I grew up and played with Parks and Recreation - it was all free - I played softball, soccer, basketball, track and swimming. I loved it so much. There was no try outs. My parents (nor any parents) rarely even came to watch! We played because it was so much fun and we made great friends. So sad those days are done.
My son plays in the Parks and Recreation. He plays flag football in the fall and basketball in the summer. He has a grand time and make new friends. In my neighborhood a lot of parents do show out to watch and be supportive. We also have a lot of kids sign up. So it’s fun. Just Saturday my son played baseball against his old football buddy. They stop to chat after the game. It was nice to see. Plus his school mates end up in the same league and they end up playing with or against each other.
This is why I coach Little League and don't charge for my off-season workouts......baseball shouldn't be just for the elite....I have coached, to date, 19 players that have gone onto D1 Baseball Scholarships
Once games start LL stops practicing. If they do practice it's garbage (unfortunately). Most parents (LL coaches) don't know how to structure practices with maximum time on tasks, positive and corrective feedback, productive drills, building team cohesiveness, ect. That's one reason why we went to travel.
My kid just finished LL. We were lucky to have good coaches. Actually all the teams seemed to have good coaches. Our league is well run. Nice snack shack too.
@@jenniferoneil4688 How is travel going? We did LL and it was great. Yeah the practices tapered off once the games started but there were still a few, plus my kid was busy with soccer at the same time so it was fine. They played a total of 22 games including the playoffs. Everyone had a blast. We might do travel ball in the fall, but next Spring we'll do LL again because its fun for the kids to play with their school and neighborhoods friends. A lot of skills my kid learned was from me, just playing catch, hitting him balls, letting him pitch to me.
Yeah. Its not really about money and facilities. You have to just go out and play catch. And the kids in Dominican use broom sticks and hit rocks or beans or bottle caps, which builds their skills. Same with poor kids playing soccer in Brazil.
@@nofurtherwest3474. The Greek Freak and His Brothers grew up in Nigeria and Greece with No Sneakers or any type of Shoes and now He’s an NBA Champion and Top 75 All Time Player.
But what makes you mad? There are sports available in school but shame on anyone who can afford it to better their child. Start looking at your government and all the “defunding” and maybe this doesn’t happen?
@@ZackBetweenDreamz And then people on TV act like it's a new coach that is supposed to solve the problem. It's so backwards to producing the best talent. In other countries they look at kids as assets. They see talent and try to nurture that talent for the future. We prioritize money over talent.
@@MrJeaguirre It's not just soccer but other sports as well. There is a reason why the three most common sirnames in professional baseball are Martinez, Gonzales, and Perez. It is because the game has priced the middle-to-lower middle class kid out, and MLB clubs are going to the Dominican Republic and other Latin American nations to find players, because the talent pool in the U.S has decreased so much.
I'm Europe the best soccer players in the world, Messi, Ronaldo, neymar, Marcelo, and cotinhio. played in the streets and parks for FREE to be scouted for the best teams. Now you have go to academies and pay alot of money to be in a 15th place finsher team in la liga and EPL.
As a parent who has "the means", it's not about my kid going pro. It's about giving them opportunities that I didn't have because my parents didn't have "the means". Hopefully, some of these kids will grow up to be parents with the means to provide their own kids with opportunities that they didn't have when they were kids... and the cycle continues.
You’d be better off putting all the $ you spent on travel teams into a fund, starting when they were born, grow it for 18 years, then pay for any college they want to go to. I guarantee you that’s a better investment. If they have talent you want to invest in, that’s different. But most of these parents and kids are not going to see professional athlete paychecks or fame. They MIGHT get a full ride scholarship… which you could have probably just paid for yourself. Again I get it if they are big/athletic/talented.
@@aztronomy7457 so, here we are 2 years later and my son is a pretty good player at 13. Is he the best? No, but he's pretty good at this point and will get better as he grows taller and stronger. Again it's not about simply paying for college. I can pretty much buy him whater he wants at this point in my life. It's about the experience he will get playing travel ball.
@@NowhereForMeToSit is he doing it because he loves it or because you want him to? If you’re the former then good for you. But I see a lot of parents forcing their kids into sports for their own interests and competitiveness.
You nailed it. I do feel that the system (for soccer at least) is not good, in that it's about money. This weeds out some real talent, and that's partly why the USA is not very good at soccer. A lot of pros in Brazil and France grew up poor. But, soccer is a unique case because its the #1 sport in every country but the US. But still, it should not be too expensive. I want to organize pickup games for kids.
It’s always been this way though. We just had coaches that covered kids without means. I see it from both sides. How can organizations and programs provide without any cash? A lot of grants don’t support sport recreations anymore. Government funding is low, so we need to find a new way to support youth sports. I hate the fact that youth sports is decreasing in the US.
I agree with the statement that you made. Knowing first hand where Bo grew up, I had to research what is the facility all about. It is stated that Jackson is lending his name and other services to the program. Which is understood, facilities too seek out name image and likeness. Especially when their brand is lacking.
