By Dr. Lynn M. Jamieson
Being involved in sports is not just a matter of buying equipment and heading to an open field, court, or other playing area in one’s neighborhood. Maybe sport interests start there, but they are only brief starts for anyone who wants to learn the skills and become more proficient in developing a sport interest. Gone are the days when the nearby “sandlot” could produce Major League Baseball stars regardless of their socioeconomic level. Also, school-based or community-based neighborhood programs are virtually non-existent and have been replaced with programs that require transportation to a center or complex in order to take lessons and get involved in league play. In addition, the cost to enroll in even a starter instructional program may not be affordable for all people.
According to a survey conducted in 2016 by Ameritrade of 1001 parents with children involved in sports, 60% of the respondents had a level of concern for the cost of participation. It was found that 63% spent $100-499 per month for their children’s sport participation, and 18% spent $1000 or more per month. Further, approximately 60% of the respondents indicated that they needed to be more aware of the financial cost and impacts on their overall financial condition. (1).
Cost issues are also reflected in a survey conducted by the Aspen Institute regarding youth sport participation. It was reported that while parents seem to be willing to pay a considerable amount of money for an array of 21 sports that averaged $693 per sport annually, parents in lower income brackets found that their child was forced to quit due to prohibitive costs of participation. Overall, it was also found that on average, children quit sports in great numbers by age 11, down two years from previous surveys (2).
Studies also show that parents and players want their children to have fun when they participate in sports, and many feel that this is lacking as sports become more and more competitive, and travel takes up much more time. As a result, the dropout rate for travel sports is much higher, and parents seek recreational sports offered locally that are either free or offered at low cost. For example, the rise of skateboarding and bicycling are evidence that players are choosing lower costing sports.
What is most disturbing is that the investment in sport may not yield the intended results of gaining a better and more-skilled player, because of the time commitment and travel features. In addition, the stress of playing at higher and higher competitive levels is not for the faint of heart, and often players become dissatisfied and discouraged instead of enjoying the opportunities that travel sport allows. Further, due to the high dropout rate, may skilled players no longer are moving up the success ladder of these sports, and it becomes harder and harder to sustain a good base of skill to feed these upper level teams.
Participation in sports is important, but it does not replace the need for families to establish a budget and choose activities that are affordable and sensible. Unfortunately, many families do not spend as much time on their financial planning as they do with their involvement in sports (1). As a result, financial pressures may affect an entire family and cause a great deal of unhappiness. Further, the quest for an eventual athletic scholarship for college often negates the possibility of saving money for college or investing in getting good grades so that academic scholarships are available. If families would invest half of the funds they spend for sports in a college savings account, the pressure to gain athletic scholarships would disappear. For example, if the average family spending the average of $100-499 per month noted earlier would invest one half of that per month ($50-250) in a college savings account from the time the child is 6 until 16, a range of $6000 to $30,000 would be saved by the time the child is ready for college. This figure does not include accrued interest over the life of the college fund. Also, if families placed a higher priority on good grades instead of as much time for travel and other time pressures, other scholarship opportunities would emerge.
It simply makes NO sense to invest the amount of money in sport participation when the dropout rate is so high, and the benefits are so low. Such investment should be completely planned and revamped, so that families don’t suffer the consequences of investing in something that does not ultimately benefit the child.
In future blogs, the issue of the economic divide between those who can and those who cannot afford to participate in sport will be further discussed. This will include the fact that many potentially skilled athletes simply cannot to participate even on the instructional level of sport because fees and charges are simply too high.
References
(1) TD Ameritrade Investor Survey. (2016). Parent Perspectives on the cost of competitive youth sports. (Retrieved 08/22/20)
(2) The Aspen Institute. (2019). Project Play: National Youth Sport Survey. (Retrieved 08/22/20)