Panel Discussion | Youth Sports in America

William Hoynes is Professor of Sociology on the Jane Baker Nord ’42 Chair in Media Studies at Vassar College, where he served as Dean of the Faculty and Chief Academic Officer from 2019 to 2024. Hoynes is a cultural sociologist whose research explores contemporary media and culture in the United States. His books include Public Television for Sale; Media, the Market, and the Public Sphere and The Business of Media: Corporate Media and the Public Interest, as well as the textbook Media/Society: Technology, Industries, Content and Users, now in its 8th edition. His newest book, More Than Just a Game: How the Youth Sports Industry is Changing the Way We Parent and What to Do About It, was published by Central Recovery Press earlier this year.

Eric Klinenberg is Helen Gould Shepard Professor of Social Science and Director of the Institute for Public Knowledge at New York University. He is the author of 2020: One City, Seven People, and the Year Everything Changed (Knopf, 2024), Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life (Crown, 2018), Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone (The Penguin Press, 2012), Fighting for Air: The Battle to Control America’s Media (Metropolitan Books, 2007), and Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago (University of Chicago Press, 2002), and co-author, with Aziz Ansari, of the New York Times #1 bestseller Modern Romance (The Penguin Press, 2015). His scholarly work has been published in journals including the American Sociological Review, Theory and Society, and Ethnography, and he has contributed to The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Rolling Stone, and This American Life.

Kevin McCarthy is the Executive Director of the Downtown United Soccer Club. He brings more than three decades of experience in coaching, leadership, and nonprofit management to Downtown United Soccer Club (DUSC). Since 2017, he has served as Executive Director, leading New York City’s largest youth soccer organization, which now provides holistic, community-based programming for more than 3,000 players. Under his leadership, DUSC has become the only NYC club competing in both the Girls Academy and MLS Next, while continuing to prioritize inclusivity, scholarship support, and programming at every level of play. Kevin’s career spans the highest levels of collegiate and youth soccer. At Columbia University, he coached in both the men’s and women’s programs, winning Ivy League and ECAC championships, earning NSCAA Coach of the Year honors, and mentoring players who went on to earn All-American recognition, Ivy League Player of the Year awards, and induction into the Columbia Athletics Hall of Fame. Beyond coaching, he developed leadership courses in the athletics department, raised over $1,000,000 for Columbia Athletics, and was twice awarded the Paul E. Fernandes Community Service Award for his impact on the university and surrounding communities. A founding director of Next Gen USA and the NYC Soccer Academy, Kevin has consistently built platforms for player development, leadership, and education. He has coached teams to national and international success, including titles at the IMG Cup and Surf Cup, and helped place players in top academic and athletic programs across the Ivy League, ACC, Big Ten, NESCAC, and beyond. A sought-after speaker and commentator, Kevin has lectured at Columbia, Brooklyn College, and Fordham Business School, and appeared on ESPN, CNN, and Sirius XM to discuss the state of American soccer and youth development. He also serves on the New York Leadership Council of the U.S. Soccer Foundation.

Kim Wyant, head coach of the NYU men’s soccer team, is a groundbreaking athlete and coach. When she was appointed to this role in 2015, she was the only woman coaching an NCAA men’s soccer team. In fall 2022, she gained wide publicity for a historic matchup against Julianne Sitch—the new coach for the UChicago men’s team. The two teams played to a draw, and Chicago went on to win the NCAA Div III national championship. In addition to her years of success as a coach for numerous teams, Wyant was also a highly accomplished player. She was a starter for the University of Central Florida in the first-ever NCAA Women’s National Championship Game (1982), and was named MVP of that tournament. She was named first team All-American as a college senior. Wyant played goalkeeper for the first United States Women’s National Team in their inaugural international game against Italy in 1985. In 2008, Wyant received the Special Recognition Award from the National Soccer Hall of Fame for her contributions to the National Team.