I Huambo a former d1 college athlete. I graduated hs in 2013. Youth sports was very expensive. But some of it was actually detrimental as playing 100s of games over the course of a year, rather than using that time to practice and develop (Like what is done in Europe) has negative side effects. Specifically injuries on the body. You can still play rec sports for pretty much free. But you cannot play competitive sports without paying money. If you are a really gifted and talented athlete, you might get away with not having to pay as much
I coach little league softball..... any extra time i have, I'm 100% willing to lend my time to the girls on my team. I once had a parent ask how much they owe me and i said nothing......seeing the girls improve is all care about, not the money
Wayne Gretzky -- "In youth hockey, in most cases, it's really important for kids to play other sports - whether it's indoor lacrosse or soccer or baseball. I think what that does is two things. One, each sport helps the other sport. And then I think taking time off in the off-season - that three- or four-month window - really rejuvenates kids so when they come back at the end of August, they're more excited. They think, 'All right, hockey's back, I'm ready to go.' "
Totally agree, my son played soccer, basketball, baseball, some tennis, wrestling, and football. He grew up playing baseball, he is a freshman now and just started football and wrestling. He loves football and wrestling, now baseball tryouts are around the corner. He has a friend on his old travel baseball team who plays for USA Hockey, so yeah, I agree kids need to play different sports.
@@nofurtherwest3474 that’s the sad part about getting into higher level sports, other sports have to take a back seat except for if the sports are in different seasons say like football and baseball. I want my son to run track, but he can’t because of baseball season. Wrestling is in between, but 3 sports by the time varsity comes around is too much. I’m glad he started football late because a few of his friends that played since they were younger had injuries some chronic. Imo kids should start football in eighth grade or high school
@@PhatMikeSP1 That is a lot of sports. How old is he? I want my kid to try everything, which he has except tackle football. He's 8. So far he likes soccer the most.
I don't know of many places that don't have youth leagues run by volunteers that charge much less, whether that be baseball, soccer, basketball, or football. Parents get fooled into thinking their kid is the next big thing, but the fact still remains DNA plays a bigger role than many ever will on an athletes success.
all of these places. watch the segment. next best thing isnt relevant. parents want their kids to play sports and some cant afford it. Everything else is nonsense.
As a parent of a son who is club level soccer player and a daughter who is a competitive gymnast there is a lot of truth and falsehoods in this story. Recreational leagues are booming at a higher level all throughout the U.S. The main difference is that fewer are run by cities and are private non-profit entities. They are affordable and are a great way to have your child play. I think the hard reality is that parents live vicariously through their children and are imagining if I had this chance I might have made it or I was the worst and I want my kid to be better than I was so I will shell out over 5000 a year for them to be a little bit better. Now when you practice against higher talent you get better, but your natural skills and genetics play a role in this as well. There are truths about elite training being priced out of a lot of individuals budgets, but the last time I looked fields are still there and all you need is a ball, and a bat and glove to play baseball or basketball or football or soccer. Look at Dempsey he grew up playing in his trailer park and he was able to tear it up in the premier league so are these facilities really necessary?
Soccer is kind of unique because it's the main sport every where except the USA. So there's more public support for it in Latin and European countries. And kids just go out and play it all the time at recess and after school. But in the USA that doesn't happen as much. You have rec leagues which are only 10 games a year or clubs which go year round and are expensive. I guess baseball is kinda similar. You have little league being the most popular. Still affordable for the most part. But then you got travel ball which is more time consuming. Not sure what the cost is though.
I'd love to see an update on this. I feel like this problem has gotten significantly worse since Covid. This was released in 2019. Since then the number of club teams in my area have grown exponentially. I don't think Covid caused this growth directly but I think it contributed to it.
The lady that moved to Hilliard and now says her girls can't play soccer is full of it. There are multiple leagues around they could play in. Just because you can't afford "Travel" teams does not mean you just can't play anymore....this is bogus. Of course the rich people will pay for the top trainers and such, doesn't mean that kid is going D1 or to the pros...
This is a sad video to see. I think a big root of this is the emphasis that America has on performance and fitness rather than simply health and exercise. For example, football can be extremely damaging and have lasting mental effects, and while it has gotten safer, it is still an extremely popular youth sport. There's no need for as much investment into youth sports performance as there is right now.
This video was eye opening as I thought that certain sports would remain accessible to the public. I understand that certain sports such as hockey or lacrosse are inherently more expensive to play due to high gear costs, but it seems crazy that the skill gap due to personal training would be enough to push out kids from sports such as soccer or basketball. Soccer especially seems to still have an appeal to the masses as there are 11 players on the field so it would seem much less likely that the entire team is made up of players with year round personal trainers.
This video was a wake up call for me. I had my kids in a church sports program in Maryland geared towards giving kids access to sports that they may be precluded from participating in due to their religious activists on Saturdays. Now I am in California. I have my kids in a paid kids soccer league and a paid basketball skills class. I just assumed that in my city that the kids are getting decent sports exposure in school. But now I wonder if that’s not the case. I did high school cross country and middle school soccer in the city parks and recreation league. I never spent a dollar to do CC, except get my own shoes. And I doubt my parents spent much for me to be in soccer. But this all reminds me that I have taken for granted the opportunities that I am providing for my children. I don’t need or want them to become pro athletes, but I wouldn’t be mad if they do. But that would be incidental or a product of a clear path, not me grooming them for that. I just want them moving and burning energy to stay healthy, learn team work and hard work, learn dedication, and get sufficiently tired to get good sleep 😊.
