Savannah Bananas Chief of Staff Nina Johnson on Bananas’ Entrance Into Youth Sports

Savannah Bananas Chief of Staff Nina Johnson on Bananas’ Entrance Into Youth Sports

Banana Ball Chief of Staff, Nina Johnson, dives into how the Savannah Bananas are approaching youth camps and tournaments, what a future Banana Ball youth league could look like, the challenges facing community-based programs, and how parents a lot of times shape sports decision-making. 0:00 - Bananas Vision for Youth Programming 10:26 - Maintaining Control Over the Experience 20:27 - Scaling Banana Ball Through Acquisition 25:54 - Balancing Accessibility & Affordability 30:47 - Rec Leagues vs. Organized Experience 42:13 - Parents & Community Role In Sports 47:13 - "Sandlot" Style Intiatives 49:54 - The Role of Parents in Youth Sports 55:07 - Future of Youth Sports in Bananaland 59:41 - Banana Ball's Softball Potential 1:01:02 - Opportunity in Case of MLB Lockout? 1:03:25 - Warehouse Tour of Grayson Stadium Follow Us: Subscribe to the Newsletter: https://www.buyingsandlot.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/buying-sandlot/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buyingsandlot TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@buyingsandlot

NFL FLAG's New Owner Reveals Vision for Youth Sports

We're joined today by RCX Sports' CEO, Izell Reese, and Brand Velocity Group Founding Partner, Austin Ramos. We discuss BVG’s recent acquisition of RCX, why they believe youth sports remains a compelling investment opportunity, how RCX grew NFL FLAG into the largest youth flag football league in the world, why affordability and accessibility remain at the center of their mission, general thoughts on private equity’s role in youth sports and if The Let Kids Play Act had any effect on the sale, and global expansion plus what comes next. 0:00 - Inside The BVG/RCX Sports Deal for NFL Flag 7:44 - Partnerships With NFL & Other Leagues 12:23 - More Expansion, Investment, & Growth 18:51 - Fan Engagement vs. Player Development 22:30 - How Legislation Impacted The Deal 26:21 - Future Plans & Multi-Sport Opportunities Follow Us: Subscribe to the Newsletter: https://www.buyingsandlot.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/buying-sandlot/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buyingsandlot TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@buyingsandlot

State Governments Get In On Youth Sports Legislation

Today we're talking about a bill in Massachusetts that wants to establish a state governing body for youth sports, the MLB draft proposal could have some drastic effects on youth baseball, news releases in the age of The Let Kids Play Act, and a youth Whiffle Ball League is a point for organized pick up. 0:00 - Buying Sandlot Premium Update 5:51 - Youth Sports Regulation in New England 11:28 - Benefits & Challenges of Regulation 35:07 - MLB Draft Plan Could Bring Major Change 49:10 - The Case for Sponsorship in an Age of The Let Kids Play Act 55:45 - A Point for Organized Pick Up Follow Us: Subscribe to the Newsletter: https://www.buyingsandlot.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/buying-sandlot/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buyingsandlot TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@buyingsandlot

Sportball Bets Big on Texas

On today's episode Quinten Griffiths, CEO of Sportball, one of the largest rec sports providers in North America talks about why Sportball believes the future of youth sports starts before kindergarten, how the company is helping parents navigate specialization in sports, why Quinten sees a massive opportunity for non-competitive youth sports in America, and he gives his thoughts on the Let Kids Play Act targeting private equity’s growing interest in the industry. 0:00 - Sportball Is Betting Big on Texas 6:35 - Unique Coach, Business, & Culture Model 24:42 - Government & PE's Role in Youth Sports 42:44 - Youth Social Media Ban & Future Goals Follow Us: Subscribe to the Newsletter: https://www.buyingsandlot.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/buying-sandlot/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buyingsandlot TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@buyingsandlot

2026 Youth Sports Predictions: A Mid-Year Checkpoint

On today’s episode we check back in on the Youth Sports predictions we made in January, now that we’re at the halfway point. How many did we get right and how many have we been flat out wrong about so far? We look into the state of international expansion, government legislation, flag football infrastructure, and the SportsEngine sale. Later in the episode, we'll have more predictions for rest of 2026 centered around The Savannah Bananas, interoperability, sports academies, and plenty more. 0:00 - Youth Sports Expands Internationally 7:52 - An Elite High School Football Platform Launches 8:52 - Governments Will Tackle Affordability 11:28 - Organized Pickup Becomes A Hot Trend 16:16 - Parents Pushback On Specialization 19:39 - A Title IX-based Challenge to the House Settlement 22:03 - Sportstainment Grows 25:59 - Flag & Volleyball Increase Infrastructure 27:24 - Versant Will Partially Sell SportsEngine 30:25 - A Youth Sports Credit Card Is Introduced 32:18 - More Predictions For The Rest Of 2026 Follow Us: Subscribe to the Newsletter: https://www.buyingsandlot.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/buying-sandlot/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buyingsandlot TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@buyingsandlot