Congress scrutinizes private equity in youth sports

A bipartisan House committee on Tuesday examined the growing role of private equity in youth sports, reflecting rising concern in Congress about higher costs and reduced access for families. The hearing, led by the House Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education subcommittee, focused on how consolidation and investor activity may be affecting the price of youth participation and the availability of communitybased programs. Lawmakers from both parties said they wanted to protect access while limiting practices that could push fees higher. Rep. Kevin Kiley, the subcommittee chair, said some markets are seeing costs rise as affordable options shrink. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici said youth sports can become less accessible when market power is left unchecked, and she pointed to stronger transparency and antitrust enforcement as possible responses. Rep. Burgess Owens said investment can be useful, but argued Congress should keep out bad actors and ensure the focus stays on children rather than investor returns. The discussion comes as private capital has expanded into a youth sports sector the Aspen Institute has valued at about $40 billion in the U.S. Recent deals, including acquisitions by private equity firms of IMG Academy and Varsity Brands, have increased attention on how the business of youth sports is changing.