The Bo Jackson Dome is a joke. They charge 60 for a half hour lesson that shows you nothing you don’t already know. They care about money. Not kids. My son played baseball this last year, and It was a nightmare, a buddy system. Scores manipulated to suit their child on the team. One parent spending tons and tons of money to ensure her kid has a spot on the team, whether he is good or not, the list goes on and on. I wouldn’t have my son on that team again if it were free. They teach nothing about good sportsmanship, all they care about is WINNING at any and all costs. Many more great organizations out there!! You don’t have to spend thousands like we did!
Wow that is sad to hear. I guess we are lucky because we just did Little League and it is very popular around here. It's ran by volunteers but most of the coaches are pretty good because most of them played baseball in high school and many in college too, so they mostly know what they're talking about.
@@nofurtherwest3474 We did that too! He’s a sophomore in high school now and plays for his high school team so we are not travel anymore. I still have animosity to Bo Jackson lol, they left my kid feeling absolutely worthless by the time he left with just one year with that organization. I only put a couple of things in my comment on here there’s so much more…
@@brandimccoy4454 Nice, that's good that he's on the HS team. There's too much politics in kids sports. I grew up east of Columbus. But live in California now. Didn't know about the Bo dome.
Thing is, this is sports. There are loads of poor kids who will still outplay the trained rich kids. Football, boxing, MMA, and basketball will always be that way. Some of the kids in my town who lived in the projects were picked by travel teams so the haters are just wasting money trying to keep black kids from competing with their kids.....oh, I wasn't supposed to say that?
Just like all those academic programs don’t seem to be working for the black kids, or any other program while all other groups surpasses them in the US
This is just to get everybody wound so they'll spend even more on sports. Some people realize too much time on sports isn't a great idea and drop out for that reason. It should be recreation, not a job. The best will rise either way. Also notice how the answer is not building this system down but expanding this overstructured, too expensive system to everyone.
I know of a parent who pushes the travel baseball on their 10 .y.o. incessantly. Avg cost is 25k$/year. Gone every weekend, etc. I see the parent living a fantasy through their child and i do believe at some point it will come to an abrupt stop regardless of the reason and then there will probably be major psychological therapy-for both. The child will have no other life skills and be a basket case.
@@Jenda-ld8dj Interesting. I can't fathom spending that much. Most of what my kid learned is from us doing the basics in the driveway or at the park. Catching, throwing, hitting, pitching, fielding. You can build up a lot of skills from just going out and doing that stuff.
school districts should educate parents about sports from pre-k to 12th grade. school sports programs should start in elementary not middle school. at least give kids a environment to play sports/ be active. if parents wanna pay for extra training at a sports center w “college coaches” cool. clean up the open fields. put 🏀 courts & 5 a-side pitches ⚽️ in the schools, neighborhoods & parks. so the non rich kids get the opportunity to play. they don’t need no fancy expensive coach until their at the recruitment/ tryout age of what ever sport. the expensive 💰should be for extra private training not regular participation.
This is such a scam. There are some families already buried in mortgage and auto debt and decide sending their kids to travel sports (instead of recreation). Many of them think they "have the means". They also forget to mention the cost of the trips to see the orthopedic surgeon, since they play year-round.
I don't think I would call it a scam. It is a money grab you could say. But there is real teaching going on, so for that reason I would not say scam. But you can also learn those skills in much cheaper ways. Just going down the park and working on them.
At 11:20 to 11:30, the kid who "has no structure" technically can have it. He or she will have to go to the library and get a head start on homework and then endure less stress and have an earlier bedtime. That's not a bad plan considering most of these youth sports "alums" have almost no shot at making it big.
Yes, there is a better life than just running, running,running yourself and your kid into the ground with sports. Family dinner Family game night Do home work together Show them how to work on a car Show then how to cook something. Play ball in the back yard....many many alternatives to pure madness.
Because parents are totally home at a decent time in order to teach kids how to cook and sew, and have family game night... Sorry that 1950s ideology ship has sailed long before this video was ever filmed.
@@Nikkilicious01 Type in homesteading or homesteaders on YT. Yes, we will never be like the 50s but lots of people are opting for a more simple lifestyle.
You're absolutely right that 99.9% will not make it to D1 or professional. But if kids (especially girls and athletes of color) don't have access to consistent, safe transportation or facilities, they don't even get a chance to participate and get the various health benefits of activity.
Not true where we live. My son does a local basketball league and it costs $100 for the season and includes the tee shirt. He also is involved in taekwondo which is private and costs a lot. But if he only wanted to play basketball, it is dirt cheap. Rec soccer leagues and baseball is cheap.
Even though the poor kids are left out in the cold, I get a feeling with youth football going down the toilet youth football programs could either discount their prices or create inexpensive methods to get the poor kids to be their next players in pads.
Youth football is not expensive at all in Hilliard, and if you cannot afford it you can sign up and request help and there are options to donate money as well for kids that cannot afford to play.
@@SeminoleBH Well that shows that the poor becoming tomorrow's full football crop will ring true and they'll become even more uneducated as their brains get smashed around at two-a-day practices.
