Sports

Project Play Summit 2020

October 16, 2020  • Sports & Society Program

Speakers include NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, U.S. women’s soccer star Alex Morgan, six-time Olympic gold medalist Allyson Felix, Pro Football Hall of Famer Terrell Owens, bestselling author Michael Lewis, gold medal gymnast Laurie Hernandez, NBA All-Star Vince Carter, World Cup champion Crystal Dunn, seven-time Paralympic gold medalist Tatyana McFadden, ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro, U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland, and more.

Agenda

DAY 1: Tuesday, October 13

11 AM–12 PM ET
THE OPPORTUNITY OF NOW

WELCOME BY ALLYSON FELIX
THE STATE OF PLAY IN 2020

Project Play discusses the findings of the annual State of Play report and the impact that COVID-19 has had on youth sports participation.

A HISTORIC CHALLENGE FOR COMMUNITIES

Community leaders from three regions describe the state of play for youth where they live and how they are responding to an environment in which the divide between sport haves and have-nots has grown since COVID-19 gutted local leagues and sport programs.

1–2 PM ET
THE STORY WE CAN TELL BY 2024

A CALL FOR LEADERSHIP

How national sport organizations and prominent athletes are mobilizing to meet the moment.

LIVE WORKSHOPS
HOW TO MOVE FROM RESEARCH TO ACTION
3–4:15 PM ET OR 5–6:15 PM ET

Project Play is relaunching its Teamwork Toolkit to make it easier to collect data on youth sports and recreation at the community level. Learn how you can develop local data and insights, create a shared agenda, and mobilize leaders for action.

HOW TO MOVE THE NEEDLE ON POLICY
3–4:15 PM ET

In pre-Summit conversations, participants identified government as playing an essential role in helping sports rebuild communities. Now, learn from organizers who campaign at the federal, state and local levels on how to advocate for policies aligned with the Project Play Call for Leadership.

DAY 2: Wednesday, October 14

11 AM–12 PM ET
COVID-19 WILL TRANSFORM SCHOOL SPORTS

WELCOME BY CRYSTAL DUNN
A HISTORIC CHALLENGE FOR SCHOOLS

Seasons have been pushed off. Costs have risen. Budgets have been slashed. Liability and insurance concerns have grown. Mental health problems have increased. College sports opportunities have decreased. School sports experts analyze the COVID-19-infused challenge.

Project Play and Mission Tiger announce the winner of the $20,000 competition and release a best practices guide to help middle schools develop the most students through sports.

  • Joshua Luang, Jamieson School (Chicago, IL) Student
  • Anduena Kraja, Jamieson School (Chicago, IL) Student
  • Joseph Nakanishi, Jamieson P.E. Teacher and Coach
  • Michael Olszewski, Jamieson P.E. Teacher and Coach
  • Hayden Hurst, Atlanta Falcons, moderator
1–2 PM ET
NEW MODELS, NEW ATHLETES

HOW TO MAKE ROOM FOR ALL STUDENTS

Conversations with athletes and leaders on why underserved populations need to be included more intentionally in the next model for school sports.

HOW STUDENTS CAN ADVOCATE FOR RACIAL EQUITY IN SPORTS

Athletes who have used their voice share their advice for high school athletes. Featuring Allyson Felix, Terrell Owens, Crystal Dunn, Laurie Hernandez, Demario Davis and more.

LIVE WORKSHOPS
HOW TO SCALE BEST PRACTICES IN MIDDLE SCHOOL SPORTS
3–4:15 PM ET

Building on the forthcoming best practice guide from The Great Middle School Sports Search, this session will discuss strategies focused on partnerships, youth leadership and innovation to build an inclusive program.

HOW TO TALK ABOUT RACE IN TEAM SETTINGS
3–4:15 PM ET

A Long Talk will lead a discussion on how to address racism in the team context and embrace uncomfortable conversations to create environments that promote acceptance of all.

DAY 3: Thursday, October 15

11 AM–12 PM ET
REDEFINING WINNING IN YOUTH COACHING

WELCOME BY TERRELL OWENS
WHEN KIDS AND COACHES TALK

What does the new model for coaching actually look like between a coach and a kid?

  • Marty Hauck, Rolla (MO) High School Coach
  • Hannah O’Connor, Rolla (MO) Student and Wrestler
FINDING MASTERY IN COACHING YOUTH

Top athletes explore the art of motivating and serving youth with Michael Gervais, sports psychologist for the Seattle Seahawks and host of the Finding Mastery podcast.

