😃 It’s the Start of a New Week. LFG.

🗞 What You Need to Know. Soccer’s ‘Pay-to-Play’ Problem. USA South Announces Media Rights Agreement with FloSports. Women Lose Ground in US College Sports. Reese’s Pieces Adds Chocolate Cookie Center.

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🎶 Your Morning Pick Me Up. Come Out and Play. The Offspring

“The inquest began before the final whistle even sounded, before Belgium Trump-danced on the U.S. men’s national team, before the USMNT’s World Cup officially ended. America began to ask why; why was it out in the round of 16 yet again? And why was a country of 11.8 million people so much better at soccer than one of 340 million?

Inevitably, and often correctly, answers zeroed in on youth soccer.

The “pay-to-play” system flooded to the forefront of discourse and shouldered blame.

Behind the scenes, it was also a point of discussion, before and after the USMNT’s elimination, but solving this decades-old problem is a monumental task — because the “pay-to-play” moniker oversimplifies it.”

» State of Play. “The U.S., to be clear, is far from the only country where families pay for their kids to play soccer. But the costs are greater here than anywhere else. And soccer is not the only sport that’s expensive in the U.S. But it gets the most attention because it’s a global sport in which U.S. player development lags behind Europe.”

» DYK? “The costs vary wildly by age, location, level, league and other factors. A grassroots team might charge $100-200 for a three-month fall season and not much else. At the other end of the range, some parents of girls in the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) report paying upwards of $20,000 per year — inclusive of an annual fee, gear, extra tournaments and, most of all, travel.”

» What’s Next. “The hope is that a more coherent landscape and player pathway would lower operational and travel costs for youth clubs and, by extension, families. But on the other hand, the incentives haven’t changed, and the youth sport tourism industry isn’t slowing down. In fact, it’s growing. Private equity groups have gotten involved. The price of play is as high as ever.”

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“The USA South Athletic Conference and FloSports have entered into a five-year exclusive media rights partnership that will bring comprehensive coverage of USA South athletics to the FloCollege platform beginning with the 2026–27 athletic year.

The USA South becomes the 12th NCAA Division III conference on FloCollege, joining fellow Southeastern DIII Leagues the Old Dominion Athletic Conference and the Southern Athletic Association, further expanding FloSports' growing investment in Division II and Division III athletics. By combining premium live coverage with extensive content and social programming support, FloCollege creates engaging experiences for fans while providing greater exposure for student-athletes and institutions.”

» Quotable. "This partnership represents the culmination of months of thoughtful evaluation, disciplined negotiation, and strategic planning by our Presidents' Council and Media Rights Working Group," shared Dr. Tom Hart, USA South Commissioner. "As Division III continues to evolve, it was important that we identify a partner capable of delivering long-term value while remaining true to the principles that define the Division III experience."

» Why It Matters. “FloCollege will collaborate with USA South member institutions to support broadcast operations, expand coverage opportunities, and ensure high-quality streaming across all sponsored sports for participating schools. The partnership aligns the USA South with a growing roster of Division III conferences utilizing FloCollege as their exclusive digital home.”

“For the first time in 13 years, NCAA female head coaches declined to 47.5%, with 44 top colleges failing to employ a single female coach of color, as a recent investigation highlighted a troubling reversal in gender representation among managers.

The Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport at the University of Minnesota, in partnership with WeCOACH, published the 14th annual edition of its Women in College Coaching Report Card. The report produced a historic finding: after 13 consecutive years of growth, the proportion of women serving as head coaches in women's college sport declined for the first time, slipping slightly to 47.5%.”

» Driving The News. “The percentage of women head coaches fell to 47.5%, down from 47.7% the previous year, bringing to an end the sustained upward trend recorded since 2012. White women continue to occupy the overwhelming majority of posts, accounting for 83.4%. Women of color also saw their representation decline, making up just 7.3% of the total.”

» Notable. “White coaches held a majority (83.4 percent) of head coaching positions. The percentage of women of color head coaches decreased .02 percent from 7.5 percent and to 7.3 percent this year.”

» Eligibility. “The NCAA’s new age-based eligibility policy has lost its first legal battle. On Thursday, Hamilton County, Ohio, judge Chris Wagner granted an injunction to force the NCAA to allow 24 athletes who graduated high school in 2022 and completed four collegiate seasons a fifth year of eligibility—thus grandfathering them into the new policy passed just a few weeks ago.”

» Football. “One of Indiana's greatest college football rivalries will be played on a neutral site for the first time in more than a century. DePauw and Wabash will play the annual "Monon Bell" game at Scheumann Stadium on the campus of Ball State University Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026.”

“In the world of Hershey chocolate products, Reese's stands above the rest. Whether your favorite is the original cups, you like the crunch of a Take 5 bar, or you snarf down the mini cups by the handful, there's not much to complain about with the sweet-savory combo of peanut butter and chocolate.

Hand to my heart, though, the best Reese's candy has to be the melt-in-your-mouth Reese's Pieces. They're slightly crunchy from the candy shell, but filled with smooth peanut buttery goodness inside. Even without a bit of chocolate, they're perfectly balanced and totally delicious.

Now, Reese's is hoping to elevate its snacking game by introducing its first update to the classic Reese's Pieces candies in the U.S. in more than a decade. The candy purveyor is releasing Reese's Pieces with Chocolate Cookie nationwide this summer (the sweet snack has previously been available in Canada), and promises that Reese's fans will love the blend of smooth peanut butter with a crunchy chocolate cookie center.” 

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