Can we discuss the cost of competitive sports?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's clear parents today have lost the plot. Back in the day... things were very seasonal. Hockey, skiing, and basketball in the winter. Track and volleyball in the spring. Baseball in the summer. Football and soccer in the fall.

And all of it was normal and affordable for everyone. My big sport was hockey, but we'd get on the train to Montreal and stay with the families with our jersey numbers. Not a big expense for anyone.

This is Canada though. And I can guarantee we were all better hockey players than anyone in the DC area paying thousands for their travel whatever. We played hockey on backyard rinks and footie hockey everywhere. Money wasn't the thing.

More importantly, there was such a wide variety of sports that changed with the season and were available to anyone, regardless of income bracket.

We've lost it with hyper-specialization and the money and time that goes into it. Your kid is not going to the NHL. You are not making a living in volleyball and crew. You are not going to play in the Premier League.

If you are 6'10, basketball might be an option in Turkey. If you are 390 lbs and can lift heavy things, maybe the CFL is viable.

But this obsession by DC area parents for a singular specialization in a sport for their 10 year old is bizarre. And quite sad.

I mean… yeah. It’s easier and less expensive to play hockey in Canada than it is in DC. Did you think you were acting making a good point here?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Soccer u12 19k for the year.
The math is shocking, it adds up. And we have college paid for already.
3k club fee, 1k team fee, 1k hotels and gas, 7k summer sleep away camps/ destination expenses, 3k private and skill group training, 1k mentor, 1k physical therapy, 2k equipment.

How does anyone spend $2000.00/year on... soccer equipment?!?

Soccer shoes if you buy for performance. The performance ones are super expensive and wear out very quickly. They're like tech suits in swimming $600 for like one or two meets.

I don't think it's required though, you can wear more durable shoes. Though soccer is an all-weather sport, so it's more than just getting a pair of Umbro's.

I think this is where soccer diverges in the US you can clearly see it's something that isn't really popularly played. It fits more into the classist sports than the blue-collar sports.

That is absolutely ridiculous reasoning. It does not cost $2000, but you are choosing to spend that for some reason.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's clear parents today have lost the plot. Back in the day... things were very seasonal. Hockey, skiing, and basketball in the winter. Track and volleyball in the spring. Baseball in the summer. Football and soccer in the fall.

And all of it was normal and affordable for everyone. My big sport was hockey, but we'd get on the train to Montreal and stay with the families with our jersey numbers. Not a big expense for anyone.

This is Canada though. And I can guarantee we were all better hockey players than anyone in the DC area paying thousands for their travel whatever. We played hockey on backyard rinks and footie hockey everywhere. Money wasn't the thing.

More importantly, there was such a wide variety of sports that changed with the season and were available to anyone, regardless of income bracket.

We've lost it with hyper-specialization and the money and time that goes into it. Your kid is not going to the NHL. You are not making a living in volleyball and crew. You are not going to play in the Premier League.

If you are 6'10, basketball might be an option in Turkey. If you are 390 lbs and can lift heavy things, maybe the CFL is viable.

But this obsession by DC area parents for a singular specialization in a sport for their 10 year old is bizarre. And quite sad.

Generally agree, but if you are 6’8” and 300+ and are athletic at all, you will get D1 offers never having played football in your life.

Neff Giwa, a 6'7", 295-pound Irish rugby player from Tipperary, recently committed to South Carolina as an offensive lineman, selecting them over D1 offers from Miami, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and SMU. Despite no prior American football experience, he garnered rapid interest after a viral video of his pass-blocking, notes ESPN.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's clear parents today have lost the plot. Back in the day... things were very seasonal. Hockey, skiing, and basketball in the winter. Track and volleyball in the spring. Baseball in the summer. Football and soccer in the fall.

And all of it was normal and affordable for everyone. My big sport was hockey, but we'd get on the train to Montreal and stay with the families with our jersey numbers. Not a big expense for anyone.

This is Canada though. And I can guarantee we were all better hockey players than anyone in the DC area paying thousands for their travel whatever. We played hockey on backyard rinks and footie hockey everywhere. Money wasn't the thing.

More importantly, there was such a wide variety of sports that changed with the season and were available to anyone, regardless of income bracket.

