Youth Sports Used to be For Kids: Now It's a $40 Billion Industry | The Deep episode artwork

EPISODE · Feb 12, 2026 · 18 MIN

Youth Sports Used to be For Kids: Now It's a $40 Billion Industry | The Deep

from The LOOPcast

Youth sports used to mean sandlots, Saturday mornings, and cheering on your kid brother. Now it’s Big Business, travel teams, injuries, and 70% of kids quitting by 13. In this episode of The Deep, Erika takes on elite youth sports culture – and makes the case for bringing back sports with a soul.Timestamps:0:00 - Intro: Youth sports isn’t what it used to be2:07 - Cost, expectations, and injuries4:34 - Cognitive dissonance, kids abandoning sports7:04 - Toxic effects on communities8:15 - Objections: “Quit whining”10:09 - The good of sports for society13:58 - An important story 16:15 - Conclusion: How do we fix youth sports?Watch The Deep on Zeale: https://zeale.co/podcasts/the-deepSubscribe to the LOOPcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theLOOPcast

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Youth Sports Used to be For Kids: Now It's a $40 Billion Industry | The Deep

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This episode was published on February 12, 2026.

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Youth sports used to mean sandlots, Saturday mornings, and cheering on your kid brother. Now it’s Big Business, travel teams, injuries, and 70% of kids quitting by 13. In this episode of The Deep, Erika takes on elite youth sports culture – and...

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