This report while some of it is accurate is not the complete truth. I live in Hilliard and my daughter plays soccer for less than $100 per season. There are many more expensive options, but the minimum is not $1,200 as stated. If you want to play top level sports it costs $ but that has always been the case. Having said all that, I would restate the hypothesis. Playing sports at a high level is for the "haves" but playing sports is still accessible to all in Hilliard.
You are correct about the access. I think the issue comes into play, when you have both high school and college coaches say that they usually choose players for their teams that play a "certain level" of players, meaning players that play in high priced travel leagues.
@@slustock I think that there are levels to everything. Rec, rec plus, travel, etc. I can coach rec soccer and know about the sport, whereas travel take a little more knowledge and credentials. Depending on the level you are trying to play at, there's a cost in the matter, and it increases with every level. That's just how it is.
My wife and I sat down and figured it out we will have spent almost $25,000 on my son for soccer between tournaments and club fees and almost $40,000 on my daughter for her gymnastics. If we were doing it for a college scholarship we missed the mark and must have failed basic economics in third grade. The amount put in for those 2 in a 529 college savings plan would have paid for an instate college education in Ohio. We do it because our kids love those sports and are what they like to do.
Are there no commons community recreational spaces where children and youths can just play soccer, baseball, or football recreationally? Don't the schools allow their fields to be used for recreational purposes from time to time?
There are plenty in my neighborhood. My son plays flag football in the fall and baseball in the summer. He has a blast with his friends and even school mates and it doesn’t bankrupt our family.
Interesting video- I think you need to be careful generalizing club sports. It’s not only elite wealthy families who are participating. In my case I work two and three extra jobs despite making 100k base salary in order to fund my children playing in club sports. It’s a sacrifice I’m making in order to invest in my kids future. In most cases, that’s a future that’s beyond the high school level. I still think there are many chances for Kids to play sports for free or very low cost depending on the sport. I think examining cultural differences and motivation to participate in sports really needs to be examined closely.
And every new prodigy that comes up into the sports world seldom has a story of paying there way to get there. Yet parents and society continue to think that capitalistic principals are true of athletic development
Is this video about kids not being allowed to play or is it about certain kids getting a competitive advantage in pursuit of playing at the collegiate level and kids specializing too much? I live in Dublin and my child goes to Hilliard City Schools. There are plenty of affordable leagues to play in. Kids don't have to have private trainers or play on expensive travel clubs in order to play.
I think its about getting priced out of the "travel clubs". Yes you can do rec. But if other kids are playing a lot more then over time you'll fall behind. By the time they try out as freshman in HS the kid who played travel baseball or soccer will have an advantage.
Good for you! You are doing them a great service! Unlike those that are buying their kids into something that will be a failure in the end for 99% of them. Then what?
rec sports everywhere i have seen here in CA, is roughly 100$, comp sports is 300$. where are they coming up with the numbers of 700$? seems like they are digging deep to find these stats.
What’s not mentioned here is that family birth rates are at an all time low. That frees up a lot resources to spend on sports as well. One child per family means no siblings to play with so what else is there to do besides sports?
why immigrants will dominate usa sports. farm teams get into 2nd world countries and pic the best athletes who get into the u.s. but make their parents sign away their financial rights if the kid goes pro. the kid really didn't have any better option
I don't buy their excuses. Give the kids something to sell like World's Finest Chocolate candy bars which are easy sell and tell them if they want to play they need to help pay their way.
What is so sad is that many of these kids won’t even be college scholarship athletes and those parents’ money could put their money to more constructive and communal use. It doesn’t help that those parents also add pizza and burgers to the post game meals. Gee, what elite athlete foods when even more of that money could go to the poor. Oh yeah, what about those other matters such as academics most focused in science, technology, engineering, and math? Our national priorities are going down the toilet!!!
It’s only getting worse in 2023. We drop over $10k a year on my 4th grade boy. He has done it for a couple years now and the difference in skill set to any other kid playing rec league is remarkable. He focuses on one sport most of all and if we tried to shift him sports, it might already be too late to make a comp team. Have to start early and dedicate money and time just to play.
Make the best of your uniqueness,…. it's not a right to have the same opportunities. And btw, don't have children if you're not on the up an up, and can provide healthy living. Priorities: Health and making a good life, in the ways you can. Reasonably.
It's the " working man's " fault? Most towns have a rec league. If they don't then it can easily be started with some hard work and fundraising. But unfortunately the kids suffer from lack of parenting. Bottom line
The name of the game is limiting opportunity for others, so that you can increase opportunity for your own. These people and families that knowingly or unknowing participate in this madness get a serious wake up call when they can no longer buy their way into a program. In a world based on logic and reason, parents/families should have become wise to the game being played. But, no! They still hand over their hard earned money believing some nobody group of fathers or an alleged pro level trainer is going to help their child(ren) become an elite athlete. These misinformed parents spend more money on sports than they do academic development, and expect their aspiring student-athlete to earn a college scholarship. The snake oil salesmen will tell parents anything to make a dollar. These parents end up lost, confused, and bitter when they realize little Johnny or Cindy have been trained to look good at a showcase or combine but cannot physically compete with their peers who are just as skilled but blessed with superior athletic ability. Life ain’t fair and your money can’t help or save you from the harsh reality
2:05 "Drop in kids playing competitive sports over the last decade"? So misleading. Does the supposed drop take into account exogenous factors like smaller average family size, greater number of kids from cultural backgrounds that DE-emphasize sports and emphasize academics/other activities, increase in alternative activities kids (from being video gamers to druggies), childhood obesity/declining physical activity, the proliferation of kid-sport-businesses while the number of casual rec level/YMCA/church type programs remain. All this "cost" stuff isn't an issue. If you wanna play, you can play for free practically or at the Y, school, church, or woa - here's a crazy idea, what about pickup? If you're truly a great youth athlete with pro-potential, "they" WILL find you. I've seen the pi55 poorest kid phenoms getting free rides (literally too, being driven from across town) to play in elite programs for football, soccer, baseball, and basketball.
