The Price of Play: Examining the Pay-to-Play Pipeline in Girls’ Athletics

Nicholas Zoroya
School of Business, Madonna University

The popularity of women’s sports is soaring, evidenced by record-breaking viewership, expanded opportunities for participation and coaching, league expansions, and unprecedented media deals. These developments suggest a growing societal appreciation for women’s sports. However, this progress prompts a critical question: At what cost does this surge in popularity come?

Rick Eckstein’s How College Athletics Are Hurting Girls’ Sports: The Pay to Play Pipeline delves into the intricate dynamics between youth sports and collegiate athletics, with a special emphasis on the experiences of young female athletes. With a background in sociology and sports, Eckstein explores the intense commercial pressures facing girls in youth sports. His research, which combines data analysis, interviews, and observations, highlights the unique challenges these athletes face. This mixed-methods approach lends itself to both academics and non-academic audiences.

The book may be rooted in sociological theory but the use of interviews and ethnographic observations adds to the book’s readability. Eckstein himself states that “this is absolutely a work of social science. In a sense, How College Athletics Are Hurting Girls’ Sports, straddles the line between journalism and sociology”.

His analysis covers five sports: soccer, figure skating, ice hockey, field hockey, and ultimate Frisbee, highlighting the diverse impacts across these activities. These sports were chosen because they are at different levels of commercialization and commodification, a phrase used throughout the book to explain the transformation of youth sports into products used to generate revenue, or the shifting motivation for participation in sport from intrinsic to extrinsic factors.

This focus on college at such a young age often robs children of the joy and simplicity of playing sports for fun and personal growth.

The focus on youth sport has shifted over time from participating for fun, making friends, and exercise into something more nefarious, the Youth Sports to College Pipeline.  Eckstein highlights that soccer, field hockey, and ice hockey have been commercialized to a greater degree than figure skating and ultimate frisbee because they are intertwined with the college pipeline. Sports that are perceived to be important at the collegiate level are given priority by parents seeking to get their children athletic scholarships and academic advantages (such as preferred admission). Eckstein highlights that these possible advantages are highly exaggerated and while sport participation may have many benefits, the focus on college sports has a negative impact on girls at the youth level.

Eckstein’s primary critique targets institutions of higher education and their role in perpetuating the ‘pay-to-play’ pipeline. However, his analysis also touches upon broader societal issues, such as the commercial interests driving youth sports, the social-class bias, and the ‘masculinization’ of female sports. His work is seen as a challenge to commonly accepted beliefs about the universal benefits of sports for girls.

Eckstein often touches on the commercialization and commodification of sport at lower levels of sport. The interviews with parents and players often reference the pressure that families feel to move their children away from city based recreationally focused programs towards “elite” or “travel” programs. The idea being that in order to participate in the youth sports to college pipeline a player must receive top coaching, participate in prestigious programs, and travel to highly competitive and well attended tournaments. This focus on college at such a young age often robs children of the joy and simplicity of playing sports for fun and personal growth.

Eckstein’s analysis sheds light on the significant financial and emotional costs that the commercialization of youth sports imposes on families and young athletes alike. He argues that the push towards early specialization and intensive training for the sake of college scholarships or admissions advantages not only places undue stress on young participants but also detracts from the intrinsic values of sports, such as teamwork, discipline, and enjoyment. Yet, it’s not just colleges that profit from this system. From team operators and private coaches charging high fees to the sporting goods and hospitality industries benefiting from the demand for equipment and travel, a whole commercial ecosystem thrives on families’ investments in their children’s athletic futures. Interestingly, Eckstein points out that organizations meant to safeguard youth athletes’ interests, like the National Council of Youth Sports, may also support the commercial motives underpinning the youth-to-college sports pipeline.

The initial chapters lay much of the blame for the issues in youth sports at the feet of colleges, which might oversimplify a complex problem. While colleges indeed benefit from and are not innocent in this system, Eckstein could more fully explore the role of parents. Rather than active players in this scenario, they are somewhat portrayed as unwitting victims. However, it’s parents who choose to enroll their children in competitive programs, shoulder the costs, and exert pressure, perhaps not fully understanding the landscape of college sports or the slim chances of securing meaningful athletic scholarships. The commercial nature of youth sports survives on the willingness of parents to invest in these pursuits, suggesting that the key to change might lie in better informing them from the start.

In offering solutions, the sixth chapter introduces theoretical yet impractical proposals, such as abolishing college athletics or separating revenue-generating sports, due to the deep integration of college sports within the educational and societal fabric. A pragmatic approach might involve educating parents early about the realities of college athletics, the true costs and benefits of youth sports, and encouraging them to be more critical consumers. This knowledge could guide parents to prioritize their children’s well-being and personal development over the uncertain prospects of college sports success.

Despite some contentious points regarding solutions and accountability, Eckstein’s book makes a substantial contribution to the conversation on youth sports. It illuminates the complex challenges and pressures young female athletes face, driving home the importance of rethinking our approach to youth sports. The book’s in-depth exploration of the societal, commercial, and systemic issues within this ecosystem highlights crucial areas for discussion and action. Eckstein calls on parents, educators, and policymakers to consider the welfare of young athletes, suggesting a reevaluation of priorities to ensure sports remain a source of growth, joy, and health.

Copyright © Nicholas Zoroya 2024