Big Brothers Big Sisters Game On: Engage 500K Youngsters In Sports

By Barry Janoff

September 17, 2026: Stating that “too many young people today are sitting on the proverbial sidelines, battling loneliness, a lack of confidence and uncertainty about their future,”  Big Brothers Big Sisters of America has launched Game On.

BBBSA called it an “initiative designed to harness the cultural power of sports to create more connection, belonging, mentorship and opportunity for young people. Through Game On. BBBSA said it aims to engage 500,000 young people in sports-centered mentoring by 2035.

"Too many young people today are sitting on the proverbial sidelines, battling loneliness, a lack of confidence and uncertainty about their future," Artis Stevens, BBBSA president and CEO, said via the one-to-one youth mentoring organization.

“Game On is about using the connective power of sports to get them the in the game – building meaningful human connection with mentors, discovering new opportunities and forging pathways to what's next. Every young person deserves a champion in their corner, and through Game On, we're asking the sports world to join us in making sure they have one."

BBBSA said Game On builds on its other sports partnerships and initiatives, including a multi-year partnership with the NFL's Inspire Change initiative. BBBSA and the NFL created The Big Draft, which tuns the Super Bowl and the NFL Draft into a nationwide mentor-recruitment drive.

The nonprofit has also previously partnered with Gillette on a ten-city flag football events and Dove to promote girls' sports and confidence.

According to BBBSA, “Beyond social connections, sports cultivate life skills and attitudes that produce long-term benefits for young people, like confidence, teamwork, resilience and a greater sense of what's possible as they grow into adulthood.

“Research bears out that these life skills are more likely to transfer beyond sport when adults explicitly teach and model them, create opportunities to practice them and help young people to connect those lessons to school, work and life.”

BBBSA said access to sports is uneven. “Children in the lowest-income households play organized sports at less than half the rate of children in the wealthiest households, which represents a potential relationship gap.”

Game On is built to close that gap by bringing sports and mentoring together in three fundamental ways, “each of which present a path for partners who want to join the effort.”

• Play: Game On gives Bigs (mentors) and Littles (young people) shared time through sports, e-sports, movement and competition. Partners can support community play days and ongoing sports experiences, lower the cost of entry for young people who would otherwise sit out, create more places for girls to play and lead, and support e-sports experiences that help young gamers level up with a mentor beside them.



• Coaching:  Working through youth sports leagues, camps and other sports organizations Game On aims to recruit and train new volunteers (including employees, athletes, alumni and fans) as mentors and to help the adults already inside youth sports become more confident mentors through short, customizable training modules.



• Career Pathways: As part of BBBSA's broader Big Futures commitment to career discovery and future readiness, Game On connects young people to sports jobs, networks and skills. Partners host on-the-job experiences that turn game-day passion into career possibilities in fields such as media, operations, hospitality, merchandising, analytics and coaching.

"Game On is more than a program. It's a call to action," Adam Vasallo, BBBSA  chief marketing and communications officer, said via the organization.

”To reach 500,000 young people through sports-based mentoring, we need brands, leagues, teams, community organizations, and individuals to step onto the field with us. Together, we can harness the power of sports to create connections, build confidence, and change the trajectory of a generation."

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