Aug 12, 2026 · 1h 55m
Simmons ranks youth sports through a parent’s eyes
A Shocking Lakers Sale. Plus, the 20 Best and Worst Youth Sports for Parents With Cousin Sal.
The episode connects NBA ownership pressures with a practical debate over which youth sports best balance cost, safety, opportunity, and family life.
- 1The Lakers sale prompts a broader look at NBA ownership, league economics, and the pressures created by new financial rules.
- 2Simmons and Cousin Sal rank 20 youth sports by parent experience, weighing safety, expense, scheduling, scholarships, culture, and lifelong playability.
- 3Volleyball tops the list, while the Cooperstown story exposes how quickly a polished youth-sports experience can trigger competitive parent behavior.
Don't miss
Cousin Sal recounts a Cooperstown Little League dispute that reveals his own overzealous baseball-parent behavior.
The brief
Bill Simmons opens with the Lakers’ sale to Bob Iger and Josh Kushner, using the transaction to examine NBA ownership, league economics, and the pressures facing modern franchises.
With Cousin Sal, Simmons builds a parent-only ranking of 20 youth sports, judging cost, travel, safety, scholarships, culture, entertainment value, and whether athletes want to return to them as adults.
The list places volleyball first and soccer second, while golf, lacrosse, basketball, tennis, and field hockey rise for their mix of access, opportunity, family participation, and long-term playability.
The Cooperstown Little League story supplies the episode’s sharpest turn: an Americana-rich tournament becomes a confession about pressure, home runs, and overzealous baseball-parent behavior.
Football, the WNBA, and upcoming NFL previews close the conversation, extending its central question: what makes sports compelling without making them consume family life?
Featuring
Joe House
National Basketball Association
Tony Romo
Boston Celtics
Phoenix Suns
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