By Steve Montoya – MaxPreps Sr. Director Editorial
Every August, you can feel it coming.
The lights turn on. The stands start filling up. Marching bands are rehearsing. Student sections are figuring out this year’s themes. Parents are making plans. Coaches and athletes are getting ready for the moments they’ve spent all offseason working toward.
High school sports are back.
For those of us lucky enough to work in this space, this is one of the best times of the year.
There’s something special about Friday night lights that is difficult to replicate anywhere else in sports. Yes, the games matter. The rankings matter. The rivalries matter. And for some of the athletes taking the field this fall, these games will be another step toward playing on Saturdays and maybe even Sundays.
But high school sports have always been about something bigger.
They bring communities together.
On any given Friday night this fall, that scene will play out thousands of times across the country. In big cities and small towns. At nationally known programs and schools most sports fans have never heard of. Football stadiums will fill up. Gyms will get loud. Volleyball teams will battle and cross country runners will hit the course. Flag football will continue its remarkable rise. Golfers will tee it up, water polo teams will hit the pool, and in some states, softball teams will take the field. Across every fall sport, athletes will have the chance to represent their schools and communities.
That scale and the passion behind it is what makes high school sports so powerful.
At MaxPreps and across PlayOn, we get a front-row seat to it every day. Our opportunity is to celebrate these athletes, schools and communities and help more people experience the moments that make high school sports special.
Sometimes those moments also create a national stage.
This weekend is a perfect example.
MaxPreps Game of the Week features No. 1 St. John Bosco against No. 2 Bishop Gorman, a matchup between two of the premier high school football programs in the country.
It’s the kind of game high school football fans circle on the calendar. Elite players. Two proud programs. Huge expectations. And a chance to see the very best of the sport right as a new season gets underway.
Fans can watch MaxPreps Game of the Week here.
Games like this show just how much high school sports have grown as a national storytelling opportunity. A matchup happening in one community can now be experienced by fans across the country.
But what I love most is that the national spotlight doesn’t change what makes the game meaningful in the first place.
There will still be students in the stands cheering for their classmates. Families watching their kids compete. Coaches who have invested countless hours preparing their teams. Alumni following along from wherever they are. Young kids watching from the sidelines imagining themselves wearing that uniform someday.
That is the heartbeat of high school sports.
Over the next several months, there will be state championships won, records broken, unforgettable performances and athletes who introduce themselves to the country.
There will also be thousands of moments that never make a national highlight reel but mean everything to the people who experience them.
A first varsity start. A rivalry win. A senior night. A personal best. A packed student section. A team celebrating together after months of work.
Those moments are why this season matters.
So as the lights come on across the country and another year of high school sports begins, I’m reminded how fortunate we are to play a small part in telling these stories and connecting people to them.
Fall sports are here.
Friday night lights are back.
And there’s nothing quite like it.
Steve Montoya is the Senior Director of Content at MaxPreps and PlayOn Sports, where he leads the written, social and video teams telling the stories of high school sports across the country. He recently celebrated his 20th year with MaxPreps, spending two decades helping grow the brand while championing the athletes, coaches, schools and communities that make high school sports special.
Montoya’s connection to high school sports extends beyond his professional career. He is a longtime high school softball coach and currently serves as a head high school flag football coach. He is also the author of *The Hillmen*, the remarkable true story of a 1981 high school football team that endured multiple tragedies and somehow found a way to prevail.
About Youth Sports Business Report
Youth Sports Business Report (YSBR) is the largest and most trusted media platform covering the business of youth sports worldwide. YSBR delivers youth sports news, market intelligence, and original analysis daily across facilities, sponsorships, private equity, NIL, sports technology, and league operations. With more than 50,000 followers, YSBR is the leading source of youth sports industry news for the investors, owners, operators, and brands shaping the future of youth sports.
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.
What does YSBR cover?
YSBR delivers original reporting and market intelligence on youth sports facilities, youth sports technology, sponsorship and brand partnerships, private equity and venture capital deals, NIL policy, coaching development, equipment and apparel, tournaments and events, and community sports initiatives. Readers include industry executives, investors, facility owners and operators, league administrators, and youth sports parents.
Youth Sports Business Report resources
- Newsletter: Subscribe to Youth Sports HQ, the most-read newsletter on the business of youth sports, delivering curated youth sports industry news and analysis to thousands of industry leaders every week.
- Research: Read the Youth Sports TAM & Parent Spending Report, an exclusive YSBR and Kinetica Group analysis of market size, parent spending, and marketplace opportunities.
- Jobs: Browse the YSBR Youth Sports Job Board, the most comprehensive destination for careers in youth sports, with hundreds of active listings across facility management, league operations, coaching, sports technology, and marketing.
- Services: Find vetted partners and solutions for your organization in the YSBR Services Hub, connecting youth sports operators, brands, and investors with verified providers across the industry.
- About: Learn more about Youth Sports Business Report and our editorial standards.
Follow Youth Sports Business Report (YSBR): LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | X | Substack
Check out Jr. Sports Marketing on YouTube or Spotify
Hosted by Cameron Korab, founder of Youth Sports Business Report, Jr. Sports Marketing features candid 1-on-1 conversations with the brands, athletes, leagues, and innovators building the future of youth sports. Each episode breaks down how the smartest brands are activating, building equity, and winning with youth sports families. If you’re an operator, founder, investor, or marketer trying to understand where this space is headed, this is your show.
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.
