Key Takeaways
- Up to 90% of public basketball hoops in some cities lack nets, State Farm said, citing data from Chicago and New York City.
- The insurer’s Red Nets program has shipped more than 10,000 nets to courts nationwide since launching in October 2025.
- State Farm timed the milestone to its Good Neighbor Month and says the goal is a net on every public hoop that needs one.
GET YOUR NET HERE
State Farm has sent more than 10,000 red basketball nets to public courts in all 50 states through its State Farm Red Nets initiative, the company announced on September 22, 2026. The milestone came less than a year after the program launched in October 2025, and State Farm marked it during its annual Good Neighbor Month.
The program provides nets to public basketball courts that are missing them. Communities can request nets through the official State Farm Red Nets website, according to the company.
How Many Public Basketball Hoops Are Missing Nets?
The initiative targets a basic gap in court infrastructure. In some cities, up to 90% of public basketball hoops are missing nets, according to State Farm, which cited data from Chicago and New York City.
Alyson Griffin, Head of Marketing at State Farm, tied the effort directly to youth play. The nets represent “more places for neighbors to gather, young people to play and communities to connect,” Griffin said.
A Brand Platform Built on Court-Level Fixes
The announcement came from State Farm’s marketing leadership, and Griffin described Red Nets as the company’s Good Neighbor ethos in action. For State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, the Bloomington, Illinois insurer ranked No. 32 on the 2025 Fortune 500 according to the release, the program puts its brand color on a physical fixture at thousands of neighborhood courts rather than in a stadium or broadcast.
10,000 Nets Down, Every Bare Rim Still the Target
State Farm framed the 10,000 mark as progress, not completion. The company said the program’s ambition is to get a net onto every public basketball hoop that needs one. It has not disclosed a total target, a timeline, or program spending, which leaves the size of the remaining job undefined.
Source: State Farm Newsroom, September 22, 2026, https://newsroom.statefarm.com/state-farm-red-nets-reaches-10000-nets-helping-keep-the-game-going-in-communities-across-the-country/
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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.
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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.
