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Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., thinks private equity’s involvement in youth sports will spark the next populist outrage.
The Connecticut Democrat and Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Pa., are pushing a bill aimed at restricting private equity’s investment in youth sports that has some Democratic co-sponsors.
But Murphy said that after the midterms, he’ll be aiming to find GOP supporters and to fashion a bipartisan solution that can be considered next year, as the tides turn on the issue.
“I think that’s an issue that’ll be bipartisan over time,” Murphy told Semafor. “I think in the next Congress we’ll be able to do a version of that bill that has Republican support.”
Murphy drew a parallel to bipartisan consensus against AI data centers, arguing that both parties recognize the rising cost of travel sports is unsustainable for many families.
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“That is becoming an issue that a lot of parents are talking about. Like the data center issue, that really entered the national political conversation organically because of citizen outrage,” Murphy said. “It’s parents that are really coming to the conclusion that the professionalization of 8-year-old sports is not good for them, their family, or their kids, and I think that’s coming from parents on the right and parents on the left.”
Private youth sports groups have argued their presence allows investments in things like ice rinks that otherwise wouldn’t receive the same amount of funding. But the increasing role of private equity firms is also driving up costs, with adolescent athletes looking at pricier options outside of rec leagues at younger and younger ages.
Burgess’s view
As a parent of two sporty boys, I know the options are dizzying for young kids. My family has managed to avoid shelling out thousands for travel teams so far, because sports are supposed to be fun … right?
But it’s hard for them to just be fun when they are so expensive, and there are multiple costly alternatives to rec leagues. And when everyone from your neighborhood plays in a different league, that just adds to parents’ challenges.