Key Takeaways
- Q-Collar is the official sponsor of the 2026 ESPN High School Football Kickoff, a seven-game August slate featuring six top-25 teams and 33 ESPN 300 recruits.
- Every participating school receives a package of Q-Collar devices plus educational materials on brain health, extending the deal beyond broadcast inventory.
- Q30 Innovations cites 25 peer-reviewed studies and a 66 percent reduction in likelihood of brain damage over a season of contact play.
- Paragon Sports Marketing, acquired by Playfly Sports in 2025, brokered the partnership after 23 years and more than 1,350 high school telecasts with ESPN.
Inside the Seven-Game High School Football Sponsorship
Q-Collar, the neck-worn protective device developed by Q30 Innovations, announced a new high school football sponsorship with ESPN covering the 2026 ESPN High School Football Kickoff. The series is a seven-game national slate that, according to the announcement, features six teams ranked in the top 25 nationally and 33 players ranked in the ESPN 300.
The series opened Thursday, August 20, with an all-Tennessee matchup between Brentwood Academy and No. 18 Baylor School, and runs through Saturday, August 29, across ESPN and ESPN2. The back half of the schedule includes No. 3 Bishop Gorman (Nev.) against Christopher Columbus (Fla.), DeSoto (Texas) against No. 6 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.), and an Arizona finale between Chandler and No. 24 Basha.
What Does the Q-Collar Actually Do?
The Q-Collar is worn around the neck and applies light pressure intended to limit brain movement during head impacts. Per the company, it is the first and only FDA-cleared sports equipment proven to help protect the brain from the effects of repetitive head impacts. The device received FDA authorization in February 2021 and launched in the United States in September 2021.
Q30 Innovations says the product is backed by more than 10 years of research and 25 peer-reviewed studies, and cites a 66 percent reduction in the likelihood of brain damage from contact sports over a season of play. The company reports the device is currently worn by professional and youth athletes in football, lacrosse, soccer, and winter sports, as well as members of the armed forces.
Sponsorship Assets Reach From Broadcast to Locker Room
The activation runs across each game broadcast through commercials, billboards, custom graphics, and on-field signage. Q-Collar will also be integrated into original SportsCenter Next social content following selected teams as they prepare for and compete in the series.
The piece most relevant to youth sports operators sits off camera: each participating school receives a package containing Q-Collar devices and educational materials focused on brain health and safety, putting product directly in the hands of programs rather than limiting the deal to media exposure.
“By making brain health and safety part of the national conversation surrounding these games, we hope to help young athletes understand that prioritizing protection while pursuing peak performance can and should go hand in hand,” said Tom Hoey, CEO and Co-Founder of Q30 Innovations.
Paragon’s 23-Year Pipeline to National High School Audiences
The deal was arranged through Paragon Sports Marketing, the corporate consulting agency acquired by Playfly Sports in 2025. According to the release, Paragon has worked with ESPN for more than 23 years and delivered over 1,350 live high school sports telecasts.
Rashid Ghazi, President of Paragon Sports Marketing, said the Kickoff series has brought top teams, talent, and recruits to a live national audience for 17 seasons. For brands, that history makes the property a rare packaged entry point into high school football: national linear distribution, elite programs, and a broker with an established ESPN relationship. Parent company Playfly says its fan engagement platform reaches over 85 percent of U.S. sports fans.
A Brain Safety Pitch Ends With Three Games in One Night
Q-Collar’s first Kickoff campaign compresses its national argument into ten days of football. The company gets six ranked teams, dozens of blue-chip recruits, and a school-by-school device distribution program, all wrapped around a safety message aimed at the families watching at home. The series closes Saturday, August 29, with a tripleheader spanning Nevada, Texas, Florida, and Arizona programs, ending with Chandler and No. 24 Basha at 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Source: Q30 Innovations Press Release, August 2026, Q30.com
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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.
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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.
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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.
