ROSEMONT — The Chicago Snowballs, a new team mixing baseball and family-friendly entertainment, are gearing up for their spring debut, with the team hosting a scrimmage in Rosemont last week.

The Snowballs, who brand themselves as pro baseball’s first co-ed “sportstainment” experience, hosted tryouts all last week at the The Dome at the Parkway Bank Sports Complex in suburban Rosemont.

Tryouts culminated Friday with an event called Inside the Snowglobe, a benefit for local youth sports. Fans watched the prospective players sing, dance, perform trick plays and perform with the Jesse White Tumblers and the Bucket Boys. Proceeds from the benefit went to support youth sports organizations in Chicago.

RELATED: Chicago Getting Its Own Savannah Bananas-Inspired Team

The players were spilt into teams that took turns scrimmaging and then would perform
dance and cheer routines for the fans during inning breaks.

CEO and co-founder Cherie Travis said the team will aim to give opportunities
to players who want to continue in baseball or softball and might not otherwise have
the chance to keep playing.

“If you played baseball or softball in college and you don’t make the majors or the
minors, you’re done,” Travis said. It was “the idea of creating another opportunity for
athletes; they don’t have to be the best pitcher. They need to be good ball players, and
they need to have a ton of fun and put that energy on the field.”

The Snowballs plan to play players a salary and profit share — and advertise equal
pay for male and female players.

“I feel like it was a great opportunity to come out and play coach, possibly get involved in management and help show that the women can compete with the men and have just as much fun,” said coach Allie Lacey.

KJ Gaiter, a youth baseball coach at Oz Park, said that his family and fiends encouraged him to try out.

“Playing baseball, I was always energetic, silly, goofy, but there’s a limit to it because you want to win at the same time,” Gaiter said. “To be able to be in a facility like this, an environment like this, where you can come out and play baseball and you can also be silly with it, it’s almost like being a kid playing baseball again. I feel like a kid in a playground.”

The Snowballs will play their first game May 3 at Kerry Wood Field, 3400 N. Rockwell St. in North Center.

The team will be based in Chicago and will tour the Midwest, operating in a similar fashion to the Harlem Globetrotters or the Savannah Bananas.

The Bananas, known for combining baseball with physical stunts, comedy, dancing and other skills, sold out Sox Park this summer and are making their way to Wrigley in July.

See more photos from Friday’s scrimmage:

Listen to the Block Club Chicago podcast:

The US supreme court on Tuesday is considering state laws banning transgender athletes from school sports.

The cases were brought by trans students who challenged bans in West Virginia and Idaho barring trans girls from girls teams. The outcome could have wide-ranging implications for LGBTQ+ rights. A total of 27 states have passed sports bans targeting trans youth while more than 20 states have maintained pro-LGBTQ+ policies.

As the highest court in the US debates their rights to participate in school sports, five trans youth and their families spoke to the Guardian about the role athletics has played in their lives. The students are based in California, a state that has long had trans-inclusive policies.

The youth described the joy sports brings them and how meaningful it has been to play on teams that match their gender identity. They said sports were about community, team-building, socializing and exercising, like they are for so many youth in the US. Some expressed frustration and anxiety about the national debates focused on “fairness” in competition, saying the legal battle was about fighting for their place in society and their fundamental rights to access the same opportunities as their peers.

Here are some excerpts of their reflections.

‘Sports is my escape’

Lina Haaga, a 14-year-old Pasadena student, has played sports since age four, starting with soccer: “My entire family is very athletic,” she says. “I wasn’t particularly good at soccer, but it helped me realize what an asset sports is in my life – as a release and an escape, but also a way to connect with other people and make new friends.” A trans girl who transitioned at a young age, Lina always played on girls’ teams, eventually doing basketball, swimming, water polo, lacrosse, tennis and track.

When she has faced stressors, “sports was always a place where I could find a reprieve and just think about the ball that was ahead of me or the next step in the race,” she says.

The attacks on trans girls in athletics have taken a toll, says Lina: “The political climate has put into question my relationship with sports. Instead of it being something innocent I can just enjoy without fear of being discriminated against, I’ve had to now worry every time I step on the track or the court that somebody might disagree with my participation. That’s been really scary, because it’s started to steal something that’s precious for me – that moment of bliss.”

There are times, she says, when she has avoided games out of fear someone might object.

Her message to the supreme court? “We’re still human. We’re just kids. We’re just trying to have fun … We’re not trying to be monsters or predators or anything malevolent. We’re just trying to find connection and community.”

