I’ve always loved the idea of Labor Day. A day to step back, tip our hats to the value of hard work, and enjoy a well-earned break. But here’s the funny thing. When Kerry and I stepped away from our careers as lifelong educators, people would come up to me and say, “So how’s retirement treating you?” And I’d look at them sideways. Retirement? Not even close. Yes, it was an “R” word, but it was resignation from our school jobs, not retirement. The truth is, we have never worked harder in our lives. And the best part? We absolutely love it.
Which brings me to the irony of Labor Day and the work we do at 2-4-1. Our whole mission is about taking the work out of sports for kids. Our new tagline says it all: We Put Play Back into Sports.
Too often kids are told, “Go out and work on your game. Work on your ball handling. Work on your shot. Work on your swing.” Sure, practice matters, but here’s the problem: when sports feel like a job, kids quit. What if instead we just told kids, “Go out and play. Go have some fun.”
As two people now in our sixth decade of life, we can tell you firsthand there is plenty of time for work. Work has its place. But youth sports are not the place. Sports should be about joy, friendships, movement, and discovery. That is why kids fall in love with them in the first place.
So this Labor Day, as the school year kicks off, I hope you will join us in celebrating both the value of work and the power of play. Let’s give kids permission to love sports again for what they are meant to be: fun.
About Steve Boyle
Steve Boyle is a connector, collaborator, and tireless advocate for making youth sports more playful, inclusive, and developmentally sound. As Executive Director of 2-4-1 CARE, Inc. and Co-Founder of 2-4-1 Sports, Steve has helped lead a growing movement to reshape the youth sports experience—one that puts the joy of play and the whole child at the center. Grounded in his background as a school counselor and coach, Steve co-created the award-winning TOP Self™ platform, which uses sport as a vehicle for social-emotional learning. Under his collaborative leadership, 2-4-1 has grown from a single program in West Hartford, Connecticut to a global nonprofit impacting communities across North America and Africa. Steve’s influence extends beyond his own organization. He served as Advisory Board Chair for the National Association of Physical Literacy and as Global Lead for Athletics and Physical Literacy at Whittle School & Studios, shaping programming in Washington, D.C. and Shenzhen. Whether working with local partners or global networks, Steve brings humility, heart, and a belief in the power of teamwork to everything he does.