Youth Sports Commercialization and Media's Digital Pivot - Episode Hero Image

Youth Sports Commercialization and Media's Digital Pivot

Sports Media with Richard Deitsch · · Listen to Original Episode →
Original Title:

TL;DR

  • Writing for middle-grade readers requires rigorous self-editing to ensure age-appropriate language and thought processes, as evidenced by multiple rewrites to capture a 12-year-old's voice.
  • The youth sports industry's $40 billion valuation and "arms race" mentality pressure children toward early specialization, risking burnout and obscuring the core benefits of participation.
  • A established author's non-fiction readership does not automatically translate to fiction sales, necessitating a distinct marketing approach that clearly defines the story's genre and themes.
  • The decline of general sports columnists reflects a media landscape shift towards ubiquitous opinion, making specialized beat reporting and digital platforms like podcasts more economically viable.
  • The New York Times' acquisition of The Athletic signifies a strategic pivot towards a digital-first, lifestyle brand model, prioritizing content hubs over traditional departmental structures.
  • The New York Knicks' current fan embrace stems from the likability of their players and style of play, overshadowing past organizational criticisms and uniting the city.

Deep Dive

Harvey Araton's transition to writing for middle-grade readers with his novel "The Goal of the Game" reveals a critical tension in modern youth sports: the increasing commercialization and pressure placed on young athletes versus the enduring benefits of participation. Araton's work directly addresses this by aiming to convey the true value of sports to children, highlighting how the pursuit of scholarships and external validation can overshadow the inherent joy and developmental advantages of playing. This shift in focus underscores a broader concern about the changing landscape of youth athletics, where the focus has moved from intrinsic enjoyment to a high-stakes, pay-to-play industry.

The core of Araton's insight lies in the observation that youth sports have transformed into a $40 billion industry, actively encouraging an "arms race" mentality among families and institutions. This commercialization creates immense pressure on children, particularly in the 8-12 age range, to perform and succeed for the promise of future opportunities like college scholarships. Araton's personal experience raising two sons through various levels of youth soccer provided him with a firsthand understanding of this pressure cooker environment. He emphasizes that the drive to secure future athletic careers can lead to burnout and a loss of the fundamental benefits of sports, such as physical fitness, mental well-being, and teamwork. This leads to the second-order implication that children may feel they have failed their families if they plateau or do not achieve elite status, rather than appreciating the intrinsic value of their participation.

Furthermore, Araton's reflections on the dwindling number of general sports columnists illustrate a significant shift in sports media. He notes that the financial pressures on newspapers have led to the elimination of these roles, with opinion and analysis now disseminated broadly across podcasts and digital platforms. The disbanding of The New York Times' sports department, while painful for veterans like Araton, reflects a strategic business decision to integrate with The Athletic, signaling a move towards a more specialized digital sports media ecosystem. This transition suggests that the traditional path of a broad-based sports journalist is becoming increasingly precarious, with a greater emphasis on niche content and digital-first dissemination.

The overarching takeaway is that both youth sports and sports media are undergoing profound transformations driven by commercial interests and evolving platforms. Araton's novel serves as a counter-narrative to the hyper-competitive, profit-driven youth sports culture, advocating for a return to the core values of participation and personal development. Simultaneously, the media landscape is shifting away from generalist columnists towards more specialized digital content, impacting how sports journalism is produced and consumed.

Action Items

  • Create runbook template: Define 5 required sections (setup, common failures, rollback, monitoring) to prevent knowledge silos.
  • Audit authentication flow: Check for three vulnerability classes (SQL injection, XSS, CSRF) across 10 endpoints.
  • Implement mutation testing: Target 3 core modules to identify untested edge cases beyond coverage metrics.
  • Profile build pipeline: Identify 5 slowest steps and establish a 10-minute CI target to maintain fast feedback.

Related Episodes

Key Quotes

"there was a time when i was writing my column and features for the times where i started to explore the issue of youth sports and it was right around 2002 uh it was the year after that um that infamous danny almonte scandal with the bronx little league team sent a 15 year old kid to williamsport to blow away 12 year old kids and they wound up forfeiting all their games and a year later it struck me that you know when i was a kid growing up the little league world series always had the last game the championship game televised by abc's wide world of sports and that was kind of a novelty thing you know everybody got a kick out of it but suddenly by the turn of the century espn was televising every game in a little league world series and so i just posed the question in a column of whether we were were we celebrating children or actually exploiting them for commercial gain"

Harvey Araton explains that his interest in youth sports began around 2002, prompted by the Danny Almonte scandal and the increasing televising of youth sporting events. Araton questioned whether these events were celebrating children or exploiting them for commercial purposes. This led him to explore the issue further in his columns.

