Congress Asked to Break Up $40 Billion Pay-to-Play Youth Sports Industry

A small number of private equity firms control most of the facilities, leagues, tournaments, recruitment events, and competitive youth sports infrastructure that parents invest in because they think the programs will help their children earn an athletic scholarship, federal lawmakers were told this week. This $40 billion a year pay-to-play industry, bigger than the National Football League and college athletics combined, is also responsible for the demise of affordable, community-based recreational sports that help keep kids happy and healthy, Katherine Van Dyck of the American Economic Liberties Project told the House Committee on Education and the Workforce on Dec. 16. She said Black Bear Sports Group, 3STEP Sports, and Varsity Brands engage in predatory business practices where customers are led to believe their child will be among the 2 percent of students in the country who earn athletic scholarships....