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CONCLUSION

Globally, sport has changed at every level in the past 50 years. Innovations in technology and transportation have made hockey and soccer more accessible to fans around the world. Broadcast and advertising deals have put more money in professional sport, and made the success of teams more valuable. Increasingly, professional teams in hockey and soccer are looking to cultivate lifelong fans at younger ages, particularly through youth training initiatives. 

In Pittsburgh, these initiatives have been challenged by a crowded sporting landscape, given the local dominance of the Steelers and the Pirates. Over time, the Penguins and the Riverhounds introduced international models to youth training, and altered the leagues that have produced younger players in the past. The changes to teams, organizations, and training have shifted the practice of youth sport: kids begin their athletic careers at younger ages; are expected to train longer hours; and are told to devote themselves to a single sport. For Pittsburghers, youth sport was once tied to a localized high school sporting system. Now, as a result of the global reach of professional sports, the pathway to a college scholarship or professional career is an increasingly international route. 

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