LAURIE HERNANDEZ: HOW TO HEAR YOUNG ATHLETES

Olympic gymnast Laurie Hernandez rationalized to herself that her coach pushed her just like any coach challenges young athletes. She came to realize there was nothing normal about the behavior. It was emotional abuse. In this session, Laurie shares her perspective on coaching kids.

1–2 PM ET
BUILDING THE CAPACITY OF COMMUNITY PROVIDERS

WHY SPORT FOR ALL MATTERS, WITH ALEX MORGAN

The U.S. women’s national team soccer star explains how the quality of her youth sport experiences shaped the athlete she is today and why she wants every kid to have one.

BUILDING HUMAN CAPACITY

Project Play’s Call for Leadership recognizes the need to recruit more youth and school coaches, including more women and former college athletes. Explore emerging opportunities that can help build an army of qualified coaches who can deliver high-quality, low-cost community sports.

BUILDING TECH CAPACITY

Our Call for Leadership also recognizes the need to provide community-based providers with better digital tools to more efficiently train coaches, deploy programming, and partner with organizations. Explore several promising ideas, including those that can also help families.

LIVE WORKSHOPS
HOW TO COACH SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SKILLS
3–4:15 PM ET OR 5–6:15 PM ET

Project Play has released a video series and related resources entitled This is Winning. Learn more about these tools and how to integrate them into your coach training. In addition, we will introduce a new self-assessment mechanism to gauge the impact of coaches on social and emotional skill development.

HOW TO DESIGN FOR YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES
3–4:15 PM ET

Youth with disabilities have the least access to sport. Project Play has adapted our Calls for Coaches framework to help coaches engage athletes of all abilities. Share ideas with leaders who have created inclusive sports environments.

DAY 4: Friday, October 16

11 AM–12 PM ET
RETHINKING THE ROI OF YOUTH SPORTS

WELCOME BY TATYANA MCFADDEN
MICHAEL LEWIS ON WHY PARENTS PLAY THIS GAME

The author of The Blind Side and Moneyball shares insights about his adventures as a travel team parent of a softball-playing daughter, the subject of a new audiobook.

WHERE DID THE INCENTIVES GO?

Youth sports have been reshaped by the chase for the NCAA scholarship and team roster spot, with parents investing in private training as early as grade school in the hopes of a downstream ROI for their child. Since COVID-19, colleges have cut hundreds of programs, moving many to club status. This session explores where the trend is headed and asks: How will youth sports be impacted? How can colleges help center the model more on the values of health and inclusion?

1–2 PM ET
NEXT STEPS IN BUILDING A YOUTH-CENTERED MODEL FOR SPORTS

GIVING KIDS A RIGHT TO PLAY SPORTS

The voice of professional and college athletes has grown across sports, but what about kids — who is advocating for them? What do they want and deserve in a sport experience? Project Play talks with player representatives from Athletes for Hope about principles that can be used to improve the delivery of programs and promote the goals of health, safety and equity — by race, gender and ability.

THE FUTURE OF OLYMPIC & PARALYMPIC SPORT

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented unexpected challenges and opportunities for sport in the U.S. Participation in sport brings tremendous value to society, and serves as a pipeline to compete on the world’s biggest stage. What have we learned and what should we consider? With an eye on future Games, including the return to LA in 2028, we want a positive story to tell about our nation’s state of play broadly and the expanded impact of sport in our country. What’s the role of the Olympic and Paralympic community in making it happen? And what support is needed?

LIVE WORKSHOPS
HOW TO USE PROJECT PLAY TOOLS TO RESPONSIBLY RETURN TO PLAY
3–4:15 PM ET

Tools such as the Healthy Sport Index, TeamSnap’s Return to Sports Heat Map, the Aspen Institute’s Return to Play Risk Assessment Guide and Project Play’s parent survey data can help you use the best available information to guide your decisions on how to responsibly return to play.

HOW FAMILIES CAN FOSTER SPORT FOR ALL, PLAY FOR LIFE
3–4:15 PM ET OR 5–6:15 PM ET

Project Play’s mission is to create healthy communities through sport. As this moment in time shifts our understanding of community, learn how families can be empowered to shape community-based sport and physical activity.

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