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How Kids Sports Became A $ 15 Billion Industry

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The Ugly Truth Behind Youth Sports There's a problem that exists within the youth sports economy in the United States. The pressure to succeed in sports at a young age has led to a focus on elite travel teams and a neglect of recreational and community based programs. The focus on winning and success so young can lead to a lack of emphasis on sportsmanship, fun, and skill development which are the main objectives in youth sports. Therefore, the youth sports economy in the United States is negatively impacting children of all skill levels and parents. It is not only draining the financial resources from parents of children who are possibly unlikely to become elite athletes, but it also perpetuates a system in which the emphasis is placed on …show more content…

But for the children themselves, the pressure can be even more intense. The Time article “How Kids Sports Became a $15 Billion Industry '', delves into these issues and explores the driving factors behind the rapid growth of the industry. “Families can spend more than 10% of their income on registration fees, travel camps and equipment” (Gregory). It's crucial to understand the financial incentives that are showing the industry and the implications it has on children and families, as well as to find the balance between encouraging children to participate in sports and ensuring that their well being is not compromised. In the NPR interview “The Call-In: Kids’ Sport,” Lula Garcia-Navarro the host and parents shared their thoughts and experiences on youth sports as they are interviewed. A parent stated that “[We] spend about $10,000 a year to support each kid” meaning that this high cost can put tension on the family budget. It may even cause some parents to make difficult decisions about which activities their children can participate in who probably won't even want to choose that career to succeed in the future. Youth sports companies take advantage of parents' hopes and dreams of their child making it to the big leagues which could not potentially happen, putting parents in financial stress to support their children's environment in

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At first glance, the vast amount numbers within the article can be overwhelming; Sean did this intentionally. By placing graphs, figures, and prices frequently throughout the article, the author forces the reader into a sea of numbers, letting them drown in confusion. Gregory wants readers to feel overwhelmed by the numbers because he wants readers to understand “the cost for parents is steep.” The burden of paying for a child’s sport can drive a parent insane because kid sports have transformed into “crazy costs [and] crazy stress.” Furthermore, an illustration is depicted with a softball player and a baseball player as well as prices of team fees, equipment, travel, and training.

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Greg Bach, the author of the article “The Parents Association for Youth Sports,” is the communications director for the National Alliance for Youth Sports (NAYS) in West Palm Beach, Florida. This organization’s goal is to increase awareness of the negative impacts parents’ actions have on children competing in sports and aims to make youth sports more enjoyable. According to Greg Bach’s article, parents whose competitiveness is out of control can cause emotional trauma to their child (Bach 16). The emotional trauma evoked is a result of the parents yelling at the pitcher, coaches, and umpires child (Bach 16). Often when the child is put in this situation they feel uncomfortable, scared, embarrassed, and pressured to meet the expectations of his or her parents (Bach 17).

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In the office, they still believe that attendance is all it takes to get a promotion.” This shows when adults are little and enrolled in youth sports programs with participation trophies, getting rewarded for little effort comes easy to those people. Afterward kids in many youth sport programs nationwide should have to work for their

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