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A decade ago, I wrote a book that comprehensively surveyed the landscape of youth sports. I wanted to know: How did the United States become the world’s sports superpower while producing such a physically inactive population? What contribution, if any, did our sports ecosystem play in producing these seemingly opposite outcomes? And, has any nation figured out a more effective model?
France. Germany. Australia. Canada. Spain. Cuba. China. I studied them all.
A few weeks ago, finally, I found what I think is my answer.
Imagine a society in which 93 percent of children grow up playing organized sports.