How Baltimore is Improving Sports Access for Children

Baltimore has a rich history of developing its children and communities through sports – from the childhood of Babe Ruth to the proliferation of recreation centers in the 1960s and ‘70s, from the rise of decorated Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps to the basketball successes of Carmelo Anthony, Angel Reese and many others. Sports are baked into the DNA of Baltimore.

The Aspen Institute recognized as much in State of Play Baltimore, the first community landscape analysis from our Project Play initiative, which develops insights, ideas and opportunities to build healthy children and communities through sports. Published in 2017, the 40-page report included findings and recommendations shaped by an eight-member local advisory board that included then-City Council member Brandon Scott.

Since then, said Scott, now mayor, there has been “a seismic shift in how Baltimore as a whole has been investing in youth sports.” And not just in Baltimore. Since 2017, Aspen has partnered with foundations, corporations and local stakeholders to produce State of Play reports in 14 more cities, counties and states. They have helped unlock tens of millions of dollars in grantmaking, shape municipal strategies for parks and recreational development, and launch city-based coalitions dedicated to equity in youth sports.

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Source: Project Play