Sports Change Lives

The threat to youth sports

Sixty Three Percent

63% Lack the Funding

63% of public school sports budgets are stagnant or decreasing.***

33%

33% Fewer Sports

High-poverty schools offer 1/3 fewer sports than low-poverty schools.***

25%

25% Participation Gap

25% participation gap between children of lower and higher income families.***

4X

4X Less Spend

Parents in lowest-income families spend approximately four times less on their child's sport than the wealthiest households.**

How The DICK'S Sporting Goods Foundation is Helping

$100 million

$100M

Since 2014, the Sports Matter Program has donated $100 million to support young athletes.

1 in 21 schools

1 in 21 schools

1 out of every 21 public schools has received funding for sports programs from The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation.

2M+ Kids

2M+ Kids

Our support has kept over 2 million kids in the game across all 50 states through the Sports Matter program.

42 Sports

42 Sports

Because we believe all chances to play are beneficial, we have provided grants for 42 different youth sports, and counting!

75for75

Resources

* Women Sports Foundation. (2019, July). The State of High School Sports in America: An Evaluation of the Nation’s Most Popular Extracurricular Activity.

** Aspen Institute Project Play. (n.d.). Youth Sports Facts. Retrieved July 2021.

*** Whitaker, A. A., Baker, G., Matthews, L. J., McCombs, J. S., and Barrett, M. (2019). Who Plays, Who Pays? Funding for and Access to Youth Sports. RAND Corporation.