Christopher Bjork, Chair and Professor of Education on the Dexter M. Ferry, Jr. Chair and Coordinator of Teacher Education, and William Hoynes, Professor of Sociology on the Jane Baker Nord ’42 Chair in Media Studies, are the authors of the recently published More than Just a Game: How the Youth Sports Industry Is Changing the Way We Parent and What to Do About It, published by Central Recovery Press.

This book “explores parental attitudes and struggles and shows parents how to navigate the profit-driven system of youth sports that frequently ignores the needs of kids.” It includes compelling stories that examine the developmental implications for children; the financial and logistical impacts of sports participation on families; and the challenges facing young athletes, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Chris and Bill, who spoke at Rhinebeck’s Oblong Books in February about their new book, probe “what happened to kids’ sports” and whether the traditional benefits of team participation and personal growth can withstand the multibillion-dollar youth sports industry that engages 45 million children each year in increasingly high-stakes, high-pressure athletics. They will be talking about More than Just a Game as part of the library’s Featuring Faculty series on Thursday, March 27 at 3:00 p.m. in the Class of ’51 Reading Room.