The Group Chat: Kim Kardashian produced a reality show about youth sports

Lately, there have been seemingly endless stories about either the wild world of youth sports or parents making strange decisions (like how much this mom spent on Ole Miss tailgates) in the sports space. How kismet, then, that we recently chatted with a very famous mom of four who produced a new reality show about the parents of elite child athletes: Kim Kardashian.

• “Team Moms: Baseball” (Paramount+) premiered on September 24th and follows seven families whose sons attend Legendary Prep Academy (LPA), a premier baseball school in Scottsdale, Arizona.

• These boys are training to become the next generation of pro baseball players, a job they take seriously…as any 13-year-old would. But their parents? That’s another story.

If you think the poster for “Team Moms: Baseball” is giving “Real Housewives,” you’re right. Like its Bravo predecessors, “Team Moms” is chock-full of drama. We’re talking on, but mainly off the field and almost exclusively between the moms and dads of the LPA Outlaws team.

Kardashian created the series after a conversation with her best friend and fellow executive producer, Natalie Ento, a former Division I volleyball player and current youth volleyball coach.

“[Ento] had just come from some intense game and was talking about something that had happened between the parents on the field,” Kardashian said. Without disclosing the incident, Kardashian giggled saying, “We both were kind of laughing saying, ‘This is a reality show.’” After that, it was just a matter of finding willing participants, and “Team Moms: Baseball” was born.

Over the summer, New York Magazine published an expansive feature called “The Pay-to-Play Childhood” on youth sports. It highlighted the harsh realities now seemingly inherent in the American pay-to-play system, from rising costs to parents who will do (and pay) anything so their kid can make it to the next level — or at least not fall behind.

• Like many millennial women, it made us think of how Will Ferrell’s 2005 film “Kicking & Screaming” mocked these adults. Fast forward to 2026, a caffeinated coach with daddy issues is hardly the worst-behaved adult on the sideline, as evident in “Team Moms.”

As early as episode one, it’s clear that the LPA parents have no problem confronting their own sons (or the umpires) over perceived on-field mistakes, like poor pitches or striking out at bat. After all, these teenage boys are training to be the next Aaron Judge, something these families are likely shelling out thousands of dollars for, as youth sports have become a privatized, $40B industry.

• While LPA’s tuition is only available upon request, other comparable athletic academies charge between $12K and $20K annually.

• What’s included in that bill? Mental performance work, analytics, strength and conditioning, rehab, and the requisite two hours of online academic school a day. Anything to fuel the 13-year-old’s dream, right?

We asked Kardashian if she has anything in common with the moms on the show, to which she replied, “Absolutely. I think if you have a child that has interests that they are extremely passionate about, you want to support their dreams. And these parents and families want to do whatever they can to support their children’s dreams.”

• Kardashian touches on a relatable sentiment for any parent: What good comes from denying a child a chance at their dream?

• But when it comes to reaching the pros, the truth is much harsher. While 11% of sports parents think their kid can turn pro, only 0.16% of youth baseball players will make it to the MLB.

Let’s be clear: “Team Moms: Baseball” is dramatic and entertaining, but sometimes difficult to watch because it’s an accurate (if not extreme) depiction of how youth sports have devolved from the weekends at the park of our youth. If only we knew how to fix the broken system before Paramount+ starts filming season 2.