The point still stands. The overall numbers are down because many kids that aren't "pro potential" just give up and stop participating in organized sports. Sure they may play the occasional pick up, but thats not competetive sporting.
When the vast majority of youth sports research and studies conducted in the last 10 years disagree with you, you're wrong. There's a reason why the world doesn't look to the US model of sports anymore.
@@Driving4bangers most accurately, weightlifting refers to the sport of snatching and clean&jerking a barbell. Often people use the term to describe what is actually just exercise or weight training if you will.
I grew up and played with Parks and Recreation - it was all free - I played softball, soccer, basketball, track and swimming. I loved it so much. There was no try outs. My parents (nor any parents) rarely even came to watch! We played because it was so much fun and we made great friends. So sad those days are done.
My son plays in the Parks and Recreation. He plays flag football in the fall and basketball in the summer. He has a grand time and make new friends. In my neighborhood a lot of parents do show out to watch and be supportive. We also have a lot of kids sign up. So it’s fun. Just Saturday my son played baseball against his old football buddy. They stop to chat after the game. It was nice to see. Plus his school mates end up in the same league and they end up playing with or against each other.
This is why I coach Little League and don't charge for my off-season workouts......baseball shouldn't be just for the elite....I have coached, to date, 19 players that have gone onto D1 Baseball Scholarships
Once games start LL stops practicing. If they do practice it's garbage (unfortunately). Most parents (LL coaches) don't know how to structure practices with maximum time on tasks, positive and corrective feedback, productive drills, building team cohesiveness, ect. That's one reason why we went to travel.
Wow that's awesome. I wish there were more of you, in every sport
My kid just finished LL. We were lucky to have good coaches. Actually all the teams seemed to have good coaches. Our league is well run. Nice snack shack too.
@@jenniferoneil4688 How is travel going? We did LL and it was great. Yeah the practices tapered off once the games started but there were still a few, plus my kid was busy with soccer at the same time so it was fine. They played a total of 22 games including the playoffs. Everyone had a blast. We might do travel ball in the fall, but next Spring we'll do LL again because its fun for the kids to play with their school and neighborhoods friends.
A lot of skills my kid learned was from me, just playing catch, hitting him balls, letting him pitch to me.
Somewhere in the Dominican Republic is a kid playing in dirt that will end up being 100x better than the kids going to these facilities 🤷
Fact😊
Yeah. Its not really about money and facilities. You have to just go out and play catch. And the kids in Dominican use broom sticks and hit rocks or beans or bottle caps, which builds their skills. Same with poor kids playing soccer in Brazil.
@@nofurtherwest3474. The Greek Freak and His Brothers grew up in Nigeria and Greece with No Sneakers or any type of Shoes and now He’s an NBA Champion and Top 75 All Time Player.
This is making me mad and I don't play sports. Why do I have to watch this for a quiz
Exactly
Lol your teacher made you watch this class? GAYEE!
But what makes you mad? There are sports available in school but shame on anyone who can afford it to better their child. Start looking at your government and all the “defunding” and maybe this doesn’t happen?
People that have kept up with US soccer have known this for a long time . That’s why ours men’s team is garbage
Agreed. We price out the majority of the youth level talent with the costs and other necessities required for travel soccer.
@@ZackBetweenDreamz And then people on TV act like it's a new coach that is supposed to solve the problem. It's so backwards to producing the best talent. In other countries they look at kids as assets. They see talent and try to nurture that talent for the future. We prioritize money over talent.
Skill and talent talent is born in the street not in the checkbook
@@MrJeaguirre It's not just soccer but other sports as well. There is a reason why the three most common sirnames in professional baseball are Martinez, Gonzales, and Perez. It is because the game has priced the middle-to-lower middle class kid out, and MLB clubs are going to the Dominican Republic and other Latin American nations to find players, because the talent pool in the U.S has decreased so much.
If some people had invested on the soccer system, then we will help US Soccer.
I'm Europe the best soccer players in the world, Messi, Ronaldo, neymar, Marcelo, and cotinhio. played in the streets and parks for FREE to be scouted for the best teams. Now you have go to academies and pay alot of money to be in a 15th place finsher team in la liga and EPL.
As a parent who has "the means", it's not about my kid going pro. It's about giving them opportunities that I didn't have because my parents didn't have "the means". Hopefully, some of these kids will grow up to be parents with the means to provide their own kids with opportunities that they didn't have when they were kids... and the cycle continues.
