League of Fans

By Ken Reed

Pickup games help kids learn to think for themselves and develop problem-solving, leadership and teamwork skills.

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For years, Fred Bowen has written a column for young readers on youth sports topics for the Washington Post. He’s also a successful children’s sports book author. If you have young athletes […]

By Ken Reed

A girl accepts a scholarship offer to play soccer for the University of North Carolina when she’s 11 years old. Two years later, the same girl, Olivia Moultrie, gives up her college eligibility by signing a multiyear endorsement deal with Nike.  She begins her pro career at age 13. […]

By Ken Reed

For years, Fred Bowen has written a column for young readers on youth sports topics for The Washington Post. He’s also a successful children’s sports book author. If you have young athletes in your family, or work with them, it’s well worth introducing them to Bowen’s work.

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Time to Get Rid of Unjust “One-and-Done” College System By Ken Reed North Carolina beat Duke on Wednesday night, 88-72, in the renewal one of the best rivalries in sports. But that wasn’t the story. What lit up social media was the video clip of Duke star (and likely first pick in […]

By Ken Reed If you’re looking for one more sign that football’s popularity is dropping and participation rates are down, here it is: More kids ages 6 to 12 now play flag football than tackle football. According to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, flag football is the fastest-growing team sport […]

By Ken Reed

Every time MLB moves away from its history, tradition and nostalgia, the game doesn’t improve a little, it dies a little

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Baseball is a significantly different sport than football, basketball and hockey. It’s that uniqueness, and the tradition that comes from the fact that baseball has changed […]

Proposed Rule Changes Will Hurt, Not Help, the Game

By Ken Reed

Baseball is a significantly different sport than football, basketball, and hockey.  It’s that uniqueness, and the tradition that comes from the fact that baseball has changed very little over the years, that accounts for a lot of its popularity.

“There’s no crying in […]

By Ken Reed

“The reality is that this game destroys people’s brains — not everyone’s, but a substantial number.”

That sentence from legendary sportscaster Bob Costas about the dangers of football, ended his time covering football at NBC, and ultimately, ended his 40-year career at the network.  

Costas has long followed the growing […]

By Ken Reed

For years, parents have asked themselves,” What’s the best sport for my kids?”   There are a lot of factors that go into answering that question, of course, many of them personal.  Nevertheless, folks at the Aspen Institute felt more could be done to help parents guide their children in selecting what […]

By Ken Reed

There are several good organizations working to change the culture of youth sports in a positive manner.  My favorite is probably Positive Coaching Alliance.  Led by founder Jim Thompson, PCA has been making a positive impact on the culture of youth sports for more than 20 years.   […]