We've lost it with hyper-specialization and the money and time that goes into it. Your kid is not going to the NHL. You are not making a living in volleyball and crew. You are not going to play in the Premier League.

If you are 6'10, basketball might be an option in Turkey. If you are 390 lbs and can lift heavy things, maybe the CFL is viable.

But this obsession by DC area parents for a singular specialization in a sport for their 10 year old is bizarre. And quite sad.

It is still the case that youth sports in Canada are much more affordable than here, rep and travel hockey included. We are paying multiples of what we used to in Ontario. Or have simply dropped some sports like squash that were $200 CAD a year but would be $1800+ a year here (same amount of court time in both programs). For ice it’s easy, there were as many rinks as Starbucks and public ice time is free. For the other sports, I assume it’s because public facilities are better and many youth sports are subsidized, though squash was at a private facility in both cases. Also in some sports (not just hockey), the level is much better but without the competitive focus. In Canada you don’t hear parents of 10 year olds talking about sports as a university pathway.

We miss it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Soccer u12 19k for the year.
The math is shocking, it adds up. And we have college paid for already.
3k club fee, 1k team fee, 1k hotels and gas, 7k summer sleep away camps/ destination expenses, 3k private and skill group training, 1k mentor, 1k physical therapy, 2k equipment.

how do you have $2k in equipment per year!? what is a "team fee" ? what is the $1k mentor, is this not private training? $19k for U12 with traveling and extra private training seems close-ish, but some of the fees you mention are weird.

We are well off; but it's shocking if you add it all up. I'm also an accountant, so it's easy to keep track of and I think most families underestimate what they spend in an entire year. -It's never just the Club Fee.
-2k in equipment, 7 pairs of cleats (due to growing feet) -futsal $100, -indoor turf 2x $200, - outdoor x4 ~$600 -soccer balls x4 $200, uniform items $500, practice/ soccer clothes $200, rebounder & soccer stuff $200.
-1k team fees to cover tournaments, winter training, indoor training, dinners, fundraisers
-1k mentor (programs like Athlete to Athlete...and video review are not free)

OP asked to discuss the cost of competitive sports. This is for the 1st team and some families do even more with trips to Europe in the Spring and training in Florida, or adding the full ODP track for example. Some families certainly can't do all the extras, but the team fees and the club fees, equipment and travel add up to close to 10k for everyone on the team.

If you are invited to play on a top team, be sure to ask what out of state tournaments you are going to so you know you can budget in and extra $1k to 2k per weekend depending if its something you drive to or fly to!

We do have families who are sacrificing and it is clear there will be no to little college scholarship money for their kid (based on the odds and their talent level). So, it is not a rational expense. It's something you spend money on because you love it/ can afford it.

Why are you buying $100+ cleats? I have done plenty of research and have not really found any real evidence that the "pro" cleat is that much better (or sefer for the foot) than their cheaper $70 version. Granted this is a fairly small part of the overall cost, just seems unnecessary.

[Anonymous]

Volleyball is $4,500 plus $800-$1,000 for a driveable away weekend, and $200 for close-by tournaments, because we get to pay to watch our kids play, plus food and parking. It's totally ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Soccer u12 19k for the year.
The math is shocking, it adds up. And we have college paid for already.
3k club fee, 1k team fee, 1k hotels and gas, 7k summer sleep away camps/ destination expenses, 3k private and skill group training, 1k mentor, 1k physical therapy, 2k equipment.

You have a U12 kid who regularly has to go to physical therapy? And a paid mentor that is separate from a trainer? None of that bodes well for the future. Maybe pull back on some of the camps and training and the PT won’t be needed.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:The easiest way to save money on sports is to not let your kid play certain sports from the start.

It’s not like the DMV has organic ways to play hockey. The local pounds don’t freeze over and kids just go out and play. You have to be hauling your kid to an ice rink from the start.

There are dozens of sports you can guide your five year old to play.

Yup and we tried it all until my kid landed on hockey. Believe me, I tried. Doesn't always work out. I'd be happiest if I had a theater kid, but I don't.

This really doesn’t make any sense to me. My kid never landed on hockey because I would never let them land on it. They can play lax, football, flag football, soccer, baseball, basketball…wait until a little they are a little older and they can run track or cross country…I’m probably leaving out another 6+ sports.

