ANALYSIS AND RECOMMENDATIONS TABLE OF CONTENTS WELCOME 1 SCOREBOARD 2 THE 8 PLAYS 7 CALL FOR LEADERSHIP 24 GAME CHANGER 26 The Children & Youth Fund IDEAS 28 APPENDICES 30 ENDNOTES 34 The Aspen Institute thanks Under Armour for its support of this report and Project Play: Baltimore THE VISION A Baltimore in which all children have the opportunity to be active through sports WELCOME Baltimore has a rich history of developing its children and communities through sports, from the early days of Babe Ruth, to the proliferation of recreation centers in the 1960s and ’70s, to the rise of the most decorated Olympian in history, Michael Phelps. Sports are baked into the DNA of this unique city. The Aspen Institute aims to help Baltimore tell its best sports story yet. Project Play: Baltimore, our first model community effort, will identify and facilitate opportunities for leaders to grow the quality and quantity of youth sport opportunities. Our specific focus is on a two-square-mile area of East Baltimore (see map on page 4), where Under Armour helped renovate a recreation center in 2016 and asked us to assist stakeholders throughout the area – so lessons can be learned and shared with other communities around the city and the country. This report offers an assessment of the current state of play for kids and sports in the area. Our work is anchored in the notion that all stakeholders will benefit if all youth are provided access to a quality sport experience. We know this from the body of research that has emerged over the past decade establishing the myriad benefits of physical activity. It’s asso- ciated with greater cognitive function, positive mental health, better educational outcomes, and lower health-care costs in adulthood. A virtuous cycle gets unleashed, especially if children can be engaged in regular sport and physical activity before age 12. The Aspen Institute Sports & Society Program produced this State of Play report, analyzing sport programs and facilities in East Baltimore through the eight strategic filters (“plays”) highlighted in the Aspen Institute’s seminal 2015 report, Sport for All, Play for Life: A Playbook to Get Every Kid in the Game. Supporting Aspen is the Project Play: Baltimore Advisory Group, which consist of local leaders across several key sectors. We hope the report informs short- and long-term community strategies related to the broad spectrum of sport opportu- nities for youth (through age 17). Should stakeholders create the conditions to get and keep all city youth physically active, the projected downstream benefits are huge: $1.4 billion in direct medical costs saved and economic productivity losses averted, according to the Global Obesity Prevention Center at Johns Hopkins University (see Appendix D). Plus, lives can be lengthened, in this case by a collective total of more than 54,000 years. We applaud the desire of Baltimore stakeholders to improve the lives of youth through sports. We encourage you to seize the opportunity to be a national model. It’s there for the taking, with collective, sustained action guided by our findings. Sincerely, Tom Farrey Andre Fountain Executive Director, Aspen Institute Project Coordinator, Aspen Institute Sports & Society Program Sports & Society Program THE STATE OF PLAY IN BALTIMORE CITY SCOREBOARD Among high schools students, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance study (2015): ON THE WHOLE, FEW YOUTH ARE ACTIVE ENOUGH 26% 16% Only 26% of Baltimore City males and 16% of females met the CDC’s recommendation of 60 minutes of physical activity daily. 42% 32% 18% 29% Males Females Males Females 5x 5x a week a week were active on five or more days during the past week. were completely sedentary in the past week. STATE OF YOUTH Did not have 8 or more hours of sleep on the average school night The need for positive Watched 3+ hours of TV on sport activity is great Felt sad or the average Are hopeless school day in Baltimore City, overweight where many youth face challenges. 76% Students 17% Students 23% 37% 36% Students Males Females Drank soda in the past week Seriously Carried a Were in a physical considered weapon at least fight on school attempting once during the property at least suicide in the past month once during the past year past year Are obese 80% students 15% 13% 28% 15% 16% 18% 15% 20% Males Females Males Females Males Females Males Females 2 | STATE OF PLAY: BALTIMORE STUDY FOCUS AREA: EAST BALTIMORE Specifically, a roughly two-square-mile area of East Baltimore TOTAL NUMBER OF FACILITIES, SPORTS, AND PROGRAMS OFFERED 21 21 19 19 Community 7 Sport Groups 14 After-School 7 Sports Providers 5 4 After-School Programs That 7 Incorporate Physical Activity Sports Gyms Parks Pools Outdoor Rec Sports Basketball Centers Programs Courts NUMBER OF SCHOOLS AND STUDENTS 10 9 5 5 4 3 5,263 Students 1 1 1,123 Students 2,605 Students Elementary Elementary/ Middle Middle/ High School Traditional Public Private School Middle School High School Public Charter School School STATE OF PLAY: BALTIMORE | 3 SCOREBOARD EAST BALTIMORE STUDY AREA Key community assets and where youth live 46 k !45 44 43 7 ! 