Healthy Sports Parents How We Take Back Youth Sports for Everyday Families (with ESPN's Jennifer Paulett)
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Jan 14, 2026 
In this engaging discussion, Jennifer Paulett, ESPN's Director of Corporate Citizenship and youth sports advocate, breaks down the Take Back Sports campaign. She highlights the alarming trends in youth sports participation and the critical issues like early specialization and burnout. Paulett emphasizes the importance of recreational leagues for accessibility and enjoyment. She shares insights on why parental influence matters in shaping a positive sports culture and envisions a future with more choices and less pressure for young athletes.
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Two Kids, Two Sport Journeys
- Jennifer Paulett's 12-year-old quit team sports at age 11 but found jujitsu, skiing, and swimming instead.
- Her 8-year-old remains in soccer and baseball, coached by his parents, showing divergent youth-sport paths within one family.
Team-Sport Participation Is Falling
- Youth team-sport participation dropped sharply; under 40% of 6–12 year olds play regularly.
- ESPN built Take Back Sports to identify barriers and use media and philanthropy to reverse the trend.
Kids Quit Because It Stops Being Fun
- The single biggest reason kids quit is that sports stop being fun.
- Restoring fun should be a top priority alongside addressing specialization and injuries.