The greatest legacy from the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles continues to be the LA84 Foundation, which has invested more than $250 million supporting youth sports organizations in Southern California through cash grants. It was created by receiving $93 million in profits from the 1984 Olympic Games under the vision of lead organizer Peter Ueberroth.
On Thursday, the LA84 Foundation sponsored its eighth Play Equity Summit, which is designed to find solutions to the challenges of access to youth sports activities. The theme was, “Play Because it Matters.”
Renata Simril, CEO of the LA84 Foundation, said, “The most powerful stadiums in America are the school yard and the block on your street.”
LA84 Foundation CEO Renata Simile.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
She said youth sports at the grassroots level are failing. The pay-to-play model is rising, making youth sports a $20-billion industry while leaving many behind.
“The only P.E. that belongs in youth sports is play equity,” Simril said.
She told those attending, “The task is to act and think differently.”
She remembers learning tennis on her neighborhood street and “the cracked court” at Carson High.
Simril said with the World Cup, Super Bowl and Olympic Games coming to Los Angeles over the next two years, “We have a generational opportunity to align the biggest moment in sports.”
She wants others to create legacy programs that last for youth sports through “more partnerships, more sponsorships, more access.”
“Purpose and profit can grow higher,” she said. “It should grow. It can lead to a legacy of investment in young people forever.”
She made it clear why participation in sports is so important for boys and girls.
“Play is how they become ready for life,” she said.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
