We've squeezed the fun out of youth sports. There's a better way. | Opinion

At the rinks where our 10-year-old son plays hockey, we’re greeted with signs warning us not to threaten, taunt or shout obscenities at players, coaches, refs or other parents. Why do such signs exist? For the same reason Americans are fixated on the genitals and hormone levels of a handful of top teen athletes: We’ve lost sight of what – and who – youth sports are for.

Sports get kids and adolescents moving, boosting physical fitness and cardiovascular health, which in turn sets them up for more physical activity and better health in adulthood. But the benefits go beyond fitness.

Team sports can also promote social time with peers, self-esteem, grit, life-skill development, mentorship, academic engagement and improved mental health. And most important from a kid’s perspective? Sports are meant to be fun! 

So why have we taken something social, healthy and enjoyable and turned it into an expensive, exclusive, high-pressure experience?

A 2024 national survey of sports parents offers some clues: 1 in 5 respondents said their child could play "higher-level intercollegiate sports"; 1 in 10 thought their child could go pro. 

These numbers are ... not realistic. Using National Collegiate Athletics Association estimates, we found that only about 1 in 45 athletes on high school teams will play Division 1 sports. One in 50 high school athletes get full or partial athletics scholarships. And fewer than 1 in 50 NCAA athletes then go on to play professionally.

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OK, but what’s the harm in letting parents dream? After all, we’re the ones schlepping kids across the state, washing endless sweat-stained jockstraps and shelling out for equipment, travel and camps. 

Let’s start with the money. Youth sports is a $40 billion industry. For all the hand-wringing about the advantages of testosterone, this is where the real inequities of youth sports lie.

Kid-to-pro aspirational treadmill

Households making more than $100,000 annually spend nearly three times as much on their child’s primary sport than those making less than $50,000, according to an Aspen Institute study. Many families are priced out altogether. Households earning over $100,000 are 73% more likely to have a child in sports than those earning less than $25,000.

Meanwhile, schools in low-income districts often lack the facilities, equipment, personnel and transportation to support team sports. 

Money changes the game for the haves, too. With so much invested, athletes and coaches feel the pressure to tally wins and push young bodies to the max. Kids whose parents pour cash into sports in hopes that they’ll be the next Simone Biles or Travis Kelce are more likely to specialize in a single sport, overtrain, get hurt and ultimately burn out. 

The kid-to-pro aspirational treadmill also makes it harder for youth not traditionally seen as athletes to join in. When our autistic son discovered hockey, we heard horror stories of parents spending tens of thousands of dollars on equipment, travel and ice time. His teachers were supportive but concerned that the loud, competitive environment would be too much for him. 

We were lucky to find a (relatively) affordable league run by parent volunteers who include, support and celebrate our young hockey goalie. The parents leave their cowbells at home, the coaches keep the locker room calm, his teammates refrain from puppy-piling on him at the end of the game and the refs know that curling up in a ball means he’s overwhelmed, not hurt.

Low-cost, low-stakes inclusive sports

Being part of a team has been transformational for our son, boosting his resilience and confidence, building relationships and providing physical activity. And, especially important for a kid who struggles with social situations, he’s having so much fun.

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Efforts to make inclusion central to youth sports are already underway. A 2013 policy guidance memo made clear that public schools must provide disabled youth with opportunities for sports participation.

Special Olympics-sponsored unified sports teams, which bring together students with and without intellectual disabilities, are now offered in more than 10,000 schools. And nonprofits like Soccer Without Borders and 906 Adventure Team offer programs that promote effort, belonging and joy rather than privileging those with the “right” physical traits and parental resources.

These efforts suggest a way forward for inclusion more generally – finding ways to ensure that poor kids, queer kids, anxious kids, fat kids and, yes, trans kids all have a place.

When just 28% of youth meet the recommended activity guidelines of 60 minutes daily, sports teams can be more compelling than telling kids to put down the Switch and go outside (we’ve tried). Promoting broad low-cost, low-stakes, inclusive sports participation can help all kids enjoy the physical, psychological and social benefits of what, ultimately, is just a game. 

Holly Painter is the director of the Center for Research on Vermont. Emily Beam is an associate professor of economics at the University of Vermont. They are the parents of two youth athletes.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How much does it cost for kids to play sports? It's too much | Opinion