Buying Sandlot: The Business of Youth Sports

Buying Sandlot
  • 5.0 (7)
  • Business

The leading podcast covering the business of youth sports. Interviews with the most important people shaping the future of youth sports. Analysis on the latest industry news. Hosted by Kyle Scott and Kyle Pagan.

  1. From DARPA to Youth Sports: SportsVisio's Sports Analytic Revolution

    17h ago

    From DARPA to Youth Sports: SportsVisio's Sports Analytic Revolution

    A former hacker and DARPA program manager Jason Syversen launched SportsVisio after an 8-figure exit from his cybersecurity company. SportsVisio brings computer vision and AI to youth sports and helps teams, clubs, schools, and facilities automatically capture games, generate highlights and box scores, and track stats typically only available to the highest levels. We talk about the product, democratizing sports analytics, why AI-generated highlights are becoming a must-have rather than a nice-to-have, trends in youth sports & facilities (he also owns a 30,000 sq. ft. sports complex), the role youth sports plays in national security, and future funding plans. 0:00 - Target Customers & Subsidizing Sports Data 7:13 - Achieving 99% Stat Accuracy & AI Coaching 16:39 - Trends In Youth Sports & Facilities 25:17 - Recruiting, Brands, & National Security 34:35 - Future Funding Plans & Expansions Follow Us: Subscribe to the Newsletter: https://www.buyingsandlot.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/buying-sandlot/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buyingsandlot TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@buyingsandlot

    41 min
  2. Building A Gig Economy For Youth Sports Referees

    3d ago

    Building A Gig Economy For Youth Sports Referees

    Huck Sorock, Co-Founder and CEO of Refr Sports, is one of the fastest-growing companies in the officiating technology space. A former hockey player and referee, Huck experienced firsthand the challenges officials face—from inefficient scheduling and long payment delays to the broader referee shortage impacting youth sports across the country. We talked about how technology is changing officiating, the referee shortage, why assigners hold so much influence, and why Huck believes officials represent one of the biggest infrastructure opportunities in the entire sports industry. 0:00 - Identifying Tech Inefficiencies in Reffing 8:04 - Market Data: Age, Pay, Games & More 15:38 - Relationships, Distribution, & Scale 21:01 - Thoughts On NGB & Rec Partnerships 25:16 - How to Combat a Ref Shortage 30:12 - How Far Away is Ai Officiating? 32:38 - Community Building & Instant Cash Outs 37:25 - Funding Journey & Business Growth Follow Us: Subscribe to the Newsletter: https://www.buyingsandlot.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/buying-sandlot/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buyingsandlot TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@buyingsandlot

    40 min
  3. The Futures App: Home Base for Youth Sports

    4d ago

    The Futures App: Home Base for Youth Sports

    Jake Hirabayashi, founder and CEO of The Futures App, talks about his all-in-one youth sports technology platform focused on: team management, training delivery, and athlete development. During this interview we dive deeper into the player development modules, expanding to new sports, his thoughts on interoperability, and a new partnership with CURVE sports. 0:00 - Training Modules & Player Development 7:14 - Expansion Into Different Sports 8:35 - Interoperability & Payment Solutions 12:27 - Partnership With Curve Sports 14:51 - Funding Journey & Future Raises Follow Us: Subscribe to the Newsletter: https://www.buyingsandlot.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/buying-sandlot/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buyingsandlot TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@buyingsandlot

    16 min
  4. A Deep Dive into TPH Academy's Model with Steve Sanders

    5d ago

    A Deep Dive into TPH Academy's Model with Steve Sanders

    New Chief Growth Officer at TPH Academy, Steve Sanders, talks about the innovative day school model, growth opportunities in a variety of club sports, education trends, new revenue streams, and the emerging legislation. 0:00 - Premium Community Update! 3:42 - Why Steve Left For Tph & His New Role 6:03 - TPH Academy's Sports, Club, And Day School Model 10:46 - Sports Academy Opportunity & Demand 17:54 - EdTech, NIL Literacy, & NCAA Compliance 26:13 - Partnerships, Growth, & Flag Pathways 32:58 - Market Size, Consolidation, & New Revenue Streams 41:06 - Tourney Shifts, Private Equity, & Brand Partnerships Thanks to EventConnect for sponsoring the episode. Run your entire tournament on one operating system — or connect the tools you already use. Grow room nights, end spreadsheet chaos, and keep every datapoint in one place with live pace for hotels, impact for CVBs, and a smoother path for families. Check out the Operating System of Youth Sports at https://eventconnectsports.com/ Follow Us: Subscribe to the Newsletter: https://www.buyingsandlot.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/buying-sandlot/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buyingsandlot TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@buyingsandlot

