Colorado CoachEm Up

Who is to Blame? Part 2: When youth sports became a business.

In Part 2 of “Who Is to Blame?” we take a deeper look at the club sports industry, coaching, and the system shaping today’s youth athletes. From the rise of the pay-to-play model to the illusion of “A teams,” we unpack how youth sports has become a marketplace—and what that means for families, coaches, and kids. We challenge the idea that paying more leads to better opportunities, expose the reality behind recruiting promises, and question whether showcase culture is helping or hurting development. Along the way, we dive into why many youth coaches are never trained to lead, how the focus on winning can override real growth, and how schools are being forced to adapt to a system they no longer control. At its core, this conversation isn’t about blaming one group—it’s about understanding a system that’s slowly drifting away from what youth sports is supposed to be.

Who’s to blame? Part 1: The state of youth sports

Youth sports is a multi-billion dollar industry. Families are spending more than ever. And 70% of kids quit by age 13. So… who is to blame? In the Season 3 premiere of the Colorado CoachEm Up Podcast, we tackle one of the biggest questions in sports today. Parents, clubs, coaches, schools, communities — nobody is fully off the hook. We also talk multi-sport athletes, old school coaches vs. new school athletes, and introduce our new segment: Get Off My Lawn.

Hope, Opportunity and the kids getting left behind.

We’re back behind the mic — and this time, it’s personal. What started as a debate about Bad Boys vs. Rush Hour quickly turned into something deeper: why we launched this podcast in the first place. Youth sports are changing. The cost is rising. Kids are getting priced out. Recreation leagues that once gave us opportunity — PAL, Parks & Rec, Boys & Girls Club — are shrinking or disappearing. And by the time athletes reach high school, many want to compete… but don’t feel prepared enough to stay. This episode revisits the “why.” We talk about: • The growing access gap in youth athletics • Confidence, development, and why private training is now the norm • The difference between paying fees and building people • Why coaching with purpose matters more than ever And for the first time, we introduce Concrete Sports — a nonprofit built to bring development and mentorship back to underserved communities. Because sports didn’t just give us games. They gave us people. They gave us direction. They pulled us back. We’re not here for clicks. We’re here for impact. We’re back.

Problem solving: We do not perform well on game day…help

In this episode Bubba and Jesse dive into women’s basketball and greater effect on women’s sports. They talk about high school baseball in Colorado and the complexities of weather and rescheduling games. Then they offer advice to coaches who are struggling to get performance out of their teams on game days.

The Co$t of Sports

In the return episode of the Colorado Coachem Up podcast Bubba and Jesse discuss the cost of sports and how it affects the youth in the inner city.