The problem of sexual abuse in youth sports is more like a DNA marker than an acknowledged crisis. Consider the fate of the official player in this game with the tools to address it: last year’s report by the Commission on the Future of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee. In the dance of inaction that is our legislative branch these days, the recommendations of the commission have been benched by the very coaches who drafted them for their rosters. (In 2015, a Government Accountability Office audit of federal legislation governing sports abuse turned into a turgid book report that was universally ignored.)

The latest blip confirming long-proposed reforms held in a permanent holding pattern was the April sacking of Ju’Riese Colón, CEO of the U.S. Center for SafeSport. Colón was the second boss of the agency, which was set up in 2018 to adjudicate claims of abuse by coaches in Olympic sports national governing bodies. Her predecessor, Shellie Pfohl, quit in the middle of her three-year contract.

For Colón, the last straw was news that a SafeSport investigator, Jason Krasley, had been arrested twice at his previous job as a vice officer in Pennsylvania – once for stealing money from a drug bust and once for rape and sex trafficking.

During the ritual expressions of disappointment and outrage from congressional oversight figures, there wasn’t a peep of reference to the commission’s 277-page report, “Passing the Torch: Modernizing Olympic, Paralympic, & Grassroots Sports in America.”

Following years of study, interviews, solicitation of public comments and hearings, the commission, which included famous former Olympic stars female and male, proposed an overhaul of America’s youth sports system. Specifically, the commission urged Congress to gut the 1978 Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act to get the Olympic Committee out of the business of running youth sports programs at the grassroots level. Additionally, the commission recommended federal funding of the SafeSport center, which has been plagued by corruption and case backlogs, to get it out from under the malign financial support and influence of the Olympic bodies.

A few major newspapers gave the report a couple of polite paragraphs last winter. For its part, the New York Times didn’t even tell its readers that such a report had been published.

In January 2024, a group of senators, led by Maria Cantwell, a Washington state Democrat who then chaired the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, upbraided Colón in a lengthy letter bemoaning the shortcomings of SafeSport. And on March 20, 2024, Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., who then chaired the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety and Data Security, held a hearing entitled “Promoting a Safe Environment in U.S. Athletics.” Colón testified. So did commission co-chair Dionne Koller, a sports law specialist at the University of Baltimore. However, notice of the hearing didn’t even mention the commission report, released two weeks earlier.

Reporting on all this congressional kabuki theater is the equivalent of what in swimming is called a trials and finals meet. It’s a two-stage process, at least. I started with Cantwell. After all, she had sponsored the commission’s enabling legislation and appointed some of its members, including co-chair Koller.

(Koller hasn’t spoken on the record about the commission’s failure to penetrate public consciousness. Sources close to commission members have told me that they hope their report will have an impact across time and guide eventual toothful reforms.)

Cantwell’s office punted my query to Tricia Enright, a Commerce Committee staffer. She said the “leads” on the youth sports safety issue were Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Jerry Moran, R-Kan. In 2019, as chair and ranking member (respectively) of the consumer protection subcommittee, they introduced the legislation for the commission.

“Our consumer team was consistently in touch with stakeholders on the progress of this bill,” Enright said. Blumenthal and Moran “have been clear they are leading any legislation in the Senate for further reform –  that bill has yet to be introduced.”

I then went to Blumenthal, with the note that Cantwell was deferring to him on this issue. Blumenthal replied through communications director, Maria McElwain, who turned around these 150 words of insalata caprese:

Keeping athletes safe is a nonnegotiable priority — and meeting that challenge requires a commitment from all stakeholders, including the National Governing Bodies. SafeSport is tasked with an immense, difficult, and delicate responsibility — to adjudicate cases of abuse and help correct decades of imbalance in a system that protected predators instead of athletes. SafeSport hasn’t always gotten it right, and I have been critical when I felt the Center was not taking strong enough action in response to athlete concerns. A lack of communication, particularly with survivors, paired with slow response and resolution times have led athletes to lose trust in the Center — and that lack of trust has a material impact on the Center’s ability to do its job and keep abusers out of sport. That is why I am working with Congressional colleagues, athletes, survivors, and NGBs on reforms. I look forward to urgently proposing and enacting these changes.

