Is Money Ruining Youth Sports? | The Stepback with Blake Griffin

Blake Griffin paid $80 for a wristband to watch his own son play basketball, plus $60 to park for the weekend. On this episode of The Stepback, he takes a step back to look at how youth sports went from backyard ball to a $40 billion industry, and why it's pushing so many kids out of sports. Blake breaks down early sports specialization and why playing one sport year round leads to more injuries and burnout. He also covers the rise of Tommy John surgery in teenagers and how private equity companies are buying up rinks and charging parents to stream their kids’ games. He looks at what the system costs families, from Steve Nash’s take on how youth sports turned into a business to Alex Rodriguez wondering whether he’d have made it if he were a kid today. As a parent himself, he closes with his advice for sports parents, starting with building the athlete first and the specialist later. #BlakeGriffin #TheStepbackwithBlakeGriffin Don't miss a video! Subscribe NOW:    / @stepbackwithblakegriffin   ABOUT THE STEPBACK WITH BLAKE GRIFFIN The Stepback with Blake Griffin is a weekly late-night sports show hosted by six-time NBA All-Star Blake Griffin, recorded in front of a live audience. Every Tuesday, Blake takes on the biggest and messiest stories in sports, from the economics of sports betting and NIL to taxpayer-funded stadiums, officiating, analytics and the hot-take machine that is sports media. He brings the view of someone who spent 14 seasons in the NBA, plus the joke of someone who is finally sitting down on purpose. New episodes every Tuesday on YouTube and Amazon Prime Video. Produced by Wondery and Mortal Media. FOLLOW THE STEPBACK Instagram:   / stepbackwithblakegriffin   TikTok:   / stepbackwithblakegriffin   Facebook:   / stepbackwithblakegriffin   X:   / thestepbackshow   FOLLOW BLAKE GRIFFIN Instagram:   / blakegriffin23   TikTok:   / blakegriffin23   Facebook:   / blakegriffin32   X:   / blakegriffin23   Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to The Stepback with Blake Griffin 01:02 The Problem With Youth Sports 02:20 The Rise of the Youth Sports Industry 03:50 The Problem With Early Specialization 06:41 The Benefits of Playing Multiple Sports 08:44 The Rise of Youth Sports Injuries 13:21 Parents and Youth Sports 19:16 Blake’s Advice to Parents Is Money Ruining Youth Sports? | The Stepback with Blake Griffin    • Welcome to The Stepback with Blake Griffin