It’s really not hard.

Im the poster who said my son badgered his way in and youre right if you just flat out say "no hockey" and keep saying it they wont have the opportunity to ever land there. For us, I just didnt think it would take, my son played many other more accessible sports, and was quite good at them, and had friends on teams, and we knew NO ONE who played hockey. So when he asked for the 12th time to do the learn to play clinic, i was worn down and said yes thinking it would be a one time thing and he would move on. But once he got a taste he fell in love. He asked to do it instead of other sports. He practiced on his own at home, and read books and watched videos and said "please mom can you sign me up for more lessons".

You are correct we could have said absolutely not and forbid it. But when your kid shows that much interest its not an easy thing to shut down. And I really didnt know or understand how expensive it would turn out to be. If I had known I might have said no longer or louder!

NP here - I’m glad you recognize that is really is your fault at the end of the day that your child is playing.

It’s so frustrating hearing parents constantly say “they had no choice” in whatever it is their kid wants, from sports to cell phones. You literally could just say no. You could explain the time and finance sacrifices if you want to give context or just say no.

There are things my children would love that I say no to all the time. It’s really a lack of authority that’s the problem.

And, look, there are some very wealthy families who can just do whatever regardless of cost and there are “hockey” or “horse” families that will give up everything to be in those worlds but they’re all choices.

NP, but DO go ahead and STFU.

We are all well aware that a parent can just refuse. You’re not dropping any wisdom, here. You’re just being an argumentative AH. And there is ZERO reason for YOU to find it frustrating that complete strangers make different choices than you, regardless of whether or not they complain about those choices. It literally does not affect you.

Some parents actually give a $hit about trying to support their kids’ interests, rather than just being authoritarian control freaks. We’re still allowed to vent when kids select expensive interests. Just like someday folks will politely smile and nod when you complain that your adult kids don’t call you or visit except for birthdays and holidays…

NP but you are insane if you think you need to indulge your kids' unrealistic and unaffordable childhood hobbies in order to have a relationship with them when they are adults.

That was not the implication. Utterly disregarding your children’s interests in the name of authority is what will cause them to not take much of an interest in you in your dotage.

And we’re not discussing unrealistic and unaffordable hobbies in this thread. We’re discussing common and expensive hobbies. See the difference?

“nearly 12k a year (not including meet fees, uniforms, hotels, plane tickets etc). So easily another 5k in some cases (current rate is over 8k a year)”

For many people, that’s expensive and unaffordable. For most people who have ever lived, that’s laughably unrealistic for a child’s sport. Get some perspective.

If it’s unaffordable, then don’t do it. That’s obvious, and I am truly sorry that you need to have that explained to you.

People on this thread are talking about sports that are indeed expensive, but they can afford it.

Then why are they - you - complaining? Weird humblebrag?

You never pay for something you can afford but that you also think is expensive?

I assume you’ve never once lamented the cost of healthcare or gas, then…

Have you always been this dumb?

Is healthcare, I don’t know, necessary? Do some people need to buy gas to get to their jobs?

Pls try again.

Nope. Both are choices. You could tough that illness out at home. You could take the bus, or ride your bike, or live closer to your job, or work from home, etc.

Thanks for playing, though. I know it’s hard to admit you were wrong.

Tough out that cancer diagnosis? Mmm hmmm.

[Anonymous]

Our problem was 3 kids in 3 very different sports. Most expensive was competitive Irish Dance- the dance costume costs are ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The easiest way to save money on sports is to not let your kid play certain sports from the start.

It’s not like the DMV has organic ways to play hockey. The local pounds don’t freeze over and kids just go out and play. You have to be hauling your kid to an ice rink from the start.

There are dozens of sports you can guide your five year old to play.

Yup and we tried it all until my kid landed on hockey. Believe me, I tried. Doesn't always work out. I'd be happiest if I had a theater kid, but I don't.

This really doesn’t make any sense to me. My kid never landed on hockey because I would never let them land on it. They can play lax, football, flag football, soccer, baseball, basketball…wait until a little they are a little older and they can run track or cross country…I’m probably leaving out another 6+ sports.

It’s really not hard.