That's my situation. My parent's just didn't get us involved much and I wish they had. I do a lot with my kids because I prioritize it in my life.
You’d be better off putting all the $ you spent on travel teams into a fund, starting when they were born, grow it for 18 years, then pay for any college they want to go to. I guarantee you that’s a better investment. If they have talent you want to invest in, that’s different. But most of these parents and kids are not going to see professional athlete paychecks or fame. They MIGHT get a full ride scholarship… which you could have probably just paid for yourself. Again I get it if they are big/athletic/talented.
@@aztronomy7457 so, here we are 2 years later and my son is a pretty good player at 13. Is he the best? No, but he's pretty good at this point and will get better as he grows taller and stronger. Again it's not about simply paying for college. I can pretty much buy him whater he wants at this point in my life. It's about the experience he will get playing travel ball.
@@NowhereForMeToSit is he doing it because he loves it or because you want him to? If you’re the former then good for you. But I see a lot of parents forcing their kids into sports for their own interests and competitiveness.
You nailed it.
I do feel that the system (for soccer at least) is not good, in that it's about money. This weeds out some real talent, and that's partly why the USA is not very good at soccer. A lot of pros in Brazil and France grew up poor.
But, soccer is a unique case because its the #1 sport in every country but the US.
But still, it should not be too expensive.
I want to organize pickup games for kids.
It’s always been this way though. We just had coaches that covered kids without means. I see it from both sides. How can organizations and programs provide without any cash? A lot of grants don’t support sport recreations anymore. Government funding is low, so we need to find a new way to support youth sports. I hate the fact that youth sports is decreasing in the US.
I bet Bo Jackson never had to learn to play baseball and football in some private academy. How sad.
Touché
I agree with the statement that you made. Knowing first hand where Bo grew up, I had to research what is the facility all about. It is stated that Jackson is lending his name and other services to the program. Which is understood, facilities too seek out name image and likeness. Especially when their brand is lacking.
Everyone has to sell out. Look at Cal Ripken; he has a massive facility and his own league that competes against Little League.
I Huambo a former d1 college athlete. I graduated hs in 2013. Youth sports was very expensive. But some of it was actually detrimental as playing 100s of games over the course of a year, rather than using that time to practice and develop (Like what is done in Europe) has negative side effects. Specifically injuries on the body. You can still play rec sports for pretty much free. But you cannot play competitive sports without paying money. If you are a really gifted and talented athlete, you might get away with not having to pay as much
I coach little league softball..... any extra time i have, I'm 100% willing to lend my time to the girls on my team. I once had a parent ask how much they owe me and i said nothing......seeing the girls improve is all care about, not the money
gentrified competition is a cornerstone of capitalist cronyism. the next mike jordan is probably out there and we may never know.
Agreed
such a good line! I am a youth soccer coach and will borrow this one if its cool
Wayne Gretzky -- "In youth hockey, in most cases, it's really important for kids to play other sports - whether it's indoor lacrosse or soccer or baseball. I think what that does is two things. One, each sport helps the other sport. And then I think taking time off in the off-season - that three- or four-month window - really rejuvenates kids so when they come back at the end of August, they're more excited. They think, 'All right, hockey's back, I'm ready to go.' "
I agree, but then at some point you have to specialize no?
Totally agree, my son played soccer, basketball, baseball, some tennis, wrestling, and football. He grew up playing baseball, he is a freshman now and just started football and wrestling. He loves football and wrestling, now baseball tryouts are around the corner. He has a friend on his old travel baseball team who plays for USA Hockey, so yeah, I agree kids need to play different sports.
@@nofurtherwest3474 that’s the sad part about getting into higher level sports, other sports have to take a back seat except for if the sports are in different seasons say like football and baseball. I want my son to run track, but he can’t because of baseball season. Wrestling is in between, but 3 sports by the time varsity comes around is too much. I’m glad he started football late because a few of his friends that played since they were younger had injuries some chronic. Imo kids should start football in eighth grade or high school
@@PhatMikeSP1 I agree about football. No rush. Jerry Rice started at 14. Mom wouldn't let him play
@@PhatMikeSP1 That is a lot of sports. How old is he?
I want my kid to try everything, which he has except tackle football.
He's 8. So far he likes soccer the most.
I don't know of many places that don't have youth leagues run by volunteers that charge much less, whether that be baseball, soccer, basketball, or football. Parents get fooled into thinking their kid is the next big thing, but the fact still remains DNA plays a bigger role than many ever will on an athletes success.
Money *
all of these places. watch the segment. next best thing isnt relevant. parents want their kids to play sports and some cant afford it. Everything else is nonsense.
Who's got time to volunteer anymore?
This is wrong.
As a parent of a son who is club level soccer player and a daughter who is a competitive gymnast there is a lot of truth and falsehoods in this story. Recreational leagues are booming at a higher level all throughout the U.S. The main difference is that fewer are run by cities and are private non-profit entities. They are affordable and are a great way to have your child play. I think the hard reality is that parents live vicariously through their children and are imagining if I had this chance I might have made it or I was the worst and I want my kid to be better than I was so I will shell out over 5000 a year for them to be a little bit better. Now when you practice against higher talent you get better, but your natural skills and genetics play a role in this as well. There are truths about elite training being priced out of a lot of individuals budgets, but the last time I looked fields are still there and all you need is a ball, and a bat and glove to play baseball or basketball or football or soccer. Look at Dempsey he grew up playing in his trailer park and he was able to tear it up in the premier league so are these facilities really necessary?
