None of us would be able to succeed in the game of life without coaches to cheer us on. Think about all the mentors who shape us, whether it be a parent, teacher, or sports coach.Youth, particularly girls and children from marginalized and underserved communities, need that guidance to lead healthier, more active lives and most importantly, to joyously realize their limitless capabilities. Enter Nike. The world’s most prestigious flagship of titanic athleticism is redoubling its efforts to cultivate the champions of tomorrow. Recently, Nike held its groundbreaking Coach the Dream Summit, celebrating the contributions of youth coaches and catalyzing initiatives to give all children the chance to play sports. Helming this project is Nike’s Chief Impact Officer, Vanessa Garcia-Brito, whose dynamism is matched only by her ambition to radically transform the coaching landscape. I sat down with Vanessa at Nike World Headquarters (in a room aptly named the Game Changer) to discuss leading the charge.
The youth sports revolution must find its genesis in egalitarianism. The fruitful and formative benefits of empowerment cannot be restricted to a select few. Nike seeks to not only remove all barriers to access, but to keep kids in the game. “We spend a lot of time obsessing over how to move the world forward through the power of sport,” Vanessa says, beaming with pride. “We think that sport is one of those areas that is unifying and can bring out the best in everybody. Sport really gives people an opportunity to achieve their fullest potential. We do that in every single dimension. Social impact is really an integral part of how we engage with society, the world, and in this case, kids and youth.” Vanessa’s mission is especially vital to children who don’t have access to adequate resources. Tragically, sports are becoming more unattainable to an increasingly wide swath of the population. Federal data reported a staggering 33% gap in participation rates between high and low income kids between 2020 and 2021. Participation among girls and children of color has also dropped in recent years. “Globally, only one in five kids is getting the movement that they need in their life. Out of those kids, the least active tend to usually be the most underserved, which are marginalized youth and girls. And we know that not only even if they’re getting access to it, they’re dropping out. So one of the things that we want to have our biggest focus on is ensuring that all kids have access to playing sports. To do that, we need to reach those who have the hardest access and least opportunity for it.”
Nike has launched a blockbuster collaboration with Dove, Body Confident Sport, to encourage engagement among girls and provide a space for them to cultivate a healthy self esteem. Dove even utilized their 2024 Super Bowl ad to raise awareness of the stark reality that 45% of girls drop out of sports by age 14, citing body confidence as a primary factor. This partnership seeks to change that. It’s essential for coaches to have a framework to rethink the rapport, the relationships, and the rhetoric that they’re developing with female players. “I’m really excited about that work. I’m really proud of that work and I’m really optimistic about it,” Vanessa enthuses. “You’ve got two brands that are coming together that have been working with girls and women, thinking about how to serve them best for a long time. We have some really wonderful leading experts in the space as well. We did that work with the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport and the Centre for Appearance Research, meaning that it’s truly evidence-based, coming from what we hear from girls themselves, specifically girls 11 through 17. What we heard from them is that they don’t necessarily feel that sports is for them at a certain age. They’re going through all these different changes. They’re not feeling confident in their bodies. They’re having all these doubts. They’re not necessarily getting the motivation or the support that they need. One of the reasons that we’re so focused on coaching and coaches is because we also heard from them that they would love to have their coaches talk to them about body confidence. How to think about their bodies and what they do, how strong they are, and what kind of efforts are possible through them. Coaches play an incredibly important role in their lives and influence whether they stay in or drop out.”
Vanessa proposes a more holistic concept of the athlete. Anyone can and should have opportunities to play, regardless of ability. “We really mean it: If you have a body, you’re an athlete. We want play and sport for all, so we are trying to look at different ways to break down barriers. One of those areas for us is inclusive play. How do we make that available for everybody?” From birth to ushering in the next generation of flag bearers, Nike aims to develop their programs alongside their players. The river of change runs through collaboration. Athletic moms and all parents will find in Nike an eager evergreen teammate. “In the same way that we center the athlete in everything we do at Nike, we center youth in this realm of social and community impact, thinking about how we can increase and give them access to everything that flows. I’d say it’s symbiotic. It flows in and out across all the aspects of Nike. We’re constantly thinking about different stages of an athlete’s life. We’ve had some great things in terms of moms and maternity, as they’re getting ready to go into a different phase of life and as a child is born, through their different stages of growth. We have a fantastic kids team that is spending a lot of time thinking about what’s the best way to serve these children and their families in this aspect of playing sport, but also as they transition from kid to youth to adulthood and beyond. It permeates what we do and how we think about things all day long. We’re constantly evolving because we’re constantly learning.”
Coaching knows no age. Having the courage to believe we can make a change is the first step. With respect to Nike’s horizons, Vanessa encourages us to harness our inner helper. “I hope that our future looks more diverse and more representative with more coaches who feel recognized and valued with more people who want to be that coach in a youth’s life. And frankly, honestly, in anybody’s life. We have coaching opportunities all day long. We really do want playing sports to be something that’s really valuable in someone’s life.” The starting bell goes off on a daily basis when we open our eyes. There are infinite possibilities for teamwork. “Life is a sport, right? Sport is life. Just waking up is a big deal. Throughout the day, we have opportunities to be that person who can nudge someone towards a more positive place or create access or or maybe shift a thought towards a better place or a higher place. And it’s reciprocal.” You can forever alter someone’s trajectory with a single act of support. So lace up those shoes and get going – there’s a lot of work to do.
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Leading the Game Changing Future of Youth Sports with Vanessa Garcia-Brito. Photo Credit: Courtesy of NIKE.