Youth sports in America used to mean neighborhood teams, school leagues and weekend tournaments families could actually afford. Today it is a $28 billion industry, and private equity firms are buying up leagues, tournaments, facilities and tech platforms across the country, rolling them into consolidated networks and squeezing families for every dollar.

The cost of youth sports has climbed 46% since 2019. Average spending now tops $1,000 per child per year. Competitive club costs routinely run $5,000 to $20,000. The participation gap between higher and lower income families has widened to 20 points. Only one in five U.S. adolescents meets the daily activity guideline. Kids who get priced out do not get more active. They sit.

This is what extraction looks like. Junk fees stacked on registration. Mandatory hotel blocks that mark up family travel. Exclusivity clauses that block children from playing in non affiliated events. Biometric and family financial data on minors collected and monetized. None of it makes kids better athletes, and none of it is what families signed up for.

Norway, Germany and much of Europe run their youth sports through community clubs at a fraction of U.S. costs, and they produce elite athletes. The American model delivers neither broad access nor better athletes. It produces fee revenue.

Representative Christopher Deluzio's Let Kids Play Act takes the consolidation model apart. The bill:

• Prohibits private equity firms from investing in youth sports entities
• Bans junk fees, mandatory hotel and travel bundles and exclusivity clauses
• Protects youth athlete biometric, performance and family financial data
• Requires divestiture of existing private equity stakes within two years
• Creates a Youth Sports Fund to lower participation costs and expand community access
• Authorizes the FTC, DOJ and state attorneys general to enforce, with a private right of action for families

This is not about copying anyone else's system. The question is who runs youth sports in America. Coaches, communities and parents, not Wall Street.

Sign to tell Congress: youth sports belong to kids and families, not to leveraged buyout funds.

Pass the Let Kids Play Act.