To follow up, I asked whether Blumenthal specifically supported the two pertinent recommendations of the congressional commission. If a response ever arrives, I’ll let you know.

Blumenthal is well-versed in the two-step of grandstanding without follow-through. (To be fair, so are many politicians of all parties.) He got elected to the Senate in 2010 over Linda McMahon, erstwhile CEO of Connecticut-based WWE, the pro wrestling company. Blumenthal had been the state’s attorney general for years, and during the Senate race his office launched an investigation of WWE’s abuse of independent contractor categories, a tactic that both blocks full benefits for employees and robs government coffers at all levels of payroll taxes. But as soon as he won the election, the WWE audit was dropped. If he’s done anything about independent contractor abuse while serving in the Senate, I don’t know about it.

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What I do know is that in 2017, when Donald Trump nominated McMahon as head of the Small Business Administration, Blumenthal made sure he was photographed smiling with her at her confirmation hearings. McMahon’s importance in 2010, it seems, had nothing to do with operating a scofflaw corporation; it was simply because she was a Republican opponent. McMahon has refused to go away; under Trump 2.0 she is what passes for secretary of education.

On the problem of youth sports sexual abuse, Cantwell, Blumenthal, et al., are just the latest reminder that when it comes to stemming crimes committed in the name of the flag-waving USOPC and its feelgood TV content-producing national sport governing bodies, reticence about taking on the Olympic brand is bipartisan. In 2014, Rep. George Miller of California, House Democrats’ self-appointed “lead” on the issue, sent a letter to the FBI that might read today as if ChatGPT had written it. The  bureau virtually laughed it off. After Miller retired, his successor, Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., did exactly nothing before she, too, retired.

The stopwatch on lane 3 tells us that Republicans don’t appear to care at all about the existence of platforms for sexual predation on young people, fortified by the Olympic movement. In lane 4, Democrats are doing much better: At least they pretend they do.

According to a recent update from Voetbal International, Barcelona’s promising young midfielder Eloi Gomez is set to leave the club, with Dutch giants Ajax showing serious interest in signing him once his contract expires.

Barcelona have been hard at work not just on the senior team but also on developing and restructuring their youth teams.

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As part of that effort, the club has renewed several contracts of young talents who are seen as having a future at the club.

However, Eloi Gomez appears to be an exception. The outlet mentions that the young midfielder is expected to move on after hinting on social media that his time at La Masia is coming to a close.

Ajax want to replace Real Madrid-bound youngster

Reports from the Netherlands claim that Ajax are eager to bring Eloi into their youth system, particularly in the wake of Abdellah Ouazane’s move to Real Madrid.

The Amsterdam-based club has been tracking his development for some time and are now looking to finalise a deal that would see him continue his footballing education in the Eredivisie.

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Born in 2009, Gomez joined Barcelona in 2017 from Gimnastic Manresa and has steadily climbed the ranks within the club’s youth academy.

Known for his intelligence on the ball and maturity beyond his years, he has also represented Spain at the U-16 level, taking part in two friendly matches with the national youth team.

If the move to Ajax goes through, it would mark a significant step in Eloi Gomez’s young career. Ajax, renowned for their strong youth development, could provide him with the perfect platform to grow further and eventually break into top-level football.

For Barcelona, though, it would be yet another reminder of how difficult it can be to retain all of their top prospects in a highly competitive European market.

Eagles’ Vic Fangio Speaks Out on Youth Movement originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has been a part of many top defenses over his 40-year career as a coach in the NFL.

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From coaching All-Pros like Khalil Mack and Von Miller to building up expansion team rosters in Carolina, Fangio has been a key role player in NFL circles. Now as the Eagles Super Bowl-winning play-caller, his role has emphasized an important part of what makes him so special.

Teaching.

Philadelphia has one of the youngest defenses in the league going into the 2025 season. They were younger dating back to last season when Fangio had them as the top unit in the sport, but after saying goodbye to multiple aging veterans, Philadelphia’s youth movement has been reemphasized this offseason.

