From R9,500 commercialisation conferences to millions of livestream views, school sport is increasingly being drawn into a professionalised, high-pressure economy. Coaches, psychologists and parents say its educational and developmental purpose is being displaced by performance and profit, while legal experts warn that children risk being reduced to unpaid entertainers in a rapidly expanding youth sports industry. Daily Maverick’s Takudzwa Pongweni reports.
Reporting by: Takudzwa Pongweni
Edited by: Anda Tolibadi
Filmed by: Malibongwe Tyilo
Produced by: Emilie Gambade
Creative input by: Malibongwe Tyilo
Sub-edited by: Robyn Leary
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