Participation in athletics in Maine dropped by 12% over the past 10 years, far higher than the national rate of decline. Pandemic-era disruptions are only part of the answer. Originally posted in the Press Herald by STEVE CRAIG and DREW BONIFANT The Cape Elizabeth High girls’ basketball team lines up for the national anthem prior to its final …
Why are fewer Maine students playing high school sports? Read More »
Originally published in the Aspen Institute’s State of Play 2022 Kids are back to sports – sort of. As the impact of COVID-19 on our society lessened in 2022, how children participated in sports continued to evolve. The trends below come from the Aspen Institute’s State of Play 2022 report, courtesy of data collected or …
The Aspen Institute’s Participation Trends for 2022 Read More »
Originally published in the aspen institute by Tom Farrey on 10/2018 his was a tough summer for anyone who cares about soccer in the United States. The men’s national team failed to qualify for the World Cup, and on the day of the championship game won by France, a front-page story in the New York …
Fred Rogers once said that “play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning…they have to play with what they know to be true in order to find out more, and then they can use what they learn in new forms of play”. This basic truth applies to all aspects of child development …
Sports Play is the Best Way to Improve Play Quality Read More »
In the Beginning It was late October, 2008 in Oakland, California, -the Oakland Athletics just finished another frustrating season with a strong starting pitching staff and a not so great offense to support them and my four year old daughter Mia and I were watching the Philadelphia Phillies and the Tampa Bay Rays in the World …
Sports Field Freakanomics – How Digital Tools Can Better Support & Grow Youth Sports Read More »
Originally published on NPR at this link Youth soccer coach Pierre Hedji co-founded the club DCXI to give kids in Washington, D.C., a chance to learn the game, develop their skills and compete, just as he did when he was a kid growing up in Benin. “It was street soccer,” he remembers, “you were using …
Club soccer puts the sport out of reach for many kids Read More »
