Letter From President and CEO

Front Office Musings It is nice to see events taking place in states whose health guidelines allow for group gatherings and youth sports play. There are a few markets getting a tourism uplift, while others struggle. The participants are more regional in nature and restricted due to their home state’s travel restrictions but are enough to provide the local economies with much-needed support. These are primarily outdoor sports activities. Additionally, the open states have picked-up events previously booked in other regions due to “being open.”

Al Kidd The early pattern seems established: Outdoor events where larger group gatherings are acceptable, the event competitors are local and regional, and the local supply chain support is open to accommodate economic needs. There is no doubt that youth sports will play a key role and be an early contributor to increasing economic value in communities across the country. Chances are it will look different as mentioned in the previous comments in this paragraph.

Included in the data from the Aspen Institute on Youth Sports there has been a significant drop in youth sports participation and kids are losing interest (53% of parents expect their child to resume sports activity at the same or higher level when current restrictions are removed). Collectively, this association and its members need to do as much as possible in advocacy pressure to address this issue.

Making a Difference Last month, we made a $1,500 donation to the Kansas State School for the Blind. This organization was selected by the Sports ETA Legacy Committee as our 2020 Sports Legacy Fund beneficiary. Due to the pandemic, we were unable to host the Symposium in Kansas City this spring causing us to cancel the annual Sports Legacy raffle and silent auction.

While we still wanted to make every effort we could to help this wonderful organization, the committee donated using funds collected during 2020 membership renewals and the 2020 4S Summit. The donation we made truly made a difference for the school, take a look at the inclusive playground they were able to build.