Overview

A look at how commercialization has transformed youth sports from fun into a heavily commercialized and profitable venture   Examining the youth sports economy from many sides—the major corporations, the small entrepreneurs, the coaches, the parents, and, of course, the kids—Hyman probes the reasons for rapid changes in what gets bought and sold in this lucrative marketplace. He reveals the effects on kids and profiles the individuals and communities bucking this destructive trend of commercialization.

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9780807001448

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Reviews

Hyman--a recovering sports dad himself--adopts a refreshingly nonjudgmental attitude toward the parents who started out pacing the sidelines and ended up walking off the deep end. . . . With a mix of facts and anecdotes, Hyman pivots to explore the supply side of the equation. <br> --Gordon Marino, New York Times Book Review <br> <br> It is widely noted that youth sports have their problems, from the obsession with results to premature specialization. However, economics are at the heart of these problems, and what often gets left unsaid is clearly outlined in Mark Hyman's new book The Most Expensive Game in Town . <br> --Doug Glanville, Time.com<br> <br> An eye-opening look at yet another way that profit-driven adults are robbing kids of fun. Mark Hyman's compelling exploration of the business of youth sports today is an important read for anyone who cares about children--or how the game is played. <br> --Susan Linn, author of Consuming Kids and The Case for Make Believe: Saving Play in a Commercialized World <br> <br> [Hyman] presents the numbers to prove that most folks who feel that clinics for eight year olds and private coaches for children too young to brush their own teeth are more likely to lead to burnout than to brilliant careers. <br> --Bill Littlefield, National Public Radio's Only a Game. <br><br> <br><br><br> From the Hardcover edition.

Hyman--a recovering sports dad himself--adopts a refreshingly nonjudgmental attitude toward the parents who started out pacing the sidelines and ended up walking off the deep end. . . . With a mix of facts and anecdotes, Hyman pivots to explore the supply side of the equation. --Gordon Marino, New York Times Book Review It is widely noted that youth sports have their problems, from the obsession with results to premature specialization. However, economics are at the heart of these problems, and what often gets left unsaid is clearly outlined in Mark Hyman's new book The Most Expensive Game in Town . --Doug Glanville, Time.com An eye-opening look at yet another way that profit-driven adults are robbing kids of fun. Mark Hyman's compelling exploration of the business of youth sports today is an important read for anyone who cares about children--or how the game is played. --Susan Linn, author of Consuming Kids and The Case for Make Believe: Saving Play in a Commercialized World [Hyman] presents the numbers to prove that most folks who feel that clinics for eight year olds and private coaches for children too young to brush their own teeth are more likely to lead to burnout than to brilliant careers. --Bill Littlefield, National Public Radio's Only a Game. From the Hardcover edition. An eye-opening look at yet another way that profit-driven adults are robbing kids of fun. Mark Hyman's compelling exploration of the business of youth sports today is an important read for anyone who cares about children--or how the game is played. --Susan Linn, author of The Case for Make Believe: Saving Play in a Commercialized World Praise for Mark Hyman's Until It Hurts Mark Hyman's little book carries a big message about the 'hostile takeover' of youth sports by adults. Until It Hurts is a must read . . . compelling and engaging. --Brion O'Connor, Boston Globe It's likely that every parent and coach who reads Hyman's anecdotes will relate to at least one, will glimpse their own bad behavior, whisper a personal mea culpa and seek out ways to undo inflicted damage and do their part to fix a national problem that needs fixing. --Jon Reischel, New York Post A hair-raising look at everything that is wrong with youth sports today. Every parent and every coach who has ever been involved in youth sports and cares about kids has an obligation to read it. --Buzz Bissinger, author of Friday Night Lights If you've got a young jock in the house, this book is more important than a private coach. --Robert Lipsyte, author of Raiders Night Mark Hyman illustrates--through personal anecdotes and meticulous reporting--the transformative power of sports in the lives of young people. More important, he shows how adults are ruining the experience by turning youth sports into a high-pressure, big-money enterprise. --Joan Ryan, author of Little Girls in Pretty Boxes

An eye-opening look at yet another way that profit-driven adults are robbing kids of fun. Mark Hyman's compelling exploration of the business of youth sports today is an important read for anyone who cares about children--or how the game is played. --Susan Linn, author of The Case for Make Believe: Saving Play in a Commercialized World <br><br>Praise for Mark Hyman's Until It Hurts <br> <br> Mark Hyman's little book carries a big message about the 'hostile takeover' of youth sports by adults. Until It Hurts is a must read . . . compelling and engaging. --Brion O'Connor, Boston Globe <br> <br> It's likely that every parent and coach who reads Hyman's anecdotes will relate to at least one, will glimpse their own bad behavior, whisper a personal mea culpa and seek out ways to undo inflicted damage and do their part to fix a national problem that needs fixing. --Jon Reischel, New York Post <br> <br> A hair-raising look at everything that is wrong with youth sports today. Every parent and every coach who has ever been involved in youth sports and cares about kids has an obligation to read it. --Buzz Bissinger, author of Friday Night Lights <br> <br> If you've got a young jock in the house, this book is more important than a private coach. --Robert Lipsyte, author of Raiders Night <br> <br> Mark Hyman illustrates--through personal anecdotes and meticulous reporting--the transformative power of sports in the lives of young people. More important, he shows how adults are ruining the experience by turning youth sports into a high-pressure, big-money enterprise. --Joan Ryan, author of Little Girls in Pretty Boxes <br>

Author Information

Mark Hyman is a journalist and the author of Until It Hurts. He teaches in the sports management program at George Washington University. 

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