Every kid deserves a chance to play. In our new campaign, Play Because It Matters, 5x NBA champion and youth advocate Derek Fisher shares why play isn’t just something kids do—it’s something they need.
🏀⚽🏈 From the field to the front office, we’re working to ensure that all youth—regardless of race, zip code, or income—have access to the transformative power of sport.
Play because it builds character.
Play because it creates change.
Play because it matters.
Visit the link in our bio to learn how you can help unlock access to play for all.
#PlayBecause #PlayEquity #DerekFisher #YouthSports #SportsForAll #EquityInPlay #FutureThroughPlay #PlayWithPurpose
Get in, we’re going to the fair! 🎡
This weekend at the @lacountyfair is officially Play Equity Weekend! All weekend, LA84 and @playequityfund will be hosting a special activation at the fair where we will have sports and games, giveaways, dancing + DJ and of course, Sam The Eagle.
Get ready for Play Equity Weekend at the fair! See you there.
Tickets available at lacountyfair.com
Plans this weekend?
LA84 and @playequityfund are teaming up with the @lacountyfair for Play Equity Weekend at the fair with a special activation full of sports and games, giveaways, music + dancing, and appearances from Sam The Eagle all weekend long!
Join us and celebrate the power of play with at the fair!
Tickets available at lacountyfair.com
LA84 recently hosted the CA Assembly Select Committee on the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games for a special hearing titled, “Lessons and Legacy: Impacts of the 1984 Olympic Games.”
Athletes, LA84 grantee youth, and former LAOOC members shared firsthand perspectives on how the Games shaped Los Angeles and created a lasting legacy for communities across the region.
Thank you to everyone who provided public comment and to the Committee for choosing LA84 to host this important conversation.
The LA84 Foundation has awarded $1.9 million in grants to 27 organizations working to expand access to sport, play, and movement across Southern California!
These investments will support more than 400,000 youth across Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Diego, and Ventura Counties, advancing our commitment to play equity and ensuring more young people can experience the benefits of sport. From after-school programs to adaptive sports and non-traditional activities like surfing, golf, and lacrosse, these investments are helping organizations working to remove barriers and open doors for young people across the region.
Read more about our latest grant docket at the link in bio!
The next large grant cycle opens in July. For more information on LA84's grants requirements and FAQs, visit the link in bio or la84.org/grants.
New date, same energy 🏆
The Crenshaw Classic is going down June 13 — pull up and show out! Community, culture, and competition all in one place. You already know the vibe. 🖤
Lock in your spot — registration link in bio. Don’t wait on it.
Powered by @la84foundation
#CrenshawClassic #LAEvents #SummerTrackMeet #PullUp #CrenshawYMCA
The LA84 Foundation previewed the 2026 California Play Equity Report this month, with full release coming up soon in May: it’s a measure of how far we have come in giving every child access to sport, and how far we still have to go. I had the privilege of serving as president of LA84 for nearly thirty years. The work the Foundation does today still moves me.
👉 In My Olympic Life, I wrote about the early years: "When we started, there were areas where children were using broom handles for baseball bats and a bundle of rags for a soccer ball."
That was nearly forty years ago, and yet in 2026 we are still finding California neighborhoods where the equipment is improvised, the coaches are stretched thin, and little girls are getting fewer minutes on the field than the boys. Sport belongs to everyone... and the most reliable way to make that true is to be honest about who is being left out, then to fund what works.
LA84's research, the new MOVE Fund, and the run-up to the LA28 Games create a once-in-a-generation chance to close those gaps. If you care about youth sport, look up the report; share it with a coach, a parent, a school board member you know.
What sport changed your life? 🏀⚽
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Excerpted from My Olympic Life by me, Anita L. DeFrantz with Alayne Merenstein (Cedric D. Fisher & Company Publishers).
Find it at AnitaDeFrantz.com or on Amazon:
/My-Olympic-Life-Memoir-1/dp/1736001337
And in Audiobook format:
/pd/My-Olympic-Life-Audiobook/B08VCKGBHZ
☀️ The Play Day Block Party is back on Saturday, June 27, from 10 AM to 3 PM! A full day of games, movement, and moments that bring our communities together right in the heart of Historic West Adams. Free. Open to all. Made for joy.
🎟️ Registration is now open. Head to the link in our bio and get ready to play on June 27! See you there.
There are so many reasons why kids should play sports.
Follow along as we ask our youth, coaches, parents, and partners to rank these following reasons. What’s your ranking like?
With the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games set for a summer In Full Bloom, we take a look back at 1984. Bright colors and “Festive Federalism” transformed the look of LA, creating one of the most distinct Olympic Games ever. #olympics
A day of insight, collaboration, and action to close the play equity gap.
Thanks to everyone who took part in the 2026 Play Equity Summit. Let’s keep building.
