Fixing Youth Sports, Again: Towards Accomplishing Meaningful Results
From Lip Service to Community Service
Bringing It All Home
Like the classic 90’s country song “A Little Less Talk (And a Lot More Action)” by the late, great Toby Kieth, here are three ways we can move from lip service outlined earlier in this series to community service driving measurable improvement in the youth sports ecosystem.
1-Elevate the entrepreneurialism of sports commissions nationwide.
There are several great examples of entrepreneurial sports commission out there, but let’s face it, much of our industry has emerged less commonly from the true business pipeline and more commonly from the sales pipeline. This is great for business development (i.e., selling your destination to event owners), but not so great for the diversity of thought and fundamental business savviness required to operate and grow a sustainable business – which may be and is in many cases, a non-profit.
The most successful sports commissions I see – defining “success” as impact on all the areas we’ve discussed in this series – are, frankly, stand alone independent sports commissions with a keen business acumen – Kansas City, SportOregon, Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, and Tampa Bay Sports Commission – just to name a few larger ones that quickly come to mind.
This autonomy allows them the fortitude and flexibility to go out, start and run programs such as WIN for KC, She Flies, Youth Education through Sports, Local Youth Sports Programming, and many others. These are examples of changing the youth sports conversation “IRL” (as the kids say) with tangible programs and measurable results. (Sidenote: You can bet these initiatives enhance their advocacy and fundraising efforts as well!)
They’ve gone out and built repeatable, sustainable businesses. And by doing so, have shed light on proven models for other communities to follow. Elevating entrepreneurialism among sports commissions must be driven from the community level, and it starts with the right leader, right vision, and right business know-how.
2-Eliminate reliance on lodging tax funding.
Do you know what else all the sports commission I mentioned above – and a small slew of others – are doing? They are owning and operating their own events, cultivating key stakeholders in the form of corporate partners and sponsors, media partners, members, securing diverse revenue sources, engaging the local community, working with local operators, supporting or building programming and access for underserved communities, chasing down grants and philanthropic support and playing a vital role in recruiting and executing sporting events across all tiers.
They may, indeed, be receiving some funding from the traditional tourism streams of lodging tax or tourism improvement district (TID) funds, but they are rarely beholden to it. And several do not receive a dime of lodging tax or TID funding. The tourism ship is getting rocked (another series for another day), and these organizations will adapt and proceed serving their communities through sports in meaningful and impactful ways.
Of course, they understand the symbiotic relationship that their work provides the tourism side of the house: By its very nature, it will bring visitors, but that isn’t their sole purpose. As we discussed in Part 3 of this series, their sole purpose is to leverage sports to drive ROI and ROM. Diversification is the name of the game. And they are doing it! This is why we have featured many of them in our Creating Community Through Sport publication. They are best-in-class, and we are committed to sharing their stories so others can learn and apply the principles in their own markets.
3-Measure community impact (ROM) like you mean it. Because you should.
When I wrote my dissertation in 2018, I analyzed every single sports commission’s mission statement and was astonished at the number of commissions who had some form of a desire to create community impact in the very mission statements hung on their office walls. I also became aware of the drastic few who truly defined and measured it. Nothing has changed in this regard because we haven’t forced it to.
Instead, we focus on measuring and communicating those room night goals like it’s our last objective on earth. And I get it – it’s the carrot that’s dangled by our higher-ups in DMO-land.
But winds of change in the industry are not gently blowing, they are ferociously howling, so we better get to actually measuring community impact!
Whether it’s resident sentiment (which I obviously highly recommend because the local populace is and always will be your main stakeholder), participation across populations, volunteerism, corporate and philanthropic engagement, or other metrics, we must define and measure performance. Like the famous management experts the world around know, “what gets measured, gets managed”.
Definitely not coincidentally, the more sports commissions do these three things, the more they will make transformational changes in youth sports in their communities. Their priorities will shift. They will no longer be hindered by room night goals. They will genuinely serve as the quarterbacks of sport in their communities. No longer will they be marred by an industry that tempts focus and resources to the “haves” at the expense of the “have nots”. And they will cultivate broader support with human, political, social, and financial capital.
But most importantly, let us not forget, they will lead grassroots, community-driven, values-based, servant-leadership programs focused on fixing youth sports starting with the most important place on earth: the community they call home.
19th Hole with Stoll: Where We Go From Here
It isn’t about room night-based incentive commission checks, 7-minuted tradeshow appointments. It’s about changing the lives and futures of America’s youth through sports, one community at a time. That is the often ethereally touted and rarely tangibly exhibited power of sports.
If you want to be a salesperson, there is nothing wrong with that, go be a salesperson.
If you want to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others, then be willing to step up to the plate and do something different and expect a different result.
It’s a mindset shift. It’s playing a different game. Thankfully, some have been in the game for years.
I’m not naïve enough to think every person working in the sport and tourism industry can take on what I’m suggesting here. I know much of this will fall on deaf ears and as much as others try, their valiant efforts will be restrained by the realities of their structure and incentives. And that’s okay.
But the more I travel around the country and talk to people, I realize there are many more than meet the eye who believe this fundamental change in the industry is essential. They are tired of seeing the same efforts rebranded and achieving the same yawn-inducing results. Many who know there is so much more our industry could and should be doing to affect change in youth sports. Many who feel the pressure mounting and the personal and moral obligation to put talk into action.
The sport and tourism industry and broadly “sports commissions” are at a crux. To the left is a continuation with the same “way it’s always been done” thinking and feeling excessively proud of our work while ignoring the freight train headed straight towards us (hello, look at what tourism is experiencing right now). To the right is stepping up and stepping out, not settling until we affect measurable impact for kids who my academic friend so eloquently states are getting “pushed out, priced out, or burnt out” of youth sports.
I certainly don’t claim to have all the answers, but I am willing to step out on a limb, shed some light and truth on the realities of the problems plaguing youth sports, and offer up solutions. Right or wrong, it’s vital we get people talking about it all and trying new things. Our industry – and our youth – depend on it.
As John Adams, the second President of the United States stated in a letter to his wife, Abigail on July 7, 1775 during the throws of the American Revolution “Duty is ours; consequences are God’s.”
Will you be a part of the solution?
I know which way the Cimarron team is going. Join us.
Evoke a thought.
