'Better Ballgame' Exposes The Business And Broken Promises Of Youth Sports

Better Ballgame - The Tale of a Failed Youth Sports Revolution: (Youth Softball is Big Business, and Business is Good!)

Steve Dickey delivers an unfiltered account of how competitive youth softball lost its way, and why fixing it may no longer be possible.

NEW YORK CITY, NY, UNITED STATES, February 9, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- In Better Ballgame: The Tale of a Failed Youth Sports Revolution, author and longtime coach Steve Dickey offers a candid and unsettling look at the modern youth sports industry through the lens of competitive fastpitch softball. What began as a personal mission to improve the culture of the game in his local community becomes a revealing examination of how money, ego, and misplaced priorities have reshaped youth athletics. The book presents true stories that are as startling as they are familiar to parents, coaches, and players across the country.

Dickey's narrative centers on the growing commercialization of youth sports, where development and enjoyment are often overshadowed by profit and prestige. He chronicles encounters with delusional parents, greedy instructors, and teams willing to manipulate competition in pursuit of plastic trophies. These experiences paint a picture of an environment where winning replaces learning, and business interests eclipse the well-being of young athletes.

Rather than exaggerating for effect, Better Ballgame relies on firsthand observation and lived experience. Dickey describes how systems designed to promote opportunity instead reward excess spending and early specialization. The book questions whether youth sports have drifted so far from their original purpose that meaningful reform may no longer be achievable. The tone is honest, sometimes uncomfortable, and consistently grounded in reality.

The inspiration for the book comes from years spent coaching with the belief that sports could teach character, discipline, and teamwork. Dickey entered the system hoping to lead a quiet revolution rooted in fairness and player development. What he encountered instead was resistance from those benefiting from the status quo, and a culture increasingly driven by revenue streams and rankings. The disconnect between intention and reality ultimately compelled him to document what he saw.

Steve Dickey is the father of five youth athletes and has been actively involved in coaching youth baseball and competitive fastpitch teams for nearly two decades. His perspective is not that of an outsider, but of someone who once deeply valued the promise of youth sports before watching that promise erode under growing money-driven interests. That lived experience lends the book its credibility, sense of urgency, and implicit call to action for parents, coaches, and communities alike.

The book is now available. Secure your copy here: https://a.co/d/1Mwo68d

For review copies, interview requests, or additional information, please contact:

Steve Dickey
BrightKey PR
steve.dickey@betterballgame.com

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