A small number of private equity firms control most of the facilities, leagues, tournaments, recruitment events, and competitive youth sports infrastructure that parents invest in because they think the programs will help their children earn an athletic scholarship, federal lawmakers were told this week.
This $40 billion a year pay-to-play industry, bigger than the National Football League and college athletics combined, is also responsible for the demise of affordable, community-based recreational sports that help keep kids happy and healthy, Katherine Van Dyck of the American Economic Liberties Project told the House Committee on Education and the Workforce on Dec. 16.
