My son plays Travel, but also plays with his buddies in the Arlington Rec League.
Last year the parents sprung for beautiful reversible uniforms, with front and back numbers and the kids’ names on the back. The kids took pride in their appearance. Most importantly, they looked like great basketball players.
This year Arlington County included a mandatory fee for “uniforms”. We called them asking to waive the fee as we’d be using our own uniforms. They said no, that the County-sponsored uniform is the only one accepted for competition

!!!
Well on Wednesday my son received his “uniform”: a simple reversible mesh tank with a number on the back.
That’s it!!!!!
I called and complained about the People’s Republic again stifling the kids’ creativity. They said there were too many disparities between teams like ours where parents have kids in various travel sports and are used to providing the finest for their beloved children, and AH and FARMS kids who supposedly can only play if they get a scholarship. They went with basic tanks so that kids would feel equal on the court.
Nice, except my kid and his friends are DEVASTATED at having to wear a cheap top that anyone could purchase for five bucks at a surplus store. Part of competition is to dress up for the NEXT level to which you aspire. People will judge you if you wear something cheap to the law firm; the same should hold for the court. The kids have to jump over the mental hurdle of being equated to people with whom they would never associate. No kid should have to put up with that, not when their parents have done everything possible to help them gain separation.