    52 min
  5. US Soccer's Plan to Scout 70 Million Players Using AI

    Jun 8

    US Soccer's Plan to Scout 70 Million Players Using AI

    US Soccer execs spoke about a proprietary AI tool the federation built that will scout 50-70 million American-eligible soccer players. We also talk about the recent amendments the NCAA made to their eligibility rules, World Cup teams are forgoing state of the art training centers for high school sports academies, and there is a business opportunity as high school athletes capitalizing on NIL ball out on prom. 0:00 - Us Soccer Using Ai to Scout 70 Million Players 17:16 - Sports Academies Host World Cup Elite 20:21 - NCAA Amends Age Rule 22:56 - NIL Millionaires Ball Out on Prom 26:08 - TikTok Shows Brilliant Sponsor Idea Follow Us: Subscribe to the Newsletter: https://www.buyingsandlot.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/buying-sandlot/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buyingsandlot TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@buyingsandlot

    30 min
  6. i9 Sports' New President on Youth Sports Expansion

    Jun 7

    i9 Sports' New President on Youth Sports Expansion

    The new President of i9 Sports, Ron Shimek, talks about I9’s plans to scale with intention, their expansion into new mrkets, sports, and schools, and the goals they have around girls flag football plus more. 0:00 - Ron Shimek's New Role at i9 Sports 7:04 - Scaling i9 Sports with Intention 9:59 - Expanding to New Markets & Schools 17:39 - Customer Habits & Expanding Sports 21:23 - i9's Girls Flag Football Goals 24:04 - Rec vs. Club, LKP Act, & "Good PE" 27:41 - One Year Outlook: Media, Tech, Sponsorship Follow Us: Subscribe to the Newsletter: https://www.buyingsandlot.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/buying-sandlot/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buyingsandlot TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@buyingsandlot

    30 min
  7. Eli Manning's PE Firm Buys RCX Sports

    Jun 5

    Eli Manning's PE Firm Buys RCX Sports

    Eli Manning's private equity firm, Brand Velocity Group, makes a significant investment in youth sports acquiring RCX Sports. Another background check debacle happens as the New Orleans Recreation Department fails to conduct proper volunteer compliance. Raising Cane's and LCMC Health spend $2.6 million on stadium naming rights. 0:00 - The Premium Community is Live! 4:47 - Eli Manning's PE Firm Buys RCX Sports 16:17 - Another Background Check Debacle 23:53 - Raising Cane's Inks Naming Rights Deal 30:37 - Sponsorship Opportunities in Youth Sports Follow Us: Subscribe to the Newsletter: https://www.buyingsandlot.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/buying-sandlot/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buyingsandlot TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@buyingsandlot

    38 min
  8. XbotGo's Aggressive Innovation Strategy

    Jun 4

    XbotGo's Aggressive Innovation Strategy

    XbotGo's CEO, David Tan, announces Julian Alvarez as global ambassador before the World Cup. We talk about the "Dare to Dream" campaign, the future of AI sports cameras, their product innovations coming shortly, enhancing player development and what Apple's innovative MLS broadcast signals. 0:00 - Xbotgo Announces Global Ambassador 4:32 - What Is The Future Of Sports Cameras? 6:47 - Making The Cameras More Accessible 10:51 - Plans To Release Multiple Cameras Next Year 16:32 - Camera & Fandom Innovation 20:06 - Highlights Vs. Player Development 24:40 - Apple's Innovative Soccer Broadcast Follow Us: Subscribe to the Newsletter: https://www.buyingsandlot.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/buying-sandlot/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buyingsandlot TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@buyingsandlot

    27 min
See All (74)

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

The leading podcast covering the business of youth sports. Interviews with the most important people shaping the future of youth sports. Analysis on the latest industry news. Hosted by Kyle Scott and Kyle Pagan.

Information

You Might Also Like