Mandy N. Murphy

12 yrs ago today. My brother had just survived cancer. I had lost my job in the recession. 90 days around the world. Volunteered. Explored. Then went from selling sneakers to promoting #sportforgood Good reminder you can always turn life’s lemons into lemonade.🍋 #grateful

. @JasonKelce hungry dogs run faster.

@AppleTV “Football is life?!” “No. Life is so much more than football.” “Not as catchy, but true.”

Feels good to be back. #TedLasso returns August 5.

“Football is life?!” “No. Life is so much more than football.” “Not as catchy, but true.” 😂❤️⚽️ #TedLasso

Women’s Empowerment Night at @WashSpirit tonight for our friend’s 40th birthday was a vibe ⚽️😎 #GOOAALLL #everyonewatcheswomenssports

Bigger than basketball. ✨ New this year, each #WNBAAllStar2026 team will compete on behalf of a different Chicago org dedicated to keeping girls involved in sports, Angels Athletics & @GirlsintheGame ⬇️

Philly sports Twitter this Friday is about to have a moment. Much respect to @KingJames and even beyond the court, cannot wait to see his impact off of it in the Philly community.

. @jasonsudeikis on #TedLasso … He’d created a universe that was bigger than he was — and when fans would tell him that the series had saved them, he’d often reply, “It saved me, too.”

Presenting Event Partners Delta Dove Gatorade Invisalign Joe Lewis Company MGM Planet Fitness Rebel Girls Signal Event Lounge Partners Adore Me BDA Beis Dove Express Inspiring Children’s Foundation JBL Lotto Nulo Local Event Partners Allegiant Stadium Las Vegas Aces Las Vegas Raiders Media Partners The Gist Fortunes Most Powerful Women

✨ @tedlasso

@MenInBlazers . @ArtButSports

Paint me like one of your French midfielders 🎨

🥰⚽️ the power of sports

Yes, those photos you’ve seen are real. More than 18 years ago, a baby named Lamine Yamal and his mom Sheila met Lionel Messi at a UNICEF fundraising photoshoot. Today, their achievements on the pitch inspire millions. Off the pitch, both Messi and Lamine Yamal use their voices and platforms as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors to support and advocate for children around the world. The goal? That every child survives, thrives, and fulfils their potential. We are proud to have them on our team. Credit: Joan Monfort

Love seeing Jeffrey Lurie, ESPN’s 2026 Stuart Scott #ENSPIRE honoree, at tonight’s #SportsHumanitarian awards, alongside @eaglesautism team. He has contributed $100M to autism research & is using power of @Eagles to build a more inclusive world. 👏 #GoBirds 🦅 #FlyEaglesFly

Joyful content we all deserve between now and Sunday: @chefjoseandres + Lamine Yamal’s little brother 🥰

@FCHWPO @DorothyJGentry @celtics @NBA @741Performance A good human who knows it’s bigger than basketball, Sixers fans are lucky to welcome you, also encouraging ppl to give a follow to your @7uiceFoundation doing incredible work for kids.

Philly #throwtheballup let’s get it

Sweet 16. 🇺🇸

Go Birds.

@BStulberg Yes + more in this great NBC piece from back in February:

Norway wins the most medals at the Winter Olympics, with a population of just 5.6 million. People say it’s because Norway is a winter wonderland, but they’re also elite at triathlon, beach volleyball, cycling, and as the world is now seeing, soccer. A big part of their success is how they treat youth sports—and it’s the opposite of what we do in the US and Canada. Here’s what we can learn from Norway: 1. Scorekeeping: In the US: Youth sports tend to be hyper competitive even at early ages. Leagues almost always keep score. In Norway: Scorekeeping isn’t even allowed until age 13. Removing winners and losers keeps the focus on the process not outcomes. It keeps kids engaged longer because it minimizes pressure (and tears) and maximizes fun, learning, and growth. The goal isn’t to win a third grade championship. It’s to love sport and keep playing. 2. Trophies: In the US: If you give everyone a trophy, you’re creating snowflakes who will never gain a competitive edge. In Norway: Whenever trophies are awarded, they are handed out to everyone. If getting a trophy makes young kids feel good, we should give them trophies. Maybe they’ll come back and play again next year!! As for the creation of snowflakes with no competitive edge—Norway’s athletes are tough as nails and all they do is win. 3. Prioritizing Fun: In the US: Far too often, the goal is to win. In Norway: The national philosophy is “joy of sport.” Youth sports in the US are driven by adults, ego, and money. Youth sports in Norway are driven by fun. Only half of kids in the US participate in sports. The number one reason they drop out: because they aren’t having fun anymore. In Norway, 93% of kids participate in youth sports. Fun is the foremost goal. 4. Playing Multiple Sports: In the US: There’s pressure to specialize early and play your best sport year round. In Norway: Try as many sports as you can before specializing as late as college. Norway encourages kids to try all types of sport. This reduces injury and burnout and increases all-around athleticism. It also helps promotes match quality, or finding the sport you are best suited for as your body develops, which is impossible if you commit to a single sport too early. 5. Affordability In the US: There is increasingly a pay-to-play model with high fees for leagues, equipment, and travel. This excludes many kids from playing. In Norway: It’s a national priority to keep youth sports affordable and therefore accessible for all. Kids aren’t priced out, which creates opportunities for everyone to participate (and develop into athletes), regardless of their parents’ income level. Norway’s sporting success isn’t just speculation or a nice story. A large body of research supports their approach: • Studies show athletes who specialize later in life have a significantly higher chance of becoming elite. • Soccer players whose motivation is primarily internal (versus external) have more than a 3x better chance of making it to an elite level. • The number one predictor of whether or not kids stay in sport is are they having fun. • Parents connect winning to having fun whereas kids say having fun is about being with their friends and learning. We could learn a lot from Norway: In the US, 70% of kids drop out of youth sports by age 13. This not only diminishes an elite-athlete pipeline, but it also destroys an opportunity for healthy habits and all the character lessons kids can learn from sport. In Norway, lifelong participation in sport is the norm. The goal isn’t to have the best 9U team. It’s to develop the best athletes. Those are two very different things. And Norway has the medals to prove it.

15 years ago in Bristol I was so excited to talk about how ESPN3.com would be the home for the Special Olympics World Summer Games Athens 2011. Today, flipped to ABC and saw the Special Olympics USA Games 2026 on national television, couldn’t help but smile. 😊

It’s never lost on me how special it is for these athletes to get their spotlight on national television. 👏 S/O @JenLada @espn @ESPNCitizenship and all 🫶