Why Linda Wrote Take Back the Game

After a recent visit to the US House of Representatives, John has been thinking a lot about the business of youth sports and how we can fix the many issues plaguing it. In this replay of episode 293, John has a discussion with Linda Flanagan a freelance journalist, researcher, and former cross-country and track coach. A founding board member of the NYC chapter of the Positive Coaching Alliance and 2020-21 Advisory Group member for the Aspen Institute's Reimagining Sports initiative, her writing on sports has appeared in The Atlantic, Runner's World, and NPR's education site Mind/Shift, where she is a regular contributor. Previously Flanagan was a national security analyst at the NationalSecurity Program, Harvard University. She is also a mother of three and lifelong athlete.

Linda and John discuss her book Take Back the Game: How Money and Mania Are Ruining Kids' Sports, and Why it Matters. We cover how sport has become a business, how much pressure is on parents to do more and more at younger ages, how the fact that sports help kids get into and pay for college is driving much of the mania, and so much more. She has compiled the latest research on the economic and social impacts of sport, as well as research post-COVID. It is a really fun conversation.

You can grab Take Back the game here.

You can connect with Linda @LindaFlanagan2

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