profit, while legal experts warn that children risk being reduced to unpaid entertainers in a rapidly expanding youth sports industry. Daily Maverick’s Takudzwa Pongweni reports. Reporting by: Takudzwa Pongweni  Edited by: Anda Tolibadi  Filmed by: Malibongwe Tyilo  Produced by: Emilie Gambade  Creative input by: Malibongwe Tyilo  Sub-edited by: Robyn Leary  Read more: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/artic...  Support journalism that protects democracy. Become a Maverick Insider. https://tinyurl.com/SupportDailyMaverick Follow us on X : https://x.com/dailymaverick   Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dailymaverick Check our website: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/dailymaverick/   Check out our TikTok page: https://www.tiktok.com/@dailymavericksa Download Daily Maverick Mobile App: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/daily-maverick-app/     Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.