Blog Posts

Youth sports are in crisis.

Though we know them to have multiple positive impacts on children’s mental and physical development, youth sports participation has been on the decline in recent years. In fact, the number of kids participating in youth sports declined by 9% between 2009 and 2014 according to a study done by the Sports and Fitness Industry Association.

This post identifies the underlying reasons for this decline, and in doing so, tries to paint a clearer picture of the state of youth sports in America.

We all know the struggle of endlessly flipping through Netflix titles looking for the perfect way to spend a Friday night. The truth is it can be difficult to find wholesome Christian movies to watch with your entire family. If you’re trying to find a wonderful way to spend an evening, be sure to consider these five faith-rooted films.

Churches around the country have turned to social media to engage their members, communicate announcements, and share inspirational posts. Chances are high that if you’ve started to use social media to reach your community, your members enjoy seeing reminders of their faith on their social media feeds.

Still, many churches find that keeping an active presence on social media platforms is more work than they had initially anticipated. After all, maintaining frequency of high quality content is no easy task. That’s why many have turned to automation.

Outdoor events can be beautiful. Sometimes, the more remote, the better. The serenity and seclusion create a peacefulness unforgotten by those present. But what about the people who couldn’t be there? Can they watch the event too?

Absolutely they can. But the question we hear when remote-location events come up is "How can you stream an event without internet?"

Last year, Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison very publicly returned the participation awards that his children, six and eight years old, received from their youth sports leagues. He took to Instagram to air his thoughts:

“While I am very proud of my boys for everything they do and will encourage them til the day I die, these trophies will be given back until they EARN a real trophy. I'm sorry I'm not sorry for believing that everything in life should be earned...”

His commentary sheds light on a long-standing debate: should youth sports leagues give away participation trophies? Proponents of each side tend to feel strongly on the issue. What should your league do? Is there a right answer? In an attempt to help you weigh the pros and cons of the issue, this post explores both sides of the argument.