Exclusive: School sports, reimagined
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
American teenagers are most likely to participate in sports through their schools, but innovation among school-based programs has largely stagnated.
State of play: The Aspen Institute spent two years compiling its "Reimagining School Sports" report with the aim of improving that experience.
What they're saying: They boiled their research down to eight strategies that schools can use to improve the experience for the 40% of students who participate and capture some of the 60% who don't. A few examples:
- Align sports with school mission: Winning isn't everything. If athletics aimed to achieve similar goals as the school itself, it would create more well-rounded student-athletes.
- Understand your student population: Survey students, find out what they want and make an effort to provide it.
- Create personal activity plans: Counselors help students map out their academic goals. Why not do something similar with athletics?
- Bolster coaching education: Continually train and re-certify coaches to ensure they understand their importance beyond X's and O's.
- Prioritize health and safety: 31% of public high schools lack access to an athletic trainer. This should be table stakes.
The backdrop: Youth sports participation has been declining for years. But COVID has created an opportunity: 30% of students said their interest in sports grew during the pandemic; just 16% said it decreased.
