Way of Champions Podcast

#467 Katie Van Dyck, Antitrust Attorney, on the Negative Influence of Private Equity in Youth Sports Clubs, Leagues and Tournaments

5 snips
Feb 5, 2026
Katie Van Dyck, antitrust attorney and founder of KVD Strategies who has worked at the FTC and on high-profile sports monopoly cases. She digs into private equity’s push into youth and college sports. They discuss consolidation of clubs, venue ownership, commercialization pressures like NIL, monopoly tactics, and policy fixes to protect access and fair play.
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INSIGHT

Hockey Example Of Vertical Control

  • Black Bear Sports shows similar vertical control in youth hockey: rinks, clubs, rankings, and league influence.
  • Owning facilities plus rankings creates near-insurmountable barriers for competitors.
INSIGHT

PE's Short-Term Extraction Model

  • Private equity’s short horizon drives tactics like dividend recaps, management fees, and asset sales to related firms.
  • Those actions prioritize short-term extraction over long-term investment in coaching and facilities.
INSIGHT

Inelastic Demand Makes Youth Sports Attractive

  • Youth sports are highly inelastic: families often accept fee increases rather than withdraw children from teams.
  • That pricing power makes these markets attractive to private investors.
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