Sports & Society
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Sports in the Public Interest
The mission of the Sports & Society Program is to convene leaders, facilitate dialogue, and inspire solutions that help sport serve the public interest. Since 2011, we have provided an essential venue to explore the impact of sports on the world in which we live, think through major trends, and develop shared strategies that can help sport live up to its potential as a force for good.
Much of our work to date has been on the base of our sport ecosystem, youth and school sports, the foundation upon which everything else sits – college, professional and recreational sports – and the key to building healthy communities. We connect silos across a disjointed landscape, from leagues to local providers, foundations to policymakers, driving change through roundtables, research, and award-winning content.
There is more wisdom in your body than in your deepest philosophy.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Sports & Society Newsletter
The Aspen Sports & Society Newsletter provides regular updates about our work. Every month we share the latest headlines from the program, plus Ideas, Insights, Invitations and one Inspiration from across the sports industry.
Sports & Society Newsletter Archive
January 2026 | Get to Know Sports & Society
December 2025 | Our Inspirations from the Year
November 2025 | Why We Play: The Deep Story of Sports
October 2025 | The Power of Latino Fans
September 2025 | The Future of Sports Policy
August 2025 | Take the #ACLPledge
July 2025 | Steve Kerr on Winning with Humility
June 2025 | Mayors Embrace the Children’s Bill of Rights in Sports
May 2025 | How to Prevent Knee Injuries?
April 2025 | How Green is Your Program?
March 2025 | Missed Our Biggest Summit Yet? Session Replays Now Available
February 2025 | Youth Sports Costs Rise 46%
January 2025 | Luka Dončić on the Future of Basketball
December 2024 | The Blessings that Await
November 2024 | Boston Endorses the Children’s Bill of Rights in Sports
October 2024 | The National State of Play
September 2024 | Millions Raised for Colorado Programs
August 2024 | How Five States Got in the Game
July 2024 | How Sport is Changing Society
June 2024 | Announcing 63X30
May 2024 | Miss the Summit? We Got Ya
April 2024 | Sport Democracy in Action
March 2024 | The Goal: Training 1 Million Coaches
February 2024 | 1,860,000 (!) Quality Years of Life
January 2024 | How to Serve Others Through Sports
December 2023 | The Year in Play
November 2023 | Teen Knee Injuries Grow 26%
October 2023 | The World’s Leading Sport Systems
September 2023 | Project Play Communities Mobilize
August 2023 | The Future of Sport Governance
July 2023 | Treat Knee Injuries Like Brain Injuries
June 2023 | Flag Leads the Way
May 2023 | 10 Memories from Our 10th Summit
April 2023 | Caitlin Morris: “Be a Change Agent”
March 2023 | Expanding Access to Athletic Trainers
February 2023 | Let’s Rock This Summit
January 2023 | Project Play is 10!
December 2022 | Grant Wahl’s Legacy
November 2022 | It’s Time to Support Coaches
October 2022 | It’s National Youth Sports Week
September 2022 | Join Us for Three Inspiring Events
August 2022 | The NBA’s Role in Grassroots Hoops
July 2022 | What’s Fair to Ask of Pro Sports?
June 2022 | Title IX at 50
May 2022 | Announcing Our 2022 Project Play Champions
April 2022 | Announcing the Project Play Summit 2022 Agenda
March 2022 | Why Do Coaches Coach?
February 2022 | A New Playbook for High School Sports
January 2022 | Your Chance to Be a Project Play Champion
December 2021 | Athletic Trainers Can Be Community Health Leaders
November 2021 | Survey: High School Students Want More Sport, Physical Activity Options
October 2021 | Meeting Latino Students Where They Are
September 2021 | Finding Time for Sports Before the Bell Rings
August 2021 | The Value of Four-Year Athletic Plans
July 2021 | How Urban High Schools Bring Communities Together Through Sports
June 2021 | Winning School Makes Intramurals, PE Co-Curricular
May 2021 | How to Measure Results Beyond the Scoreboard
April 2021 | Finding Places to Play in Charter Schools
March 2021 | A New State of Play for Central Ohio
February 2021 | Future of College Athletes’ Rights
January 2021 | The Year of Sports Reform is Here
Coronavirus & Youth Sports Update: December 22, December 8, November 24, November 12, October 20, October 13, October 6, October 1, September 22, September 15, September 9, September 1, August 25, August 18, August 11, August 4, July 29, July 21, July 14, July 7, June 30, June 23, June 16, June 9, June 2, May 26, May 19, May 12, May 5, April 28, April 21, April 14, April 7, March 31, March 24
February 2020 | Survey: African-American Kids More Often Play Sports to Chase College, Pro Dreams
January 2020 | Kobe Raised Our Game
December 2019 | Happy Holidays from Sports & Society
November 2019 | Romania and Mexico Deploy Project Play to Rethink the Delivery of Sports for Youth
October 2019 | Federal Government Releases National Youth Sports Strategy
August 2019 | Empower Girls in Sports with Great Coaches
June 2019 | Aspen Ideas Festival Explores the Limits of Human Achievement in Sports
May 2019 | Lessons from the World’s Most Effective Sports System
April 2019 | Reimagining Goals Beyond Medals
March 2019 | The Evidence Base for Effective Coaching
February 2019 | The Summit Hits the Road
January 2019 | The Role of Coaches in Society
December 2018 | Top 10 Youth Sports Stories of 2018
November 2018 | What if Activism was Common in Sports?
October 2018 | A Day of Impact
September 2018 | Game-Changers
August 2018 | Sports Betting in the Public Interest
July 2018 | Kobe: “Change the World. That’s All.”
June 2018 | Welcome, Project Play Southeast Michigan and Project Play Western New York
May 2018 | Project Play at 5 Years: Progress, Next Steps
April 2018 | Harlem Kids: Let’s Try Fencing, Gymnastics
March 2018 | Lessons from Norway’s Olympic Dominance
February 2018 | Lessons from Vermont: Balanced child key to athletic excellence
January 2018 | New tool introduced to help parents navigate kids sports
November 2017 | Manfred: “Kids, Don’t Just Play Baseball”
June 2017 | First Regional State of Plays Launching Next Week
March 2017 | 2017 Project Play Summit: New Two-Day Format, Same Premier Gathering
August 2016 | The Grades Are In
March 2016 | Register Today for the 2016 Project Play Summit
September 2014 | Field of Dreams: Innovate and They Will Come?
