Throw, hit or kick … it all add$ up

If you have young children or grandchildren, you may know the answer to this question.

How much do families spend on their children’s sports activities? 🏈🏒🥍⚾️⚽️

The answer is a lot, often thousands of dollars a year. I know that from experience in our family. My children each spend four thousand more or less for their children’s equipment, team fees, travel costs and in some cases lessons.  

And then there are the fund raisers each team conducts. Ma and Pa are a go to source which is fine with us, but maybe not for those retired on a tight budget. 

There is social pressure to participate in a different sport each season of the year. Baseball used to be spring and summer. No more, now there is “Fall ball” too. A good little league bat costs $200 or more.

When I was a kid the equipment was a broom stick and a pink rubber ball. We never heard of soccer (or proper football). Never mind soccer, what about lacrosse? A mid-range lacrosse kit of equipment runs around $300. And then there is field hockey. A mid-range stick can be $250. 

The only travel we did was climb the fence in our apartment’s back yard to get to the local park or walk a half mile with a wood bat, ball and glove to a (dirt, not artificial turf) ball field. Where we live now I can easily walk to four artificial turf football, baseball, soccer/ lacrosse fields all equipped with night lighting, electronic scoreboards and grandstands. One has a snack bar. And you wonder where your property taxes go. 

Today travel teams actually travel. Two of our grandchildren have traveled from NJ to Florida, Georgia, Virginia, and Maryland with their teams. 

According to New York Life’s Wealth Watch Survey, on average, parents report spending about $3,000 per year on children’s sports. The Aspen Institute says the average is $1,500 per child - that’s for average income households. The number climbs with family income. 

In addition to the cost, there is a tremendous time commitment for the child and the family, not to mention the pressure - sometimes extreme - to win. I’m not opposed to sports, but I think it has gotten a bit too high on the priority list for children.  

The ever pragmatic me secretly wonders, does this spending on sports mean less saving for retirement-or more credit card debt for many families trying not to disappoint their children? 🤑

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