Lina hopes other trans kids continue to pursue athletics: “Playing sports and loving being out there on the field is in its own beautiful way an act of resistance.”

‘I defied the president’

In May, AB Hernandez, a 17-year-old track and field athlete, won first place in the high jump, first place in the triple jump, and silver in the long jump in the California state finals. It should have been a moment of pure celebration for the high schooler from Jurupa Valley, a city east of Los Angeles, but she and her mom had to worry about something else: Donald Trump’s attacks.

The US president turned AB into a media spectacle, targeting her in a social media post and claiming he was “ordering local authorities, if necessary, to not allow” her to compete, writing her participation was “TOTALLY DEMEANING TO WOMEN”.

Now a senior, AB says she has learned to brush aside her detractors: “People are always gonna have negative thoughts to say about you … I just had to realize I need to be comfortable with who I know I am and be comfortable in my own skin and not let anyone get under it.”

“Victory,” she adds, “meant a lot, especially after all the internet drama. To come out on top and be number one. You can’t say anything besides argue with a wall. I’m still competing … Sports is my everything.”

She was touched that standing up inspired others: “People DM’d me to say: ‘I’m so happy you’re fighting. You’re making a really big impact for our community.’ … I thought I just went out and competed, but to others, it was like a movement. I defied the president, in a way. I was like, oh my god, I did do something.”

Her mom, Neredya Hernandez, says she won’t stop defending her daughter’s rights and hopes other parents will be moved to embrace their trans kids. “My message to other parents is: support your kids and be louder. We’re unaware of how much support we have within this community until you’re actually put in a position like we were. We’re not alone.”

‘We’d have to leave the country’

While anti-trans rhetoric has generally focused on restricting trans girls, the toxic climate has also been distressing for trans boys, some parents said. Several states with bans against trans girls have included restrictions impacting trans boys, too.

One 13-year-old trans boy in the Bay Area, whose name the Guardian is withholding to protect his identity, started playing soccer at age two and now also plays basketball and baseball. “Sports is how I made friends. It’s nice you have people to lean on who have your back,” he says.

Jennifer, his mother, says her son struggled to fit in on girls’ teams before he came out as a boy at age nine, but now is embraced by the boys’ teams and coaches. If he were barred from athletics due to being trans, “we would have to leave the country,” she says. “The message the country is sending deeply and negatively impacts his feeling of belonging in his own country.”

Jennifer, who asked to go by a pseudonym to protect her son’s identity, says the supreme court case “terrifies” her: “The sports issue is so important, because it fundamentally tells us whether people believe trans people exist. Trans girls are girls and belong on girls’ teams. Trans boys are boys and they belong on boys’ teams. Full stop. Once you take the position that trans girls are not girls for the purposes of sports, you have now dehumanized them. It’s a slippery slope to taking away rights after rights after rights.”

Her son says he didn’t understand why some people were so focused on stopping children from playing on teams: “I’m just a kid that wants to play sports with my friends. I’m not special. I just want to be left alone and hopefully be successful in sports. We’re not a threat. We’re not gonna tear down the world … If the Trump administration wouldn’t let me play sports, they would basically be taking away part of me.”

‘I’m used to slurs, but I’ll keep speaking up’

Lily Norcross, a 17-year-old track athlete from California’s central coast, says she has grown accustomed to negative news articles about her participation on the girls’ team, which sometimes lead to death threats and other harassment.

“I know this sounds really sad, but I’ve grown used to people calling me slurs. The news itself doesn’t bother me as much as what it causes. After Trump was inaugurated, people were far more comfortable openly being transphobic and hating minorities,” she says. “For me, it’s important to defend the rights of trans kids … because compared to others, I’m extremely lucky. Practically my entire family is supportive. I live in California, which is very liberal. My school board and most of my teachers support me. Most people aren’t in that situation … I’m speaking up for people in places like Texas, Ohio or Florida who don’t have these opportunities.”

Lily says she also wished Democratic leaders did more to stand up for her rights, noting it felt like their stance was: “Let trans people fight for themselves.” She urges lawmakers to have more empathy: “Put yourself in [our] shoes. Imagine if somebody said your people aren’t allowed to use bathrooms or play sports. How would you feel if you were segregated from everybody else?”

‘I feel hopeless’

Leonard, a 17-year-old swimmer in the Bay Area, says it was hard to be optimistic that his rights would remain protected, even in a state like California.

“I feel hopeless. I don’t like this supreme court and I don’t think they’re going to support trans people’s ability to play sports,” says Leonard, a trans boy who is also a fencer and asked to go by a pseudonym to protect his identity. “I’m scared of the precedent it’s going to set, maybe countrywide. I’m scared of what could happen to me and my friends.”