Soccer is kind of unique because it's the main sport every where except the USA. So there's more public support for it in Latin and European countries. And kids just go out and play it all the time at recess and after school.
But in the USA that doesn't happen as much. You have rec leagues which are only 10 games a year or clubs which go year round and are expensive.
I guess baseball is kinda similar. You have little league being the most popular. Still affordable for the most part. But then you got travel ball which is more time consuming. Not sure what the cost is though.
Gotta love gundam 00. UC is good too.oh and narrative just kinda come out. 00 is my favourite.
I'd love to see an update on this. I feel like this problem has gotten significantly worse since Covid. This was released in 2019. Since then the number of club teams in my area have grown exponentially. I don't think Covid caused this growth directly but I think it contributed to it.
interesting point.
The lady that moved to Hilliard and now says her girls can't play soccer is full of it. There are multiple leagues around they could play in. Just because you can't afford "Travel" teams does not mean you just can't play anymore....this is bogus. Of course the rich people will pay for the top trainers and such, doesn't mean that kid is going D1 or to the pros...
the numbers will obviously be higher tho
Dude shut up
Agreed
A church league with random kids of all ages and Pastor Dave supervising isn't the same as a cohesive team.
Good point
This is a sad video to see. I think a big root of this is the emphasis that America has on performance and fitness rather than simply health and exercise. For example, football can be extremely damaging and have lasting mental effects, and while it has gotten safer, it is still an extremely popular youth sport. There's no need for as much investment into youth sports performance as there is right now.
This video was eye opening as I thought that certain sports would remain accessible to the public. I understand that certain sports such as hockey or lacrosse are inherently more expensive to play due to high gear costs, but it seems crazy that the skill gap due to personal training would be enough to push out kids from sports such as soccer or basketball. Soccer especially seems to still have an appeal to the masses as there are 11 players on the field so it would seem much less likely that the entire team is made up of players with year round personal trainers.
This video was a wake up call for me. I had my kids in a church sports program in Maryland geared towards giving kids access to sports that they may be precluded from participating in due to their religious activists on Saturdays.
Now I am in California. I have my kids in a paid kids soccer league and a paid basketball skills class. I just assumed that in my city that the kids are getting decent sports exposure in school. But now I wonder if that’s not the case.
I did high school cross country and middle school soccer in the city parks and recreation league. I never spent a dollar to do CC, except get my own shoes. And I doubt my parents spent much for me to be in soccer.
But this all reminds me that I have taken for granted the opportunities that I am providing for my children. I don’t need or want them to become pro athletes, but I wouldn’t be mad if they do. But that would be incidental or a product of a clear path, not me grooming them for that. I just want them moving and burning energy to stay healthy, learn team work and hard work, learn dedication, and get sufficiently tired to get good sleep 😊.
The Bo Jackson Dome is a joke. They charge 60 for a half hour lesson that shows you nothing you don’t already know. They care about money. Not kids. My son played baseball this last year, and It was a nightmare, a buddy system. Scores manipulated to suit their child on the team. One parent spending tons and tons of money to ensure her kid has a spot on the team, whether he is good or not, the list goes on and on. I wouldn’t have my son on that team again if it were free. They teach nothing about good sportsmanship, all they care about is WINNING at any and all costs. Many more great organizations out there!! You don’t have to spend thousands like we did!
Thank you for this comment-so true.
Wow that is sad to hear. I guess we are lucky because we just did Little League and it is very popular around here. It's ran by volunteers but most of the coaches are pretty good because most of them played baseball in high school and many in college too, so they mostly know what they're talking about.
@@nofurtherwest3474 We did that too! He’s a sophomore in high school now and plays for his high school team so we are not travel anymore. I still have animosity to Bo Jackson lol, they left my kid feeling absolutely worthless by the time he left with just one year with that organization. I only put a couple of things in my comment on here there’s so much more…
@@brandimccoy4454 Nice, that's good that he's on the HS team. There's too much politics in kids sports.
I grew up east of Columbus. But live in California now. Didn't know about the Bo dome.
Leaving all of the good talent behind...I see it on the diamond
Thing is, this is sports. There are loads of poor kids who will still outplay the trained rich kids. Football, boxing, MMA, and basketball will always be that way. Some of the kids in my town who lived in the projects were picked by travel teams so the haters are just wasting money trying to keep black kids from competing with their kids.....oh, I wasn't supposed to say that?
Just like all those academic programs don’t seem to be working for the black kids, or any other program while all other groups surpasses them in the US
issue isnt abt outplaying that has happened and will continue to.. average kids are the issue at hand here
This is just to get everybody wound so they'll spend even more on sports. Some people realize too much time on sports isn't a great idea and drop out for that reason. It should be recreation, not a job. The best will rise either way. Also notice how the answer is not building this system down but expanding this overstructured, too expensive system to everyone.
When you turn YOUTH sports into a money making business for ADULTS theres your problem.
