ESPN believes that all kids should have the same opportunity to play sports and focuses on helping those with the least access to participate. Kids who play sports are not only building healthier lifestyles, but also doing better in school and having more positive outcomes as adults. Unfortunately, there isn't equal access to sports, and large populations, including girls, youth in communities of color and those from lower-income households continue to miss out on the many benefits that should be theirs. This is especially troubling for groups who were already at a disadvantage prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since we started our Access to Sports and Leadership through Sports strategy seven years ago, ESPN has remained committed to ensuring that kids from all backgrounds and abilities can play.
According to Project Play's State of Play 2021, only 42% of African American and 47% of Hispanic parents anticipate their child will resume sports activities at the same or higher level from before the pandemic. The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion has found that 80% of young people, many poor, do not meet federal guidelines for daily physical activity. Additionally, lower income kids are six times more likely to quit youth sports than their more well-off peers, according to the Aspen Institute.
To help reverse the decline in youth sports participation, ESPN is investing in programs that remove the barrier to entry in youth sports. As part of our commitment to ensure our social investments are going to those who need it the most, ESPN committed more than $1 million in 2021 to support youth sports programs that benefit African American and Black communities. ESPN is committed to creating and launching programs that create opportunities for young people, especially from marginalized and underrepresented communities, to access sports.
Most recently, ESPN in partnership with Beyond Sport, announced the Return to Play Fund to help drive opportunities for youth in communities of color, who are disproportionately affected by the pandemic, to return to the field of play. It's designed to get young people moving again and provide them with opportunities to help them grow and succeed.