Leonard wishes people understood how meaningful it can be for trans youth to play on teams where they belong: “It made me really, really, really, really happy to be on the boys team affirming my gender identity, affirming I was as good as any cis boy. I know that I’m a boy, but being on a boys team proves to everyone and myself that I am, in fact, a boy and this is where I’m supposed to be.”

Key Takeaways

• Special Olympics aims to grow its coaching roster from 250,000 to 600,000 globally by 2030, a 140% increase over six years
• The organization lost nearly half of its coaches during the COVID-19 pause in 2020, requiring substantial rebuilding efforts
• A three-year Nike partnership announced in July focuses on coaching certifications, translations, and curriculum development across global markets
• Nike plans to recruit 600 additional Unified sports volunteer coaches in Oregon, Berlin, Johannesburg, and Tokyo with emphasis on young women and girls
• Most Special Olympics coaches are volunteers with high retention rates, as many return after their initial involvement

Rebuilding After Major Pandemic Losses

Special Olympics faced significant challenges following the COVID-19 pandemic, losing approximately 50% of its coaching workforce during the 2020 pause in activities. Since resuming operations, the organization has rebuilt steadily with coaching rosters growing roughly 10% annually.

The current global total stands at 250,000 coaches. However, officials acknowledge that reaching 600,000 by 2030 represents an ambitious target that will require strategic partnership support and sustained recruitment efforts.

Nike Partnership Focuses on Coach Development

In July, Special Olympics announced a three-year partnership with Nike centered on coach identification and training. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

“Special Olympics places a lot of emphasis and importance on the role of the coach,” Special Olympics CEO David Evangelista said. “With Nike, we will be investing in making sure we have state-of-the-art coaching resources.”

The partnership will address coaching certifications and provide translations to support global expansion. Nike will also contribute to curriculum development to help coaches stay current with sport-specific training methods.

Geographic and Demographic Priorities

Nike’s recruitment efforts will target four specific markets: Oregon, Berlin, Johannesburg, and Tokyo. The company aims to recruit 600 additional Unified sports volunteer coaches in these regions.

The partnership includes a specific focus on expanding opportunities for young women and girls to participate in Unified sports programs. This demographic emphasis reflects broader industry efforts to increase female participation in youth athletics.

Building on a Longstanding Relationship

The partnership extends an existing collaboration between Nike and Special Olympics. Special Olympics Oregon has worked with Nike for nearly 20 years, including 16 years hosting the Special Olympics Oregon Youth Games at Nike World Headquarters.

More than 6,000 Nike employees have participated in Youth Games events, working with 7,600 athletes with intellectual disabilities. The volunteer retention rate remains high, with most coaches continuing their involvement after initial participation.

What This Means for Youth Sports Inclusion

The 600,000 coach target represents more than operational growth. It signals the organization’s commitment to expanding athletic opportunities for athletes with intellectual disabilities at a time when youth sports access remains a priority across multiple stakeholder groups.

The volunteer model presents both advantages and challenges. While high retention rates suggest strong program satisfaction, scaling to 600,000 coaches will require consistent outreach, training infrastructure, and partnership support across diverse international markets.

via: SBJ / Nike

YSBR provides this content on an “as is” basis without any warranties, express or implied. We do not assume responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, legality, reliability, or use of the information, including any images, videos, or licenses associated with this article. For any concerns, including copyright issues or complaints, please contact YSBR directly.

About Youth Sports Business Report

Youth Sports Business Report is the largest and most trusted source for youth sports industry news, insights, and analysis covering the $54 billion youth sports market. Trusted by over 50,000 followers including industry executives, investors, youth sports parents and sports business professionals, we are the premier destination for comprehensive youth sports business intelligence.

Our core mission: Make Youth Sports Better. As the leading authority in youth sports business reporting, we deliver unparalleled coverage of sports business trends, youth athletics, and emerging opportunities across the youth sports ecosystem.

Our expert editorial team provides authoritative, in-depth reporting on key youth sports industry verticals including:

• Sports sponsorship and institutional capital (Private Equity, Venture Capital)
• Youth Sports events and tournament management
• NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) developments and compliance
• Youth sports coaching and sports recruitment strategies
• Sports technology and data analytics innovation
• Youth sports facilities development and management
• Sports content creation and digital media monetization

Whether you’re a sports industry executive, institutional investor, youth sports parent, coach, or sports business enthusiast, Youth Sports Business Report is your most reliable source for the actionable sports business insights you need to stay ahead of youth athletics trends and make informed decisions in the rapidly evolving youth sports landscape.

