The youth sports economy has doubled in size over the past decade to more than $15 billion, ushering in an era of private coaching, travel teams and summer showcases.
The state of play: This prices out young athletes from low- and even middle-class households, which might explain why college sports teams are increasingly lacking in diversity, especially when football and basketball are excluded — forcing Amherst College to find a way to fight back.
The LSU Tigers visit the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday in the first regular-season AP No. 1 vs. No. 2 meeting since their game eight years ago.
Why it matters: Interestingly enough, the very thing they helped birth — a system where humans, not computers, rank the nation's best teams — has LSU and Alabama at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, in the playoff rankings.
