Zach Young

Zach Moo Young is a Copywriting & Editing Associate at the Aspen Institute, where he supports programs and initiatives through communications and storytelling. A former Oberlin College basketball player and coach, he has worked on Aspen Institute programs and nonprofit communications strategy and publicly writes about coaching, youth development, and sport’s role in society.

Boys Still Want Sports, but the Participation Supply Has Shrunk

The Aspen Institute and the American Institute for Boys and Men argue that declining or stagnant boys’ sports participation is not mainly a demand problem: boys still want to play, but too many are shut out by narrow team models, early specialization, performance pressure and underprepared adult support. Alanna Williams and Zach Moo Young frame the policy response as expanding the supply of lower-pressure, developmentally appropriate opportunities without reducing girls’ access. Charlie Ward adds a coach’s case for flexibility, arguing that programs need to make room for boys whose contributions do not fit standard roster logic.

The Aspen InstituteMay 20, 202610 min read