Fixing Youth Sports, Again: Addressing the Role of Sports Commissions
Lay of the Land
Lest you leave this series discouraged about the future of youth sports, true glimmers of hope do exist. And they just don’t come from recycled ineffective programs or laughable “look at us!” investments from behemoth brands.
The ugly truth is that in all things, those a part of the problem cannot, if ever, fix the problem.
And let’s be really clear about what the problem is: It’s an increasing divergence of access to sport participation substantially favoring elite, private equity-backed travel sports while leaving behind vast swaths of America’s youth; both groups of which, might I remind you, are suffering significant repercussions.
Enter Sports Commissions.
I’ve been fascinated by the role sports commissions play in their communities since I first learned about them during my time with the PGA of America at the 2008 Ryder Cup. From the onset, I saw these organizations as unbridled fountains of opportunity for communities nationwide to drive positive impacts through sports. I was so interested in the potential of sports commissions, I set out to start one for my community, Grand Junction, Colorado, spent more than two years studying them as the central research focus of my doctoral program, and since, pour everything I have into the potential of these organizations in the sport and tourism industry.
What I’ve learned along the way is that often, sports commissions miss the forest for the trees. We miss the “so what?” that is the heart of true community impact and transformation. If you’ve heard me speak before, taken one of my courses, or read any of my writings, this does not come as a surprise.
My entire doctoral dissertation was about desired outcomes of sports commissions – cementing their desire to impact 1) economy and 2) community, with, more often than not, bloviated emphasis on the former and little to no focus on meaningful measurement of the latter.
And honestly, it’s not always our fault. The industry is often hamstrung by the hand that feeds us, the very funding mechanism that support (most) of us: lodging tax equivocated with hotel room bookings.
This makes sense because at my last count a couple of years ago, more than 85% of “sports commissions” were really departments of a Destination Marketing Organization (DMO). Yes, we can quibble about the level of autonomy *some* of these commissions have, but by and large irrespective of what names they give themselves, the vast majority still report to and are under the authority of a DMO.
It’s a blessing and a curse, a double-edged knife. Insert your own cliché.
The Sports Difference-Maker
Sports, unlike other sectors of tourism, has a hugely public profile, a connectivity to the local populace, and an innate obligation to serve to the community. See our recent 2025 National Benchmark Study of Resident Sentiment Towards Sporting Events conducted with Longwoods International and presented by Miles Partnership for more. The results are staggering.
We are our community’s quarterback for sports. Period. Afterall, we know the community calendar, the venues, the events, the local organizers, the suppliers and vendors, the corporate community, the non-profit community, the programs, the hoteliers, the institutions of higher education, the media outlets, the public officials, the permitting processes, the strengths, the gaps, the opportunities…we know more than we care to admit about the innerworkings of our communities’ ability to successfully deliver sports of all types.
No one else has the depth of knowledge about this ecosystem in our communities. Not elected officials, not other non-profit organizations, and certainly not national organizations.
It’s our wheelhouse…As it should be.
That is why, I believe, sports commissions have not only a role, but the most important role to play in solving the youth sports ongoing catastrophe in our country starting, in our own communities. Because we are the only ones who can.
And the amazing part is that models for success already exist. And while their beauty lies in the custom-approach stemming from each community’s unique characteristics, the foundational elements remain the same.
But it takes time, effort, and most of all, integrity, to understand a market and what makes it tick and craft a path that will truly lead to transformation. Transformation that could – and should – lead consultants out of a job. It flies directly in the face of our “quantity over quality” industry focus on more, more, more!
Beneath the façade of copy and paste 5-year strategic plans written by “experts” are real communities, facing real issues, with a burning need and desire to leverage all the positives of sports to the benefit of those they have the privilege to serve: their residents. All their residents, not just the fancy uniform, sliding glove, and tailored bat bag-toting travel sports ones.
The epicenter of sports commission efforts should be community-driven. It’s the “so what?” of what we do and why we do it. Driving economy and driving community. Return-on-investment (ROI) and return-on-mission (ROM). It’s symbiotic. Need an example? Check out this video.
And the good news is, it ain’t rocket science!
