DEEP DIVE: Linda Flanagan on Taking Back Kids' Sports

This "Deep Dive" series revisits a few of our past episodes on back-to-school challenges such as the morning rush, school projects which require lots of parental oversight, and how to help our kids navigate intensifying academic pressure.

Linda Flanagan is a journalist, researcher, and a former cross-country and track coach. She's also a founding board member of the Positive Coaching Alliance and an Advisory Group member for the Aspen Institute’s Reimagining Sports initiative. Flanagan's book is ⁠TAKE BACK THE GAME: How Money and Mania Are Ruining Kids' Sports--and Why It Matters⁠. Linda tells Amy and Margaret what forces conspired to make the youth sports landscape the way it is today.

In this episode, Linda, Amy, and Margaret discuss:

How the purpose of kids' sports has changed since we were playing ourselves [7:00]

Why we assume sports build character, and whether that's true [14:30]

How recruitment for college sports affects both kids' and parents' perspectives [22:15]

Here's where you can find Linda:

⁠Buy Linda's book⁠

@lindaflanagan2 on Twitter

⁠Mindshift Podcast on NPR⁠

Read Linda's article in The Atlantic: ⁠"The Downsides of Having an Athlete in the Family"⁠

Our previous episode on kids' sports: "⁠Youth Sports: If You Must⁠"