I spent two days last week at the Project Play Summit – The Aspen Institute’s signature annual event that brings together leaders across the sport industry who share a common goal: building healthy children through sport.
The event was nothing short of incredible.
Eight-hundred fifty attendees from around the world.
One-hundred(ish) speakers from every corner of the sport ecosystem.
All in one room to share ideas, shape initiatives, challenge assumptions, and rethink policy at multiple levels.
Here are five takeaways from my 48 hours in the room – condensed from 24 pages of notes. (I am who I am)
1. It all comes down to coaching.
Youth sports parents want safe, healthy environments for their kids. That’s it. That’s the foundation.
It’s easy to lose sight of that in a $40B industry with private equity firms and large corporations elbows-up for a piece of the pie. But ultimately, it comes down to the person standing in front of the team.
AI was a major theme throughout the conference – how coaches use it, learn from it, embrace it, and question it. We discussed its impact on everything from practice design to communication to access.
But one thing held true:
AI may be a tool for coaches, but it will never replace the coach-athlete relationship.
When done well, youth sport coaches play a formative role in the lives of young people. A common theme at Project Play was community – relationships, trust, and collaboration. Children do not experience that through computers and screens. They experience it through people.
2. Girls in sports are no longer an afterthought.
ACL injury research.
Flag football growth.
Nutrition and hormone education.
Expanded investments.
Our time has come.
It’s never been cooler to be a girl in sports than in 2026, and we’re just getting started. Yes, we are decades overdue – but I’ll focus on where we’re headed instead of where we should have been.
Organizations are funding women-focused research. Marketing dollars are shifting. Private equity is investing. Expansion teams are launching. We’re seeing progress at every level of women’s sports – and that momentum trickles down to girls.
Visibility matters, and so do resources. Finally, we’re seeing momentum and alignment.
3. Partnership and longevity drive real change.
There were countless examples of this at Project Play.
Professional sports organizations teaming up with community programs. Collaborations with the Boys & Girls Clubs. Partnerships with local recreation centers. Long-term commitments instead of one-time gifts or performative investments. Building alongside well-established sports organizations doing great things for kids in sports.
The key to lasting change isn’t more programming or trying to throw money at a problem. It’s execution of solutions.
When corporate partnerships are collaborative, change happens. Sure, it’s slow. But the growth is there. Intentional partnerships can magnify opportunities.
4. Change is coming.
One of my favorite panels included author and journalist Linda Flanagan in conversation with Katherine Van Dyke, antitrust lawyer and sports policy advocate, and Jay Adya, sports business investor.
The conversation kept circling back to a simple question:
Who is benefitting?
From this organization?
From this policy?
From this structure?
Is this profit-driven? Or does it genuinely support healthy kids in sport?
When there’s $40B at stake, people come running, and not everyone is driven by the same goals.
Accountability conversations are happening on stages and in board meetings. Change is not immediate. But it is underway.
(Oh – and I highly recommend reading Flanagan’s book, Take Back the Game….)
5. Life is a team sport.
If you’ve ever had a job, you understand this well. Nothing great is accomplished alone.
To succeed in life, we need to work with others and collaborate. We must communicate and navigate conflict. It’s not always easy.
Kids who learn these essential skills – how to be good teammates who learn to contribute, adapt and work alongside others – carry those skills far beyond their days playing youth sports.
Sport done right is preparation for life. Play isn’t a break from learning – it is learning.
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One of my favorite conversations at the Project Play Summit was with Brian Scalabrine, NBA Champion with the Boston Celtics. Scalabrine now serves over 350 student-athletes through AAU Basketball in the Boston area. A conference attendee asked Scalabrine for advice about parenting young athletes, and he stopped to think before he answered her question.
“As a parent, don’t ever cheer against your child’s opponent. Always be encouraging.”
Boom.
Imagine if every young athlete grew up with that kind of sports parenting? Cheering for others – whether they’re on your team or not – is an admirable life skill.
Carry on.
