When a ref suddenly stopped an indoor soccer game and called a player off the field, everyone around was confused. Seattle-based brothers Justin and Jacob Rivera, then 9 and 8, later learned it was because their teammate’s family couldn’t afford the dues to play at that facility.
The boys sponsored their friend to get him back on the field, then learned something they found shocking at the time: This wasn’t an isolated incident. “We didn’t understand that there was a bigger picture here, and so many kids being affected,” says Justin, now 16. The Aspen Institute’s Project Play found that the average U.S. sports family spent $1,016 on their child’s primary sport in 2024, a 46 percent increase since 2019. Unsurprisingly, this has widened the participation gap between low- and high-income households—from about 14 percent in 2012 to more than 20 percent in 2024, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association’s research.
“It seemed super unfair,” says Jacob, now 15. “Playing sports should be a right. You should be able to play on a team without having to pay dues.”
The brothers decided to do something about the issue, creating a nonprofit called Level the Field Sports. Since launching in 2019, they’ve helped raise more than $250,000 to expand access to youth sports for underserved communities, helping about 1,000 kids by providing equipment and/or covering costs such as registration fees, uniforms, shoes, and other participation expenses.
Corporate sponsors, including Windermere and Green Lake Orthodontics, provide support, alongside individual donations and King County grants. The organization hosts an annual event in southeast Seattle at NewHolly Central Park, with soccer games, pizza, drinks, cookies, and music. This year, the brothers teamed up with RAVE Foundation—the charitable arm of the Seattle Sounders and Seattle Reign—to hand out 100 soccer balls, and coaches from the University of Washington ran drills.
The brothers know the benefits of athletics, having grown up playing soccer, as well as basketball, golf, and swimming. Justin, a high school junior, is especially proud that they’re able to help other young people play organized sports. “To be able to play by themselves and play with their friends or siblings is one thing, but getting them on a team and committing to that team, that can completely change a kid’s life,” he says.
Studies have found that participation in youth sports is associated with higher rates of confidence, creativity, and cognitive performance. In a JAMA Pediatrics investigation that looked at children who have had an adverse childhood experience, team sports participation during adolescence was significantly associated with lower odds of receiving a diagnosis of depression (16.8 percent vs. 22 percent) or anxiety (11.8 percent vs. 16.8 percent) in adulthood. It can also help set them up for a healthier future, physically: Adolescents who play sports are eight times more likely to be active at age 24 than those who do not play sports, according to a study in the journal Youth & Society.
Beyond helping with access to team sports, the nonprofit did a mask and hand sanitizer drive during the pandemic, participated in a Stop Asian Hate On and Off the Field campaign, and started a youth advisory council to talk about social justice issues. When Jacob took up fishing and found it a stress reliever, the high school freshman teamed up with the YMCA to take kids to Lake Washington to fish. “It’s a great mindful practice and activity to do outside. You can stay in the present and not focus on anything else,” he says.
“Their humility downplays the gravity of what they have contributed to their community,” says the brothers’ mom, Nancy Le. “They’ve put equipment and gear into the hands of a thousand kids, most of whom are K to 5—they’re early in sports so they can be on equal footing with their peers as they get into middle school and high school.”
Justin and Jacob were recognized earlier this year at the Seattle Sports Commission’s Sports Star of the Year Awards with the Wayne & Anne Gittinger Inspirational Youth Award, which honors young Washington athletes who have overcome obstacles and inspired others. Other award recipients included former Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren, Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and UW pole vaulters Amanda and Hana Moll—people whose careers show off the many ways youth sports can lead to success.
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