State of Play Oakland, released in partnership with Stephen and Ayesha Curry’s Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation, analyzes the state of youth sports in Oakland, California. Youth survey results and additional analysis help guide recommendations to grow quality access to sports and physical activity for all children, regardless of race, gender, income or ability.

Project Play's newest playbook offers eight strategies to help principals and school leaders update the traditional high school sports model. Students need more options for physical activity, whether through community partnerships, intramurals, student-led clubs or other innovations that supplement the standard menu of interscholastic teams. Each strategy includes five ideas on how policymakers, industry and other stakeholders can help support.

The challenges of transportation, tight budgets and small student populations come to a head at small rural high schools, and especially for Lānaʻi High and Elementary School in Hawaiʻi. Still, the school employs a full-time athletic trainer to keep students safe and healthy. For this commitment, among other factors, Lāna‘i is recognized as our winner in the Small Rural Schools category of our Reimagining School Sports initiative.

Getting Latino youth back in the game will require creativity and cultural competency. One school positioned well to do that is East Hampton High School (N.Y.), winner in the Small Suburban Schools category of Project Play’s Reimagining School Sports initiative. Learn about the set of techniques used to drive up participation rates among Latino students at the school, which will receive a $20,000 award from two of our project partners, Adidas and BOKS.

Project Play's sixth annual report with participation data, a snapshot of trends in youth sports through the COVID-19 pandemic, and ideas for how leaders can mobilize for action.

A consistent barrier across our Reimagining School Sports reports is reliable and affordable transportation. For small urban schools, which frequently lack athletic facilities on-site, reserving after-school time at facilities nearby can be nearly impossible. Several Science Leadership Academy teams found success in Philadelphia by switching to morning practices. For this and other creative ideas to secure access for a wide variety of sports, Project Play recognizes SLA as the winner in the small urban public high schools category. SLA receives a $20,000 award from one of our project partners, the DICK'S Sporting Goods Foundation.

Across the country when students enter high school, they sit down with counselors and map out an academic path forward. What if schools did that for athletics as well? Rather than just offering teams and hoping students try out, what if schools created tailored plans for each student based on their unique needs, interests and experiences? Trinity School of Durham and Chapel Hill (N.C.) has started down that path, and for that innovation Project Play is recognizing the school in the private schools category of our Reimagining School Sports initiative. As winner of our national search, Trinity receives a $20,000 award from our project partner Hospital for Special Surgery.

Project Play's newest resource aims to create a shared cultural understanding that all youth have the right to develop as people through sports. Written with the aid of human rights and sports policy experts, the Children's Bill of Rights in Sports can help leaders — from program operators to policymakers — grow access to sports while establishing minimum conditions under which youth are served.

Our fourth Reimagining School Sports report examines trends and best practices among large urban high schools. In urban settings, many students arrive in high school behind the curve in knowledge and skills of the sport they play, due in part to a lack of access at younger ages. Our winning school, Harding High School of St. Paul, Minnesota, meets students where they're at to create spaces where all feel included, like the community's refugee and recent immigrant populations enthralled by St. Paul native Sunisa Lee, the first Hmong-American Olympic gymnast. In recognition, Harding will receive a $20,000 award from Adidas and Reebok.

The third Reimagining School Sports report examines trends and best practices among large suburban high schools. Students in suburban districts are more likely to participate in clubs and travel sports programs outside of high school. Pressure to keep up with private programs can also lead to increased costs, a barrier for many students. The winning school in the category, Tuscarora High School in Frederick, MD, promotes inclusion with flexible PE and robust intramural offerings. In recognition of its efforts, Tuscarora will receive a $20,000 award from Hospital for Special Surgery.

The second report in the Reimagining School Sports series highlights public high schools in rural communities with large student bodies — schools where young athletes can face steep challenges from transportation and other outside pressures. Congratulations to Jennings County High School in North Vernon, Indiana, winners of a $20,000 award courtesy of the DICK'S Sporting Goods Foundation. Jennings County was chosen for an innovative model of coach evaluation that prioritizes youth development over wins and losses.

Sports and wellness continue to be an anchor of hope, opportunity and community development in Camden, New Jersey. This report offers an assessment of the state of play for youth sports, physical activity and outdoor recreation in the city of Camden, while offering insights to begin to improve the quality, quantity and diversity of athletic experiences available for children, regardless of race, gender, income or athletic ability.

The first of eight reports in the new Reimagining School Sports initiative, highlighting exemplary charter schools that innovate to grow student participation in sports and other forms of physical activity. Congratulations to ICEF View Park Preparatory School in Los Angeles, winner of our first $20,000 award to continue developing new opportunities. ICEF was chosen because of its variety of unique sports offered and entrepreneurial approach to fundraising.

