Key Takeaways
- Scholarships come from the Bartelsteins’ own money and help families cover registration for the Jr. Suns and Jr. Mercury leagues.
- RAMMS, a nonprofit that has run recreational activities for children for more than 60 years, is the program’s partner.
- Recipients also get game tickets and equipment, and the leagues are open to kindergarten through eighth grade.
Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury CEO Josh Bartelstein and his wife, Sydney, are launching a youth basketball scholarship program with RAMMS, a nonprofit that has run recreational activities for children for more than 60 years, Burn City Sports reported on October 28, 2026. The Bartelsteins are funding the scholarships personally. The money will help offset registration costs for the Jr. Suns and Jr. Mercury youth basketball leagues, and recipients will also get game tickets, equipment and other resources.
The stated goal, according to the report, is to expand participation in both leagues by lowering the cost of entry for families.
How Will the Jr. Suns and Jr. Mercury Scholarships Work?
The scholarships target the first cost a family meets: registration. Burn City Sports reported that the initiative will provide personally funded scholarships to help offset those fees. Recipients will also get access to Suns and Mercury game tickets, basketball equipment and additional resources.
Eligibility follows the leagues’ existing structure. Registration for the RAMMS Jr. Suns and Jr. Mercury leagues is open to students in kindergarten through eighth grade, with sign-ups handled through RAMMS.org, according to the report.
The announcement did not include a total dollar commitment, a per-player scholarship amount or a target number of recipients.
RAMMS Brings Six Decades of Recreational Programming to the Youth Basketball Scholarship Program
RAMMS serves as the delivery partner. Burn City Sports described the organization as a nonprofit that has served children through recreational activities for more than 60 years. RAMMS also runs registration for the Jr. Suns and Jr. Mercury leagues, so the scholarships go through the same organization that already manages the leagues day to day.
That arrangement puts the funding where families already sign up. A family applying for a scholarship deals with the same organization that runs their child’s league, and does not need to go through a separate program.
Bartelstein Ties the Scholarships to Confidence and Teamwork
Bartelstein presented the program in terms of personal development as much as basketball. In a press release cited by Burn City Sports, he said the Jr. Suns and Jr. Mercury leagues give young people across Arizona the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of basketball, develop important life skills and experience the joy of being part of a team.
He added: “Sydney and I look forward to supporting initiatives that create opportunities for children and families and help more kids play and build confidence.”
The report described the cost of participation as a challenge many families face when looking for sports opportunities for their children. The scholarship program addresses that cost directly by reducing registration fees instead of adding a new league or facility.
The Bartelsteins’ Scholarship Pool Has No Public Price Tag Yet
What is confirmed: the funding comes personally from the Bartelsteins, RAMMS delivers the program, it covers registration with tickets and equipment on top, and players in kindergarten through eighth grade can register now. What is not public yet is the scale. Without a disclosed dollar amount or recipient target, the first real measure of the program will be how many Arizona families it gets onto Jr. Suns and Jr. Mercury rosters this season.
Source / Adapted From: Burn City Sports (via Yahoo Sports), Wendy Lopez, October 28, 2026, https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/phoenix-suns-mercury-ceo-wife-022248369.html
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How big is the youth sports market?
American families spend approximately $54 billion annually on kids’ sports and recreation, according to the YSBR and Kinetica Group Youth Sports TAM & Parent Spending Report, with organized sports alone representing a $40 billion-plus market. The average family spent $1,016 on a child’s primary sport in 2024, up 46 percent since 2019, per the Aspen Institute’s Project Play, and market research projects the global youth sports market will reach approximately $114 billion by 2032 (Business Research Insights).
How many kids play youth sports in the United States?
Approximately 27.3 million children ages 6 to 17, or about 54.6 percent, played organized sports in 2022-2023, according to the National Survey of Children’s Health as reported by the Aspen Institute’s Project Play. High school sports participation reached a record 8.26 million athletes in 2024-25, per the NFHS.
Who founded Youth Sports Business Report?
Youth Sports Business Report was founded by Cameron Korab, a sports marketing veteran with more than a decade in the industry and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Korab also co-founded Vertical Sports, a sports marketing advisory serving brands across youth, college, and pro sports.
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Youth Sports Marketing Questions, Answered
Where can brands sponsor youth sports? Brands can sponsor youth sports through local leagues and clubs, tournaments and events, facilities and complexes, governing bodies, and national platform programs. Sponsoring a child’s own program is the most powerful entry point: 81 percent of parents say it captures their attention, outperforming TV, social media, and pro sports sponsorship, per a 2026 Priority Partnerships study conducted by YouGov Sport.
How much does youth sports sponsorship cost? Youth sports sponsorship costs range from a few thousand dollars for a local league or team sponsorship to six and seven figures for regional facility naming rights and national platform programs. The environment is welcoming at every level: 84 percent of parents hold net positive sentiment toward brands sponsoring youth sports, with negative sentiment under 5 percent, per YouGov Sport research. Most brands start with a pilot activation, measure engagement, then scale.
What is the ROI of youth sports marketing? The data is striking: 80 percent of parents say they would choose the brand that sponsors their child’s youth sports program when comparing two similar products, per a 2026 Priority Partnerships study by YouGov Sport. A 2026 EMARKETER and DICK’S Media survey found 84 percent of sports parents say that role influences their purchase decisions, and 60 percent spend more on game and practice days, driving loyalty across categories from dining to travel to automotive.
Ready to build a youth sports strategy? Vertical Sports is an Advisory+ delivering integrated expertise across all levels of sport. Youth, College, Pro. Every Fan, Every Level. Brands and youth sports organizations can reach the team at info@verticalsports.us.
