Chris Elam
- There's an "epidemic of loneliness" in the US, and young people are particularly vulnerable.
- The decline in youth-sports participation over the past decade could be one factor driving the problem.
- We asked experts why fewer kids are playing sports and what communities can do about it.
When Nancy Curtin's family moved from Oregon to Spokane, Washington, in December 2019, she hoped sports would provide an outlet for her elementary-school-age son to make some friends.