Axios

Youth sports remain in a moment of crisis, as the health and financial situations brought on by the pandemic continue wreaking havoc.

By the numbers: The Aspen Institute's recent survey of 1,103 parents with sport-playing kids aged 6-18 paints a rather bleak picture.

The Big Ten football season kicks off tonight after months of a "will they, won't they" narrative.

The state of play: Each team will play eight regular season games, culminating in a ninth, cross-divisional matchup on Dec. 19 (i.e. the Big Ten Championship, but also No. 2 East vs. No. 2 West, etc.).

The pandemic has wreaked financial havoc on universities across the country. But while Power 5 schools are finally getting financial relief from their lucrative football programs, Division I's "have-nots" are still drowning.

Driving the news: The University of California, Riverside, which competes in the Big West Conference but doesn't play football, is considering dropping all 15 sports to cut costs.

With the NBA Finals over a week in the rearview, it's time to look toward an offseason likely to be fraught with chaos and uncertainty.

Where it stands: Most key dates and decisions have yet to be determined or set in stone.