Developed in partnership with local leaders, State of Play Central Ohio analyzes how well children are being served through sports in the greater Columbus area. The 45-page report includes 40 findings, survey results from youth and coaches, profiles of athletes, and recommendations for improvement. Among the key insights: A participation divide exists for Central Ohio youth based upon race and income, with Black youth (28%) more impacted by financial costs than White youth (18%).

Our fifth annual report offers a snapshot of trends in youth sports before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and makes a Call for Leadership to support big ideas that can rebuild the youth sports system after the pandemic.

Our fourth annual report is the latest snapshot of how well stakeholders in the U.S. served children and communities through sports in the past year. The report includes the latest youth participation data and coaching metrics, new survey results of parents, exclusive analysis of 40+ key developments, and grades in each of Project Play’s eight “plays” or areas of shared opportunity. State of Play 2019 also discusses next steps in growing youth participation.

In partnership with the University of Washington and King County Parks, we analyzed the landscape of youth sport, play and outdoor recreation in the one of the fastest-growing counties in the country. State of Play Seattle-King County offers insights, data and recommendations on how to address gaps. Released in September 2019, the report is the eighth community State of Play report produced by our program since 2017.

We analyzed the landscape of youth sports in Hawai‘i, in partnership with the Lili’uokalani Trust. State of Play Hawai’i includes sections describing the sport ecosystem in each of the four counties. The findings were guided by a task force of local leaders with experience in sports and youth and were obtained through stakeholder interviews, youth and adults surveys, existing studies and data, and media reports. The report was released in September 2019.

For the first time, the public can identify in one place the relative benefits and risks of participating in the 10 most popular high school boys and girls sports. Launched in 2018, the Healthy Sport Index combines the best available data and expert analysis while allowing users to customize sport-by-sport results through their own health priorities for participation. The tool helps parents, children and other stakeholders make informed decisions based on their priorities to make sports a healthy and positive experience for kids.

In 2019, the Aspen Institute Sports & Society Program and National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development released Calls for Coaches. It's a resource to help youth sports coaches develop personal growth in their players. Learn more at as.pn/CallsForCoaches. Visit as.pn/coaching to watch panel discussions on the value of coaches promoting social and emotional skills.

State of Play: Mobile County offers an assessment of the current state of play for kids and sports in Mobile County, Alabama. The report features results from a survey of more than 1,700 youth, 40 findings on strengths and gaps in providing access to sport, five major recommendations, one big “Game Changer” opportunity, and 24 sector-specific ideas that stakeholders can plug into. The report was released in October 2018.

The State of Play: Harlem offers an assessment of the current state of play for kids and sports in a three-square mile area in East Harlem. The report features results from a survey of more than 1,500 youth, 40 findings on strengths and gaps in providing access to sport, five major recommendations, one big "Game Changer" opportunity, and 24 sector-specific ideas that stakeholders can plug into. State of Play: Harlem also includes unique maps of the East Harlem area and economic and health assessment if stakeholders can get youth physically active. The report was released in April 2018.

The Sports & Society Program’s State of Play reports for Southeast Michigan, Western New York, and Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes are the nation’s first-ever analyses of how well a region’s stakeholders are serving the health needs of youth and communities through sports. Each report identifies 40 key findings, five major recommendations, one big “Game Changer” opportunity, and 24 sector-specific ideas that stakeholders can plug into. They also offer economic impact assessments if stakeholders can get more youth physically active.

The State of Play: Baltimore report is the first comprehensive analysis of how well youth in Baltimore are being served through sports. The report features results from a survey of nearly 2,000 youth, 40 findings on strengths and gaps in providing access to sport, five major recommendations, one big “Game Changer” opportunity, and 24 sector-specific, crowd-sourced ideas that stakeholders can plug into. The report was produced in partnership with Under Armour.

Our third annual report is the latest snapshot of how well stakeholders are serving children and communities through youth sports. The report includes the most recent participation data; exclusive analysis of 40+ key developments from the past year; and grades in each of Project Play’s eight “plays” or areas of shared opportunity. State of Play: 2018 also identifies next steps in 2019 toward building the movement to make sport accessible and affordable to all. The report was released in October 2018.

Our second annual report is the latest snapshot of how well stakeholders are serving children and communities through sports. The report includes the latest participation data and coaching metrics; exclusive analysis of 40+ key developments from the past year; and grades in each of Project Play’s eight “plays” or areas of shared opportunity. The report identifies next steps in building the movement to make sport accessible and affordable to all. The report was released in December 2017.