Education & Guides

How Children Are Exploited in Football

Youth and high school football have become a multi‑billion‑dollar industry with almost no oversight. Children are being exploited earlier than ever in the pursuit of playing college football. They train year‑round, sacrifice socially and academically, and dedicate themselves to a dream that should uplift them—yet adults and institutions use that dream against them.

Watch: How Parents Get Manipulated

Families are routinely misled by:- Pay‑to‑play camps and “exposure” events- Unregulated 7v7 programs selling access and hype- Private trainers promising visibility they can’t deliver- High school politics, favoritism, and retaliation- Deceptive college recruiting practices

Athletes across all income levels are exploited by systems that prioritize profit, favoritism, and visibility over fairness, development, and child well‑being. Recommendation‑based access has become the norm: athletes endorsed by their high school coaches receive free invites, priority evaluations, and direct exposure, while athletes who are not recommended—or who are blackballed—are locked out of the visibility pipeline entirely. A coach’s personal bias, alliances, or conflicts of interest can determine which children are elevated and which are erased. Colleges then exploit children’s dreams through non‑committable offers, mass‑sent Junior Day invites, slow‑playing, camp funnels, and “interest” that is not real. Families spend money they do not have, travel long distances, and publicly celebrate opportunities that were never genuine. There is currently no independent watchdog, no reporting system, and no national organization dedicated to protecting children from these forms of exploitation within football. Families are navigating a predatory system alone.

Many families are never told how prospect lists work. Coaches decide who gets added, who gets left off, and whose film is actually shared with colleges. This gatekeeping quietly determines which young athletes are seen and which are erased. Without transparency, the list isn’t a measure of talent — it becomes a tool for institutional control and selective invisibility.

Non-Committable Offers: The Illusion of Commitment

Colleges use non-committable offers to generate artificial hype and manufacture urgency. These are not real admissions or scholarship guarantees—they are marketing tools designed to pressure athletes and lock them into a school's ecosystem without the institution making a reciprocal commitment. For the college, it's low-risk interest; for the family, it's a life-altering promise that often turns out to be hollow.

The emotional impact on families is devastating. Parents and children publicly celebrate these 'offers' on social media, investing time, money, and emotional capital into a future that doesn't actually exist on paper. When the school stops calling or fills the spot with a higher priority recruit, the family is left blindsided and exploited, having missed other genuine opportunities while chasing a ghost.

4 Key Questions Every Family Must Ask

Can I commit to this offer right now and have it be officially accepted by the university?
If I say yes today, is my spot in this recruiting class guaranteed in writing?
What specific conditions must be met for this offer to become a committable scholarship agreement?
Are you extending this same offer to other athletes at my position, and how many spots are actually available?

Prospect Lists & Visibility

Prospect lists quietly decide which athletes are seen and which are erased. Most families are never told these lists exist, who controls them, or how they are used. Behind the scenes, coaches and programs use prospect lists to decide who gets film, invites, and real opportunities—and who is left invisible.

Watch: The Visibility Pipeline

In many programs, access is recommendation‑based. Athletes endorsed by their high school coaches are added to lists, sent to colleges, and given free invites, priority evaluations, and direct exposure. Athletes who are not recommended—or who are blackballed—are locked out of the visibility pipeline entirely, no matter how talented they are.

Key Questions Every Parent Must Ask About Prospect Lists:

- Does a prospect list even exist in this program? - Is my child on it, and how would I know? - Who decides which athletes are added or left off? - What information is being shared about my child, and with whom? - What happens to an athlete who is not recommended or is quietly removed from the list?

In many high school programs, the prospect list is controlled entirely by the head coach and staff. If they never add an athlete—or quietly leave them off—it limits who colleges hear about through official channels. Recruitment can begin in other ways, such as a college coach noticing an athlete at a reputable camp or seeing them during a game while evaluating someone on the opposing team. But even when a college shows early interest, that interest often cannot move forward without the high school coach’s endorsement, verification, and communication. Families are told to “trust the process,” but no one explains that colleges can only advance on athletes whose information, transcripts, and film are actually confirmed by the high school. When a coach withholds that support, the athlete becomes invisible in the system, regardless of talent or work ethic.

Red Flags in 7v7 and Camps

Watch: Red Flags in 7v7

7v7 teams and football camps are packaged as pathways to exposure, but many function as revenue machines with little accountability. Families are pressured to believe participation is mandatory for recruiting, even when these events offer no real visibility and operate with weak safety standards. Behind the marketing, many athletes face financial exploitation, false expectations, and environments that are far less safe than advertised.

At the elite level, national 7v7 brands build their rosters around athletes who are already highly ranked and heavily recruited. They present this as “creating exposure,” when in reality they are simply concentrating existing stars in one place. With major media partners, broadcast deals, and national coverage, these events generate massive attention and revenue. Families watching from the outside are led to believe that any 7v7 team can deliver this level of visibility. What they are not told is that these spotlight moments are reserved for a small group of pre‑selected athletes — and that most teams, and most players, will never receive that kind of exposure.

Key Questions for Parents About 7v7 and Camps

- What level is this 7v7 team really—local, regional, or truly national? Who actually gets media coverage and offers from this program—everyone, or mostly already‑rated kids? Does my child’s high school coach also control a 7v7 team, and could that create pressure or retaliation? If we say no to this 7v7 or camp, will it quietly affect my child’s visibility or playing time? Are we being pressured with fear (“you’ll be left behind”) instead of clear, honest information?

When families are not told the truth about how elite 7v7, ratings, and referrals work together, 7v7 becomes another place where children’s dreams are used to drive money, status, and control—with very little real accountability.

Watch: Camp Funnel System

WARNING: NIL “Management,” Recruiting Services, and Unregulated Agents

The explosion of NIL has invited a wave of unregulated management companies, self-appointed agents, and high-fee recruiting services into youth and high school football. These entities operate without state licensing, professional oversight, or ethical accountability. They target high school and even middle school families, selling the dream of college visibility while charging thousands in upfront fees for services that often provide no real value.

These predatory services pressure families using fear-based marketing—telling parents their child will be “left behind” if they don’t pay for a profile or an agent. They make false promises of direct access to college coaches and “guaranteed” scholarship interest. While college staffs may reference public recruiting sites, college coaches prioritize independent evaluations and direct contact with high school staff.

Crucial Questions for Every Family to Ask

Who are you actually accountable to if something goes wrong—anyone, or just yourself? What real experience do you have beyond marketing and social media? Exactly how do you make money from my child’s name, image, and likeness or recruiting process? What specific work will you do for us that we cannot do ourselves with free tools and clear information? Can we see, in writing, what you will and will not do—and what happens if we decide to walk away?

What YSTI‑FD Does and Does NOT Do

YSTI‑FD is an independent accountability and transparency initiative operating inside youth and high school football. We function as a watchdog for athletes and their families, ensuring that the systems meant to serve them are not exploiting them.

What YSTI‑FD DOES

Collects reports and documents patterns of exploitation and retaliation.
Publishes transparency reports and educational guides for families.
Names specific financial, influence-based, and structural practices that target young athletes.
Focuses on athletes from Title I and underserved communities while recognizing that exploitation cuts across all backgrounds.
Operates without institutional alliances to maintain absolute independence.

What YSTI‑FD does NOT do

No promises of scholarships, offers, or roster spots.
No recruiting services, selling exposure, or highlight promotion.
No legal representation or attorney services.
No lobbying coaches or colleges on behalf of individuals.
No guarantees of systemic change for a specific team, coach, or school.