And that is perfectly fine for Fangio.

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“I look at this year very similar to last year,” Fangio said at a press conference on Tuesday. “In that this time last year, you know, we had a lot of turnover in personnel from the previous year… We had a lot of question marks at that time.

“I look at it like it’s basically the same one year to the next. The names have changed; hopefully we’ll get the same results from these new guys like we got from a lot of the new guys last year.”

Philadelphia’s youth movement worked to perfection last season. Many of their young stars are now considered important pieces to their hopes of repeating as Super Bowl champions.

It’s hard to envision seeing the team’s youth movement working again this season at that same level.

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But ….

If there’s a coaching staff that can get it done, though, it’s definitely Fangio’s group.

Related: Eagles Running Game Plan Takes New Shape In Roster Move

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 7, 2025, where it first appeared.

The Atlanta Hawks debuted their Jr. Hawks Summer Shooting Clinic on June 4 at Norcross High School. Throughout the evening, young basketball players developed their shooting skills, listened to advice from NBA alumni, and enjoyed basketball fun.

“We want to teach these kids the very basic fundamentals of basketball, make them become better shooters, and put them on the right path to success,” Jon Babul, vice president of Community Impact and Basketball Programs for the Hawks, said.

This new clinic series was designed for kids aged 8 to 15 of any skill level, and aims to teach them how to shoot efficiently and effectively with instruction from Atlanta Hawks Youth Basketball Development Coaches. 

“This is the first time we’ve done evening programming during the summer, and all five of our clinics are already sold out,” Babul said. “The Hawks are engaging almost 600 new children through this program, and that’s incredibly impactful.”

The two hour sessions includes live play, but is more focused on fundamentals related to shooting and skill building. According to Babul, the program was created to meet a growing demand for more accessible and focused basketball training programs for Atlanta youth. 

“The landscape of youth basketball is focused on competitive play, which is great, but there’s limited opportunity for kids to learn the fundamentals and actually get some drills and skills to take home and work on,” Babul said. “We wanted to do clinics that had two hours focused specifically on shooting fundamentals.”

During the June 4 session, the participants were split up into four groups that rotated through different shooting stations. The coaches gave personalized feedback to each kid, built up their confidence, and celebrated their achievements.

Another unique aspect of this program is that each one will feature notable Atlanta Hawks alumni. These players serve as role models to the kids and can give invaluable advice on what it takes to make it to the NBA. 

For this first clinic, former Hawks guard Sedric Toney made an appearance and spoke to the kids, hoping to inspire the next generation of basketball players.

“Someone helped me when I was growing up and I hope to return the favor,” Toney said. “Maybe one of these kids will listen to my advice and run with [it], and we may watch them in the NBA one day.”

Each child that attends this program leaves with an Atlanta Hawks swag bag and access to a virtual training platform for continued practice at home.

“We hope every child leaves as a better shooter and becomes more confident in their game,” Babul. “That’s what this program is really about.”

The Norcross clinic was the first of five metro Atlanta locations set for this program. The remaining clinics will take place in Decatur, College Park, Austell, and Atlanta.

More information about youth programming offered by the Atlanta Hawks Basketball Academy can be found here.

SHREVEPORT, La. — The Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl is always focused on making an impact in the community.

One aspect of that is their annual youth football clinic.

Saturday morning was the 14th edition of the free clinic, which is held for up to 400 children ages five through 13.

Campers receive instruction from regional college football coaches and players, which included several Louisiana Tech Bulldogs.

Indy Bowl Director of Communications Erik Evenson spoke about the clinic and what they wanted to get accomplished.

“It means a lot. You know, this is really cool… This is the 14th year and we just keep on coming back because it’s a great event, great event for the kids. We’re hoping that they get something today that they can use in their football seasons coming up and just have a good time and create some good memories,” Evenson said.

Louisiana Tech players Roy Brackins III, Zion Nason, James Predtechenskis and Jay Wilkerson were instructors for the clinic.