Don't Retire, Kid

August 9, 2019

ESPN is the International Media Sponsor of Beyond Sport House presented by SAP taking place September 11-13 in New York. Today, Kevin Martinez, Vice President of Corporate Citizenship at ESPN shares on a new campaign addressing the rising number of kids opting out of sports in the US.

There was a big retirement announcement this week on ESPN — but this one was different from those seen on our airwaves in the past. It was a kid.

This week, ESPN, in partnership with the Aspen Institute, launched the “Don’t Retire, Kid” campaign aimed at putting a spotlight on why 62% of kids nationwide didn’t play sports last year, and what parents and coaches can do about it.

The initiative is part of Project Play 2020, a group made up of 20 leaders in the sports industry, including MLB, NBA, NHL, PGA, USTA, grant-makers such as the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, and industry titans such as Nike, Under Armour and DICK's Sporting Goods. We’re aligning our goals and programming to grow our impact and change the trajectory of kids and sports in the United States.

Kids are dropping out for a multitude of reasons and Project Play has identified eight “plays” to address why kids are retiring, on average, at age 11. One of the top reasons is that the pressure from parents and coaches is just too much, and kids aren’t having fun anymore. George Washington University polled kids on what’s fun about sports, and “winning” ranked 48th.

There’s also a great economic divide. Children from household incomes of $100,000 or more are almost twice as likely to play sports than kids from homes under $25,000, according to the Aspen Institute. The cost of entry is too high and unattainable for many. The explosion of travel teams leaves many behind, with no options to play sports if they can’t afford it or they’re not good enough.

For girls, the story is even worse. Girls in urban and rural communities are dropping out at twice the rate of boys, according to the Women’s Sports Foundation. Only 31% of all girls played team sports on a regular basis last year.

At ESPN, we’re committed to not only using our media platforms and reach to drive awareness to the issue, but we’re also investing in programs to ensure the most vulnerable populations can play sports.

Our Corporate Citizenship strategy aims at driving access to sports while building 21st century skills that come with sports participation including teamwork, leadership and program solving. Since we started this programming four years ago, we’ve enabled 1.4 million people that would have otherwise not be able to gain access to sports.

ESPN’s support includes Sports4Life with the Women’s Sports Foundation, which is helping African American and Hispanic girls to not only play sports, but also build confidence and perseverance. We have helped 1.8 million athletes globally participate in Special Olympics Unified Sports since we became the global presenting sponsor six years ago. Together with Under Amour and LISC, we’re building and refurbishing play spaces in economically disadvantaged communities all over the country to help bring opportunities to those that lack access. These are just a few of the programs that drive our work to bring sports to everyone.

We’re proud to team up with so many amazing partners on this critical issue because it’s going to take the entire industry to turn this ship around — I know we can do it if we work together. Leagues, businesses, media companies, parents, coaches and, of course, the grassroots providers that are working hard every day to use the power of sport to make our communities stronger, we all have a responsibility. We owe it to the kids.

Featuring on Day 3 of House is Beyond Sport United, focused on the needs, challenges and best practices of teams, leagues and brands. We’re pleased to have ESPN Corporate Citizenship and the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation take the Main Stage on September 13 to discuss the campaign as part of a conversation on best practice in sport going local. Representatives from the Aspen Institute will also be speaking at United.  

Don’t miss out on your chance be a part of the discussion. Learn more and register today!