2025 TAKE BACK SPORTS IMPACT REPORT 18 As fall sports began, ESPN introduced a quiz on ESPN.com to help parents determine their youth sports parenting style, while providing parents with personalized tips to create a positive youth sports environment. During Stadium Series week, the NHL, ESPN, the Columbus Blue Jackets and The Ohio State University came together to celebrate and elevate girls hockey through a series of immersive experiences. Nearly 100 young athletes attended a VIP screening of Disney and Pixar’s Inside Out 2, while kids from OSU’s LiFEsports program and the Columbus Ice Hockey Club took the ice for a “Learn to Play” clinic led by Olympic gold medalist Haley Skarupa. ESPN’s Emily Kaplan moderated a powerful panel featuring Skarupa, Blake Bolden and NHL executive Kim Davis, spotlighting the future of women in hockey. 2025 NHL STADIUM SERIES DIGITAL QUIZ Our continued collaboration with the NHL reflects the importance of using sport as a platform to drive innovation, expand access and inspire the next generation of athletes and fans. Take Back Sports and the NHL/NHLPA’s commitment to innovation, Florida’s brightest undergraduate and graduate students were invited to develop ideas that expanded access, participation and fun in sports. The 2026 Hockey Innovation Competition challenged participants to create scalable solutions centered on the people, places and energy that make sport meaningful. Open to colleges and universities across the state, the program showcased the next generation’s creativity, technical talent and entrepreneurial thinking, culminating in final presentations from six teams at the ESPN Wide World of Sports. NHL INNOVATION CHALLENGE 19 TakeBackSports.org STORYTELLING STORYTELLING STORYTELLING Take Back Sports soft-launched at the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship Game with the College Football Playoff Foundation, spotlighted through an on-field moment with legendary coach Nick Saban. We leveraged our broadcast, digital and social media platforms, athlete voices and league relationships to tell stories of youth sport, to parents, coaches and communities. Take Back Sports launched a standing series on SportsCenter focused on interviewing athletes about their youth sports journeys and the importance of incorporating fun for as long as possible, while prioritizing multisport play and playing recreationally. ESPN continued to amplify the importance of youth sports on our programming, including a feature on the Currys reshaping youth sports in Oakland on NBA Today, and an ESPN Radio takeover on National Coaches Day. 3 3 We call it our superpower at ESPN and Disney, and it’s our ability to reach a wide audience with our platforms. In partnership with the professional leagues, teams and advertisers, we use key moments in sports to bring awareness to the critical issues in and around youth sports to get more kids playing. TAKE BACK SPORTS WAS ALSO FEATURED ON:
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