NJ Author To Discuss Kids' Sports At West Caldwell Public Library

Press release from the West Caldwell Public Library:

April 21, 2023

The West Caldwell Public Library in collaboration with Girls on the Run NJ East is pleased to announce that they will be hosting an author talk and Q & A with New Jersey coach and journalist Linda Flanagan.

In Take Back the Game: How Money and Mania Are Ruining Kids’ Sports - and Why It Matters, Flanagan reveals how the youth sports industry capitalizes on parents’ worry about their kids’ futures, selling the idea that more competitive play is essential for access to colleges and universities.

Drawing on her experience as a coach and a parent, along with research and expert analysis, Flanagan delves into a national obsession that has compelled kids to specialize year-round in one sport and increased the risk of both physical injury and mental health problems.

How can parents and coaches put the fun back into youth sports and support young athletes? Moderated by Girls on the Run NJ East Executive Director Suzanne Elliott, the author discussion will address what’s changed in youth sports, the importance of coaches and what parents can do. A question and answer period will follow.

A freelance journalist, researcher, and former cross-country and track coach, Flanagan holds master’s degrees from Oxford University and the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy and was an analyst for the National Security Program at Harvard University. She is a founding board member of the New York City chapter of the Positive Coaching Alliance and a 2020–21 advisory group member for the Aspen Institute’s Reimagining School Sports initiative. Her writing on sports has appeared in The Atlantic, Runner’s World, and on NPR’s education site MindShift.

This in-person talk will take place at the West Caldwell Public Library at 30 Clinton Road on Tuesday May 9, 2023. Doors open for refreshments and seating at 5:30pm. Book signing will take place following the discussion. Attendees can pre-purchase "Take Back the Game" at local bookstores or through Amazon. Books will not be sold at the event.

Registration is required at EventBrite or by calling the library at 973-226-5441. Seating is limited and the event is open to residents of New Jersey.

This press release was produced by the West Caldwell Public Library. The views expressed here are the author's own.