"and i thought it might be beneficial to write a novel a story to try to convey to children particularly of that age when they're the most vulnerable of being you know pressured too much and of ultimately burned out by the time they get to adolescence to try to convey what the real benefits of youth sports are and should always be particularly in that age group"

Araton states his intention to write a novel for middle-grade readers to directly address children about the benefits of youth sports. He aims to counter the intense pressure and potential burnout that young athletes experience in the current "pay-to-play" culture. Araton believes it's important to convey the true value of sports for children aged 8-12.

"i would say out of the 10 books i've written this was the hardest because you constantly find yourself self editing you know you look you go back to the previous graph paragraph that you wrote and you say oh my god you know a 12 year old wouldn't say that the phraseology or just a specific word or the thought that would be you know beyond their years in most cases so there was a heck of a lot of rewriting"

Araton reflects on the difficulty of writing for a middle-grade audience, describing it as the hardest of his ten books. He explains that he had to constantly self-edit, questioning whether a 12-year-old would use certain phrases, words, or express particular thoughts. This process required significant rewriting to capture an authentic child's voice.

"i really just had this story percolating in my mind or in my brain for quite a while i'd say two or three years before i even acted on it and then after i finished it i still let it sit i was involved in another project and so you know i'm almost like a a novice at not necessarily writing but at this kind of genre and i'm as curious as anyone to see where it leads how people respond to it"

Araton shares that the story for his novel had been developing in his mind for two to three years before he began writing it. He admits to being a novice in the children's literature genre, even after finishing the manuscript. Araton expresses curiosity about how the book will be received by readers.

"it doesn't necessarily translate you know to that particular world and that we would have to i would have to you know make make clear what the story is about you know it's a coming of age story of self discovery and all the things that i mentioned earlier why kids of that age should be playing sports at a time when there's so much noise and pressure from the community and from all of these emerging big businesses telling families that you know if you don't if you don't get your child on board at the age of seven you know that once that ship sails you know they'll never catch up and that's just essentially a sales pitch"

Araton explains that his established readership from adult sports non-fiction does not automatically translate to fiction readers. He emphasizes the need to clearly communicate that his novel is a coming-of-age story about self-discovery. Araton aims to counter the pressure from businesses and communities that push young children into sports at an early age with the promise of future success.

"the problem lies with what will parents and communities and coaches do to get their kids to that spotlight on espn or whichever network is televising the stuff and i think that's been that's been the problem and that's the growing problem that's exacerbated by the pressure now being put on these pay to play companies is that you know there's a sense of you got to start younger and younger and you got to pay more and more for the quote unquote expert coaching and clinics and everything"

Araton highlights that the core issue with youth sports, particularly concerning televised events like the Little League World Series, is not the children's participation on television itself. Instead, he identifies the problem as the actions of parents, communities, and coaches driven by the desire to get children into the spotlight. Araton notes this problem is amplified by the "pay-to-play" model, which encourages starting younger and paying more for specialized coaching.

Resources

External Resources

Books

  • "The Goal of the Game" by Harvey Araton - Mentioned as a new novel for middle-grade readers about a seventh-grade soccer player.
  • "When the Garden Was Eden" by Harvey Araton - Mentioned as a novel about the Knicks championship teams.
  • "Driving Mr. Yogi" by Harvey Araton - Mentioned as a book about the generational bond between Ron Guidry and Yogi Berra.
  • Book about the Boston Celtics and the marketing of race in the NBA and professional sports by Harvey Araton - Mentioned as his first book, published in 1992.

Articles & Papers

  • Column on youth sports and the Little League World Series by Harvey Araton - Discussed as the origin of his interest in writing for children and exploring the exploitation of youth sports.

People

  • Harvey Araton - Author of a new novel for middle-grade readers, "The Goal of the Game," and former columnist and enterprise reporter at The New York Times.
  • Richard Deitsch - Host of the "Sports Media with Richard Deitsch" podcast.
  • Patrick Antonetti - Producer of the "Sports Media with Richard Deitsch" podcast.
  • Danny Almonte - Subject of a scandal involving a 15-year-old playing in a Little League World Series.
  • Josh Harris - Owner of the Philadelphia 76ers, mentioned for opening companies in the youth sports industry.
  • Selena Roberts - Former colleague of Harvey Araton at The New York Times, mentioned for her early departure from sports column writing.
  • Rick Riley - Former columnist at Sports Illustrated.
  • Wally Matthews - Former columnist at Newsday.
  • John Ed Howard - Former columnist at Newsday.
  • Sean Powell - Former columnist at Newsday.
  • Dave Anderson - Former sports columnist at The New York Times.
  • George Vecsey - Former sports columnist at The New York Times.
  • Bill Rhoden - Former sports columnist at The New York Times.
  • Michael Powell - Former sports columnist at The New York Times.
  • Kurt Streeter - Sports columnist at The New York Times.
  • Ira Berkow - Former columnist and feature writer at The New York Times.
  • Michelle Obama - Mentioned as an example of an author who would do an extensive book tour.
  • Mike Brown - Current coach of the New York Knicks.
  • Jaylen Brunson - Player for the New York Knicks, highlighted for his scoring ability and likability.
  • Carl Anthony Towns - Mentioned as a metropolitan area product in basketball.
  • Tibo - Mentioned as a likable former player for the New York Knicks.
  • Jordan - Mentioned in the context of playoff nights in the 1990s with the Knicks.
  • Reggie Miller - Mentioned in the context of playoff nights in the 1990s with the Knicks.
  • Mike - Co-host of "Mike and the Mad Dog" radio show.
  • Mad Dog - Co-host of "Mike and the Mad Dog" radio show.
  • Holtzman - Mentioned in relation to the Red Holzman Knicks.
  • Willis Reed - Mentioned in relation to the Willis Reed Knicks.
  • Ryan Reynolds - Mentioned in a Mint Mobile advertisement.
  • Rick Cordella - President of NBC Sports.
  • Austin Carp - From Sports Business Journal, mentioned for a project on influential people in sports business.
  • Goodell - Mentioned as one of the most influential people in sports business.
  • Adam Silver - Mentioned as one of the most influential people in sports business.
  • Jerry Jones - Mentioned as one of the most influential people in sports business.
  • Troy Aikman - Guest on a previous episode of the podcast.

