Advancing Youth Through Sports Career Pathways

Youth economic advancement

County of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a countywide benefit)

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

The Play Equity Fund believes access to sport and play as a social justice issue. True access to sports must extend beyond the field. Every child, regardless of zip code or income, deserves access to the full range of opportunities that sports offer, including careers in management, media, and beyond. 
In Los Angeles, where sports are a major economic driver, low-income and BIPOC youth are often excluded from pathways to these types of careers. Systemic barriers limit their access to networks, paid internships, and exposure to essential back-office roles. PEF is committed to dismantling these barriers by investing in culturally relevant, skills-based programming that connects youth to mentors, internships, and careers across the sports ecosystem. By turning passion into a profession, we are transforming play into long-term economic opportunity.

In partnership with The Alliance, a collective of the 12 professional sports teams in Los Angeles and Orange counties committed to racial equity, PE) will expand our Career Pathways Program to advance youth economic mobility and increase access to careers in the sports and creative industries.
This workforce development initiative addresses the lack of early exposure to non-athletic careers by connecting underserved high school and community college students to professional opportunities behind the scenes of the sports world. Through culturally responsive, skills-based programming, students participate in career exploration, mentorship, leadership development, and paid internships that build lasting economic opportunity.
The program introduces students to the dynamic intersection of sports, fashion, media, and technology. Career Labs with partners like PacSun, Undefeated, Quantasy, and the LA Times give students a behind-the-scenes look at brand marketing, visual merchandising, creative direction, digital storytelling, and campaign strategy. These immersive experiences help students discover the broad range of roles, from brand managers to media producers, that blend creativity, culture, and business.
By exposing youth to viable, future-focused careers across both the creative and sports industries, the program empowers them to pursue pathways that reflect their passions and lived experiences and expands their sense of what’s possible in the professional world.

If successful, the Play Equity Fund’s Career Pathways Program will help redefine Los Angeles County as a place where youth from historically excluded communities can access real economic opportunity in industries once closedto them. By connecting under-resourced high school and community college students to paid internships and career exploration in sports-adjacent and creative industries, such as fashion, media, marketing, and tech, the program fosters a homegrown, diverse talent pipeline. This work not only supports individual upward mobility but strengthens L.A.’s broader economy by cultivating inclusive innovation. Long-term, we envision expanding the program across districts, deepening industry partnerships, and embedding equity into how careers are imagined and pursued.