Join our growing community of 50,000+ industry leaders who depend on our trusted youth sports business analysis to drive success in the youth sports industry.

Stay connected with the pulse of the youth sports business – where industry expertise meets actionable intelligence.

Sign up for the biggest newsletter in Youth Sports – Youth Sports HQ – The best youth sports newsletter in the industry 

Follow us on LinkedIn

Follow Youth Sports Business Report Founder Cameron Korab on LinkedIn

Are you a brand looking to tap into the world’s most passionate fanbase… youth sports?

Introducing Play Up Partners, a leading youth sports marketing agency connecting brands with the power of youth sports. We specialize in youth sports sponsorships, partnerships, and activations that drive measurable results.

About Play Up Partners

Play Up Partners is a leading youth sports marketing agency connecting brands with the power of youth sports. We specialize in youth sports sponsorships, partnerships, and activations that drive measurable results.

Why Sponsor Youth Sports?

Youth sports represents one of the most engaged and passionate audiences in sports marketing. With over 70 million young athletes and their families participating annually, the youth sports industry offers brands unparalleled access to motivated communities with strong purchasing power and loyalty.

What Does Play Up Partners Do?

We’ve done the heavy lifting to untangle the complex youth sports landscape so our brand partners can engage with clarity, confidence, and impact. Our vetted network of accredited youth sports organizations (from local leagues to national tournaments and operators) allows us to create flexible, scalable programs that evolve with the market.

Our Approach

Every partnership we build is rooted in authenticity and value creation. We don’t just broker deals. We craft youth sports marketing strategies that:

• Deliver measurable ROI for brand partners
• Create meaningful experiences for athletes and families
• Elevate the youth sports ecosystem

Our Vision

We’re positioning youth sports as the most desirable and effective platform in sports marketing. Our mission is simple: MAKE YOUTH SPORTS BETTER for athletes, families, organizations, and brand partners.

Common Questions About Youth Sports Marketing

Where can I sponsor youth sports? How do I activate in youth sports? What is the ROI of youth sports marketing? How much does youth sports sponsorship cost?

We have answers. Reach out to info@playuppartners.com to learn how Play Up Partners can help your brand navigate the youth sports landscape.

Youth sports organizations: Interested in partnership opportunities? Reach out to learn about our accreditation process.

ST. LOUIS — The LGBTQ+ community rallied at St. Louis City Hall Monday to support the rights of trans student athletes.

This comes as the Supreme Court will hear arguments over the issue Tuesday. Two transgender athletes from Idaho and West Virginia are appealing their lower court’s decision on restrictions over transgender athletes’ participation in girls’ and women’s sports.

The cases focus on the role of Title IX’s equal protection clause and how it should be interpreted when it comes to gender and sports, according to Jesse Jones, executive director of Lavender Youth Alliance and principal consultant with Jesse Jones Education and Consulting.

“Legal experts are advising that the ruling in these cases will also have far-reaching implications for trans youth, extending to things like use of bathrooms and pronouns at school,” they said.

Approximately 27 states, including Missouri, have laws or policies restricting transgender youth from participating in sports that align with their gender identity.

During Monday’s event, organization leaders spoke against laws that hinder and ban rights for the LGBTQ+ community and expressed support for the transgender athletes. 

“It takes all of us coming together to support one another, and that none of these issues we see on the news are in silos,” Jones said.

“Whether these are laws being passed to attack immigrants, transgender people, Black and Brown folks, all of us need to come together as a community, as humans, to show that we all deserve love, respect and belonging.”

The Knights of Columbus, St. Anne’s Council 10221, is sponsoring a youth basketball free-throw competition on Saturday, Jan. 17, at Shaw Gym, 75 South St., in Gorham.

The competition is open to boys and girls ages 9-14. Proof of age is required at sign-up. Registration is set for 2:30 p.m. with the competition at 3 p.m. Winners will advance to the state championship.

For more information, call Jim at 222-0744 or Ben, 436-0223.

Opportunities to volunteer

The Town Council’s Appointments Committee is seeking citizen volunteers for various boards and committees to serve three-year terms. Positions available include those on the Planning Board, Board of Appeals, Conservation Commission, Historic Preservation Commission, Revolving Loan Fund, Cemetery Advisory, and Affordable Housing committees, Board of Health, Board of Assessment Review, Economic Development Corporation, Fair Hearing Board and the Baxter Memorial Library Board of Trustees.