Organizations & Institutions

  • New York Times - Former employer of Harvey Araton, mentioned for its sports desk and subsequent disbanding.
  • Apple Podcasts - Platform for subscribing to podcasts.
  • Spotify - Platform for subscribing to podcasts.
  • Audacy Inc. - Mentioned in relation to privacy policy.
  • FanDuel - Sports betting platform mentioned in an advertisement.
  • Collars & Co. - Company mentioned for dress collar polos and performance blazers.
  • ESPN - Television network that televises Little League World Series games.
  • Fox Sports - Television network mentioned in relation to opinion commentary.
  • The Athletic - Sports media company purchased by The New York Times.
  • Philadelphia 76ers - Professional basketball team owned by Josh Harris.
  • New England Patriots - Professional football team.
  • Pro Football Focus (PFF) - Data source for player grading.
  • NPR - Mentioned in relation to a question style.
  • New York Knicks - Professional basketball team discussed in relation to its current likability and historical significance.
  • Villanova - University mentioned in relation to Jaylen Brunson and other players.
  • Detroit - Mentioned as a team that Knicks fans should worry about.
  • Orlando - Mentioned as a team that Knicks fans should worry about.
  • Indiana - Mentioned as a team that was a factor in the previous year.
  • New York Yankees - Professional baseball team.
  • Brooklyn Nets - Professional basketball team.
  • Boston Celtics - Professional basketball team.
  • NBC Sports - Mentioned in relation to its February schedule and MLB deal.
  • MLB - Major League Baseball, mentioned in relation to NBC's new deal.
  • Notre Dame - University mentioned in relation to NBC's deal and its athletic director.
  • Sports Business Journal - Publication that released a list of influential people in sports business.
  • Bambas - Company mentioned for socks, slippers, tees, and underwear, with a donation component.

Websites & Online Resources

  • fanduel.com/sportsfan - Website to download the FanDuel app.
  • fanduel.com/rg - Website for gambling problem resources.
  • collarsandco.com - Website for Collars & Co.
  • audacyinc.com/privacy-policy - Website for privacy practices.
  • podcastchoices.com/adchoices - Website for ad choices.
  • mintmobile.com - Website for Mint Mobile.
  • bombs.com - Website for Bambas.
  • Amazon - Retailer where "The Goal of the Game" can be purchased.
  • Goodreads - Platform where "The Goal of the Game" can be found.
  • Barnes and Noble - Retailer where "The Goal of the Game" can be purchased.

Other Resources

  • Live betting on FanDuel - Discussed as a feature for real-time sports betting.
  • Dress collar polo - Product from Collars & Co.
  • Maverick performance blazer - Product from Collars & Co.
  • Youth sports - Concept discussed in relation to its commercialization and pressure on children.
  • Pay to play youth sports culture - Mentioned as a significant industry trend.
  • Middle grade fiction - Genre of literature read by Harvey Araton in preparation for writing his novel.
  • General sports columnist - Role discussed in relation to its decline in the media landscape.
  • Sports journalism - Field discussed in relation to its changing landscape and the concept of "middle class jobs."
  • Aggregation - Mentioned as a method of content creation that is not preferred.
  • Lifestyle brand - Description of The New York Times' business model.
  • Sports media business - Industry discussed in relation to its commitment to coverage.
  • The Goal of the Game - Concept of a coming-of-age story of self-discovery through sports.
  • The Knicks book - Mentioned as a book written by Harvey Araton in 2011 or 2012.
  • The 90s Knicks - Era of the Knicks discussed in relation to playoff nights and special periods.
  • The Red Holzman Willis Reed Knicks - Historical era of the Knicks.

---
Handpicked links, AI-assisted summaries. Human judgment, machine efficiency.
This content is a personally curated review and synopsis derived from the original podcast episode.