Yahoo Sports How the World Cup can give Kansas City kids more opportunity to play sports | Opinion
The eyes of the sports world will be on Kansas City in 2026 when the FIFA Men’s World Cup visits the region. It’s a tremendous opportunity for the city to leverage its passion for sports to achieve an important goal.
What if Kansas City’s World Cup legacy creates more equitable and quality sports opportunities to all children so they can develop as people?
Only 20% of surveyed Kansas City youth receive the 60 minutes of physical activity daily recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to the Aspen Institute’s recent State of Play Kansas City report in partnership with Children’s Mercy Kansas City. Physically active children expressed less anxiety, worry and nervousness and more happiness and motivation than their inactive peers.
Playing sports doesn’t guarantee these benefits. It’s all in how the sport is delivered — and who can access sports. Gaps exist in Kansas City, not unlike across much of the United States. Youth sports is now a highly commercialized industry that leaves too many children behind because of costs, pressures, transportation, time commitment, cultural differences and other factors.
Every child has the right to play sports and, when in the care of adults, the human rights they are born with need to be respected. This simple idea informs the Children’s Bill of Rights in Sports, a resource designed by the nonprofit Aspen Institute to create a shared cultural understanding that all youth should have the opportunity to develop as people through sports. Every child has these rights:
To play sports. Organizations should make every effort to accommodate children’s interests to participate, and to help them play with peers from diverse backgrounds.
To safe and healthy environments. Children have the right to play in settings free from all forms of abuse (physical, emotional, sexual), hazing, violence and neglect.
To qualified program leaders. Children have the right to play under the care of coaches and other adults who pass background checks and are trained in key competencies.
To developmentally appropriate play. Children have a right to play at a level commensurate with their athletic ability. They should be treated as young people first, athletes second.
To share in the planning and delivery of their activities. Children have the right to share their viewpoints with coaches and for their insights to be incorporated into activities.
To an equal opportunity for personal growth. Programs should invest equally in all child athletes, free of discrimination based on any personal or family characteristic.
To be treated with dignity. Children have the right to participate in environments that promote the values of sportsmanship and of respect for opponents, officials and the game.
To enjoy themselves. Children have the right to participate in activities that they consider fun and that foster the development of friendship and social bonds.
Last spring, Kansas City became one of the first U.S. cities to sign the Children’s Bill of Rights in Sports, through an endorsement by Mayor Quinton Lucas.
“In two years, Kansas City will be one of the few U.S. cities hosting the world’s largest sporting event, the 2026 FIFA World Cup,” Lucas said. “Yet thousands of young people in our community lack access to sports and physical activities. Endorsing the Children’s Bill of Rights is a first step for all of us — cities, organizations, youth sports teams and coaches — to aspire for a future where all children are able to access sports and play in safe and healthy environments.”
Additional cities, pro sports teams and others in the Kansas City area could endorse these principles. The region could work collectively to launch a recognition program with financial awards that honor local sports providers who meet the mission of the Children’s Bill of Rights in Sports and the Kansas City Physical Activity Plan, and also incentivize other organizations to meet the standards that children deserve.
Kansas City has a chance to create a lasting legacy from the World Cup.
Jon Solomon is Community Impact Director of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Aspen Institute’s Sports & Society Program. Project Play, the program’s main initiative, develops insights, ideas and opportunities to help stakeholders build healthy communities through sports. Solomon authored the State of Play Kansas City report.