1 3 k4 k 8 2 k 5 $ 50 6 11 40 42 10 k 9 41 k 12 39 k $ 13 14 ! k 15 38 k$ 48 16 36 k 37 28 k 49 k 35 k 27 17X 18 24 34 ! 21 $ 22 20 k 33 k 31$ 29 k School X32 X Community center 25k 30 # # Ice rink 19 ! Rec center $ Pool 26 k 47 k Park Youth Population Per Square Mile 0 - 2,000 2,001 - 4,000 4,001 - 6,000 6,001 - 8,000 23 k 0 0.25 0.5 0.75 1 Miles 8,001 - 10,000 Esri, HERE, DeLorme, MapmyIndia, © OpenStreetMap contributors, and the GIS user community Data sources: Open Data Baltimore, Baltimore Parks and Recreation, and US Census Bureau. Study area is the same as the Target Investment Zone, a strategic initiative led by Living Classrooms Foun- dation that aims to improve education, workforce and health outcomes for area citizens. 1 FORREST STREET PARK 19 SAINT LEO’S BOCCE PARK 35 PATTERSON PARK PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL 2 ST. FRANCES ACADEMY HIGH SCHOOL 20 CITY SPRINGS ELEMENTARY/MIDDLE 3 JOHNSTON SQUARE PARK SCHOOL 36 WILLIAM PACA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 21 CITY SPRINGS POOL 37 BELNOR SQUARES PARK 4 JOHNSTON SQUARE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 22 CITY SPRINGS PARK 38 ELLWOOD AVE PARK 5 AMBROSE KENNEDY PARK 23 THE CROSSROADS SCHOOL 39 TENCH TILGHMAN ELEMENTARY/MIDDLE SCHOOL 6 AMBROSE KENNEDY POOL 24 THE BETTY HYATT COMMUNITY PARK 40 BOCEK PARK 7 MADISON SQUARE REC CENTER 25 WOLFE STREET ACADEMY ELEMENTARY 8 MADISON SQUARE PARK SCHOOL 41 HENDERSON-HOPKINS ELEMENTARY/ 26 CRISTO REY JESUIT HIGH SCHOOL MIDDLE SCHOOL 9 PARK AT ENSOR & MCALEER CT 27 CASTLE ST PARK 42 EAGER PARK 10 INSTITUTE OF NOTRE DAME 28 COMMODORE JOHN RODGERS 43 LUZERNE AVE PARK 11 EDEN & EAGER PARK ELEMENTARY/MIDDLE SCHOOL 44 COLLINGTON SQUARE PARK 12 CHICK WEBB PARK 29 PATTERSON PARK 45 COLLINGTON SQUARE REC CENTER 13 CHICK WEBB POOL 30 MIMI DIPIETRO FAMILY SKATING CENTER 46 COLLINGTON SQUARE ELEMENTARY/ 14 CHICK WEBB REC CENTER 31 PATTERSON PARK POOL MIDDLE SCHOOL 15 NATIONAL ACADEMY FOUNDATION 32 PATTERSON PARK YOUTH SPORTS AND 47 HAMPSTEAD HILL ACADEMY 16 PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION CENTER 48 DUNBAR HIGH SCHOOL POOL 33 HIGHLANDTOWN #215 ELEMENTARY/ 49 KENNEDY KRIEGER SCHOOL 17 UA HOUSE AT FAYETTE MIDDLE SCHOOL 18 MCKIM PARK 50 ST. JAMES & JOHN SCHOOL 34 VIRGINIA S. BAKER REC CENTER 4 | STATE OF PLAY: BALTIMORE TOP 10 SPORTS PLAYED IN STUDY AREA Results from the Aspen Institute’s survey of 1,884 students in eight schools when asked what sports they play, whether in or out of school FEMALES* Basketball Soccer Running Swimming Baseball Tennis Gymnastics Biking Track Frisbee MALES* Basketball Soccer Tackle Football Baseball Flag Football Swimming Running Tennis Lacrosse Biking KINDERGARTENGRADE 5 Soccer Basketball Swimming Running Baseball Biking Frisbee Tennis Tackle Football Rock Climbing GRADES 68 Basketball Soccer Baseball Running Swimming Flag Football Tackle Football Tennis Biking Lacrosse GRADES 912 Basketball Tackle Football Soccer Baseball Flag Football Track Swimming Running Lacrosse Tennis BLACK Basketball Tackle Football Soccer Flag Football Baseball Swimming Running Track Biking Lacrosse LATINO Soccer Basketball Running Swimming Baseball Tennis Biking Frisbee Flag Football Rock Climbing WHITE Soccer Swimming Baseball Basketball Running Biking Tennis Gymnastics Frisbee Rock Climbing *Does not include the less than 2% of youth surveyed who answered “other/prefer not to answer” when asked about gender. STATE OF PLAY: BALTIMORE | 5 TOP 5 SPORTS YOUTH WANT TO TRY From our survey of East Baltimore students FEMALES MALES 1. Gymnastics 1. Basketball 2. Swimming 2. Baseball 3. Track 3. Soccer 4. Basketball 4. Tackle football 5. Rock climbing 5. Parkour K GRADE 5 GRADES 6 8 GRADES 9 12 1. Gymnastics 1. Swimming 1. Basketball 2. Swimming 2. Gymnastics 2. Swimming 3. Ice hockey 3. Basketball 3. Track 4. Soccer 4. Tennis 4. Baseball 5. Basketball 5. Rock climbing 5. Soccer BLACK LATINO WHITE 1. Basketball 1. Swimming 1. Gymnastics 2. Swimming 2. Soccer 2. Parkour 3. Track 3. Basketball 3. Lacrosse 4. Gymnastics 4. Gymnastics 4. Rock climbing 5. Baseball 5. Ice hockey 5. Basketball When asked the question, What grade would you give stakeholders in East Baltimore in getting kids active through sports? 62 local youth sport providers and other stakeholders in a survey conducted by the Aspen Institute 2017 State of Play Grade gave themselves collectively an East Baltimore: D+ average grade of: Report Methodology Data on sport activity patterns of youth in East Baltimore were derived from student and school administrator surveys conducted by the Aspen Institute.