Those interested in applying or learning more can visit the Town Clerk’s Office. To apply, complete and submit a committee volunteer application online. For more information, call the office at 222-1670 or e­mail Town Clerk Laurie Nordfors at [email protected].

Applications will be accepted through Jan. 29. The Appointments Committee will schedule short informal interviews with applicants starting in February and the Town Council will appoint applicants at its March meeting.

Winter parking ban

Parking on any public road in Gorham or public easement between midnight and 6 a.m. until May 1, or any declared parking ban, is prohibited. Illegally parked or abandoned vehicles could be towed at the owner’s expense in addition to ticketing by police.

Cars should be removed from the street as soon as owners become aware of a snow alert. For more information, call Public Works at 222-4950.

50 years ago

The American Journal reported on Jan. 14, 1976, that the school budget was rising $182,017 more than the $2.03 million for the previous year. Instruction was the biggest increase driver at $134,932.

A player is pushed during a game of Sharks and Minnows. (Image: Joshua Huston)

Approaching the gym at Bellevue’s Highland Community Center, the familiar sounds of bouncing balls and kids calling out to each other echo down the halls. Inside the doors, more than a dozen young athletes, from grade school through high school, are rolling across the floor in specialized sports chairs — a typical practice session for the Seattle Adaptive Sports (SAS) wheelchair basketball teams.

Sports have been adapted to meet the special needs of student athletes in Greater Seattle for decades, providing opportunities for countless athletes to compete on teams and producing several current and former Paralympians. Seattle Adaptive Sports has been part of the community since the early 90’s, organizing teams that compete in sled hockey (players sit on specialized sleds low to the ice), soccer for athletes in motorized wheelchairs, goalball for visually impaired athletes, and wheelchair basketball (players propel themselves across the court and older age groups shoot on regulation hoops).

SAS teams regularly compete against programs from Tacoma, Spokane, and Portland, and travel to compete nationally.

Back at the community center, the younger athletes are wrapping up their practice session while older players are gearing up for more intensive drills. SAS runs three youth teams: varsity for ages 14 to 18, prep for kids ages eight to 13, and the Micro Sonics for players ages four to seven. Their overlapping practice times create mentoring opportunities between age groups, and many of the older players have passed down sport chairs they’ve outgrown to younger athletes.

SAS designs all its programs to be as accessible as possible and to lower or eliminate the many barriers to participation, including the significant cost of equipment, facility rental, and travel. They use grants and fundraisers — including their annual gala, coming up on March 7 — to fund scholarships for athletes and purchase and maintain equipment that can be loaned out to new members. All of this is with the goal of increasing the number of participants and growing adaptive sports locally.

Current SAS families come from as far north as Bellingham and as far south as Auburn.

Brennan Henderson, 16, attends Auburn Riverside High School and began playing wheelchair basketball just before turning seven. He is now one of the most experienced players in the program.

“I started with power soccer. I’ve tried sled hockey before, but my main sport with SAS is wheelchair basketball,” Henderson says.

The sophomore doesn’t remember being nervous their first time on the court.

“My mom showed me videos of wheelchair basketball, so that probably helped me know what to expect,” Henderson says. “I kept turning in circles because I didn’t know how to use the chair and my arms were really impacted by cerebral palsy. Over time, I became stronger and my arms became stronger and I learned how to adapt myself to use the chair.” Henderson has not only adapted but excelled, earning “most valuable player” honors at the West Coast Championships in 2024.

Jess Thomson has watched a lot of kids like Henderson develop and find success through SAS programs. A member of the board and parent of an SAS athlete, she first introduced her son to playing sled hockey with the adult team at the Kraken Community Iceplex before becoming a founding member of SAS’s new youth team. Her son now participates in multiple sports with SAS and Thomson has seen him compete in ways that a lot of kids with disabilities aren’t able to access.

“I think one of the things that able-bodied people take for granted is the luxury of being able to compete,” explains Thomson. “Every kid in this organization has been through surgeries and procedures. These kids have grit, they are really tough.

But it’s a very different kind of toughness to learn how to compete athletically. And every person in Seattle Adaptive Sports has that opportunity,” Thomson says. “Once kids come out and try it, they wind up sticking with it because they are drawn to sports the same as anyone else.”

SAS works with new members to help orient them to the sports they are interested in. For some, like Thomson’s son, who uses forearm crutches off the court, it may be their first time in a sports chair. And with sled hockey, where able-bodied siblings are encouraged to join practices, it may be their first chance to play a sport with a family member.

Interested in becoming involved with Seattle Adaptive Sports? Contact info@seattleadaptivesports.org for more information.