Im the poster who said my son badgered his way in and youre right if you just flat out say "no hockey" and keep saying it they wont have the opportunity to ever land there. For us, I just didnt think it would take, my son played many other more accessible sports, and was quite good at them, and had friends on teams, and we knew NO ONE who played hockey. So when he asked for the 12th time to do the learn to play clinic, i was worn down and said yes thinking it would be a one time thing and he would move on. But once he got a taste he fell in love. He asked to do it instead of other sports. He practiced on his own at home, and read books and watched videos and said "please mom can you sign me up for more lessons".

You are correct we could have said absolutely not and forbid it. But when your kid shows that much interest its not an easy thing to shut down. And I really didnt know or understand how expensive it would turn out to be. If I had known I might have said no longer or louder!

NP here - I’m glad you recognize that is really is your fault at the end of the day that your child is playing.

It’s so frustrating hearing parents constantly say “they had no choice” in whatever it is their kid wants, from sports to cell phones. You literally could just say no. You could explain the time and finance sacrifices if you want to give context or just say no.

There are things my children would love that I say no to all the time. It’s really a lack of authority that’s the problem.

And, look, there are some very wealthy families who can just do whatever regardless of cost and there are “hockey” or “horse” families that will give up everything to be in those worlds but they’re all choices.

NP, but DO go ahead and STFU.

We are all well aware that a parent can just refuse. You’re not dropping any wisdom, here. You’re just being an argumentative AH. And there is ZERO reason for YOU to find it frustrating that complete strangers make different choices than you, regardless of whether or not they complain about those choices. It literally does not affect you.

Some parents actually give a $hit about trying to support their kids’ interests, rather than just being authoritarian control freaks. We’re still allowed to vent when kids select expensive interests. Just like someday folks will politely smile and nod when you complain that your adult kids don’t call you or visit except for birthdays and holidays…

NP but you are insane if you think you need to indulge your kids' unrealistic and unaffordable childhood hobbies in order to have a relationship with them when they are adults.

That was not the implication. Utterly disregarding your children’s interests in the name of authority is what will cause them to not take much of an interest in you in your dotage.

And we’re not discussing unrealistic and unaffordable hobbies in this thread. We’re discussing common and expensive hobbies. See the difference?

“nearly 12k a year (not including meet fees, uniforms, hotels, plane tickets etc). So easily another 5k in some cases (current rate is over 8k a year)”

For many people, that’s expensive and unaffordable. For most people who have ever lived, that’s laughably unrealistic for a child’s sport. Get some perspective.

If it’s unaffordable, then don’t do it. That’s obvious, and I am truly sorry that you need to have that explained to you.

People on this thread are talking about sports that are indeed expensive, but they can afford it.

Then why are they - you - complaining? Weird humblebrag?

You never pay for something you can afford but that you also think is expensive?

I assume you’ve never once lamented the cost of healthcare or gas, then…

Have you always been this dumb?

Is healthcare, I don’t know, necessary? Do some people need to buy gas to get to their jobs?

Pls try again.

Nope. Both are choices. You could tough that illness out at home. You could take the bus, or ride your bike, or live closer to your job, or work from home, etc.

Thanks for playing, though. I know it’s hard to admit you were wrong.

Tough out that cancer diagnosis? Mmm hmmm.

Yup. It’s not a choice one is likely to make, but it’s still 100% a choice. Just ask Steve Jobs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our problem was 3 kids in 3 very different sports. Most expensive was competitive Irish Dance- the dance costume costs are ridiculous.

That’s not a sport

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Soccer u12 19k for the year.
The math is shocking, it adds up. And we have college paid for already.
3k club fee, 1k team fee, 1k hotels and gas, 7k summer sleep away camps/ destination expenses, 3k private and skill group training, 1k mentor, 1k physical therapy, 2k equipment.

You have a U12 kid who regularly has to go to physical therapy? And a paid mentor that is separate from a trainer? None of that bodes well for the future. Maybe pull back on some of the camps and training and the PT won’t be needed.

-No not regularly. That was for about 12 sessions over 6 weeks for growth plate issues. Not overuse. And the mentor is worth every penny. Completely trained/ certified for motivation, self reflection, goal setting and more.

We also do ski and swim... don't get me started on skiing.