Ken King - Author of the Book "Pyramid Scheme" - Episode 1302

Ken King is the author of the new book, Pyramid Scheme - How sport became an empire, why it is collapsing, and how we rebuild the game. Ken is the Executive Director of Calgary Minor Basketball, a non-profit of over 7000 athletes, 1500 coaches, and 300 officials. He is also the Principle/Founder of Boost Innovation Inc., a Calgary-based technology company building a portfolio of sport performance and coaching applications. He holds fifteen years of experience in high-performance collegiate basketball coaching and government affairs connected to Canadian sport. King’s work sits at the intersection of sport technology, athlete development, and systems design, and he contributes regularly to national sport development conversations through research, writing, and direct policy engagement. On this episode Mike and Ken discuss why youth sports increasingly operates as an expensive, restrictive system that funnels money and opportunity toward a small elite group. Ken shares how pay-to-play models, early specialization, overtraining, and limited alternatives contribute to athlete burnout and dropout. The episode also examines why coach effectiveness should be measured by player experience and retention rather than credentials or playing history. King highlights the crisis in referee retention, arguing that organizations must protect officials, hold abusive adults accountable, and provide meaningful administrative support. The conversation concludes with a vision for rebuilding youth sports through more affordable entry points, easier exits, multi-sport opportunities, and accessible ways for every child to keep playing. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @hoopheadspod for the latest updates on episodes, guests, and events from the Hoop Heads Pod. Make sure you’re subscribed to the Hoop Heads Pod on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts and while you’re there please leave us a 5 star rating and review.  Your ratings help your friends and coaching colleagues find the show. If you really love what you’re hearing recommend the Hoop Heads Pod to someone and get them to join you as a part of Hoop Heads Nation. Make sure you have your notebook at your side as you listen to this episode with Ken King, author of the new book, Pyramid Scheme - How sport became an empire, why it is collapsing, and how we rebuild the game. Website - https://www.justkenking.com/ Email - coachkenking@gmail.com Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenboost/ Connect with the Hoop Heads Podcast on social media! Twitter/x - @hoopheadspod Instagram - @HoopHeadsPod YouTube – Hoop Heads Podcast Facebook – Hoop Heads Podcast Subscribe to the Hoop Heads Pod Newsletter - https://hoopheadspod.com/newsletter/ Website - https://hoopheadspod.com/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.