This was a great segment
What’s diminishing is the PARENTS who will take time to work with their children
I know of a parent who pushes the travel baseball on their 10 .y.o. incessantly. Avg cost is 25k$/year. Gone every weekend, etc. I see the parent living a fantasy through their child and i do believe at some point it will come to an abrupt stop regardless of the reason and then there will probably be major psychological therapy-for both. The child will have no other life skills and be a basket case.
@@Jenda-ld8dj Interesting. I can't fathom spending that much. Most of what my kid learned is from us doing the basics in the driveway or at the park. Catching, throwing, hitting, pitching, fielding. You can build up a lot of skills from just going out and doing that stuff.
school districts should educate parents about sports from pre-k to 12th grade. school sports programs should start in elementary not middle school.
at least give kids a environment to play sports/ be active. if parents wanna pay for extra training at a sports center w “college coaches” cool.
clean up the open fields. put 🏀 courts & 5 a-side pitches ⚽️ in the schools, neighborhoods & parks. so the non rich kids get the opportunity to play. they don’t need no fancy expensive coach until their at the recruitment/ tryout age of what ever sport. the expensive 💰should be for extra private training not regular participation.
This is such a scam. There are some families already buried in mortgage and auto debt and decide sending their kids to travel sports (instead of recreation). Many of them think they "have the means". They also forget to mention the cost of the trips to see the orthopedic surgeon, since they play year-round.
I don't think I would call it a scam. It is a money grab you could say. But there is real teaching going on, so for that reason I would not say scam. But you can also learn those skills in much cheaper ways. Just going down the park and working on them.
At 11:20 to 11:30, the kid who "has no structure" technically can have it. He or she will have to go to the library and get a head start on homework and then endure less stress and have an earlier bedtime. That's not a bad plan considering most of these youth sports "alums" have almost no shot at making it big.
Yes, there is a better life than just running, running,running yourself and your kid into the ground with sports.
Family dinner
Family game night
Do home work together
Show them how to work on a car
Show then how to cook something.
Play ball in the back yard....many many alternatives to pure madness.
Because parents are totally home at a decent time in order to teach kids how to cook and sew, and have family game night... Sorry that 1950s ideology ship has sailed long before this video was ever filmed.
@@Nikkilicious01
Type in homesteading or homesteaders on YT. Yes, we will never be like the 50s but lots of people are opting for a more simple lifestyle.
You're absolutely right that 99.9% will not make it to D1 or professional. But if kids (especially girls and athletes of color) don't have access to consistent, safe transportation or facilities, they don't even get a chance to participate and get the various health benefits of activity.
I just paid over 1500 dollars in football registration and equipment for a youth league. It’s crazy.
Not true where we live. My son does a local basketball league and it costs $100 for the season and includes the tee shirt. He also is involved in taekwondo which is private and costs a lot. But if he only wanted to play basketball, it is dirt cheap. Rec soccer leagues and baseball is cheap.
oh well if thats the case where you live than its clearly not a problem. Great point.
Even though the poor kids are left out in the cold, I get a feeling with youth football going down the toilet youth football programs could either discount their prices or create inexpensive methods to get the poor kids to be their next players in pads.
Youth football is not expensive at all in Hilliard, and if you cannot afford it you can sign up and request help and there are options to donate money as well for kids that cannot afford to play.
@@SeminoleBH Well that shows that the poor becoming tomorrow's full football crop will ring true and they'll become even more uneducated as their brains get smashed around at two-a-day practices.
@@iloveyoumadhuri is being poor synonymous with being uneducated ?
Sean Akridge Not sure, but the way you wrote your question mark shows how uneducated you act.
This report while some of it is accurate is not the complete truth. I live in Hilliard and my daughter plays soccer for less than $100 per season. There are many more expensive options, but the minimum is not $1,200 as stated. If you want to play top level sports it costs $ but that has always been the case. Having said all that, I would restate the hypothesis. Playing sports at a high level is for the "haves" but playing sports is still accessible to all in Hilliard.
You are correct about the access. I think the issue comes into play, when you have both high school and college coaches say that they usually choose players for their teams that play a "certain level" of players, meaning players that play in high priced travel leagues.
queensnewyawka but the point of the piece was that only the wealthy have access to sports. Which is false
@@slustock I think that there are levels to everything. Rec, rec plus, travel, etc. I can coach rec soccer and know about the sport, whereas travel take a little more knowledge and credentials. Depending on the level you are trying to play at, there's a cost in the matter, and it increases with every level. That's just how it is.
My wife and I sat down and figured it out we will have spent almost $25,000 on my son for soccer between tournaments and club fees and almost $40,000 on my daughter for her gymnastics. If we were doing it for a college scholarship we missed the mark and must have failed basic economics in third grade. The amount put in for those 2 in a 529 college savings plan would have paid for an instate college education in Ohio. We do it because our kids love those sports and are what they like to do.
Are there no commons community recreational spaces where children and youths can just play soccer, baseball, or football recreationally? Don't the schools allow their fields to be used for recreational purposes from time to time?
No there aren't any
No they lock them up when not being used
@@seanakridge2971 Then its time to find a new hobby!
There are plenty in my neighborhood. My son plays flag football in the fall and baseball in the summer. He has a blast with his friends and even school mates and it doesn’t bankrupt our family.
Yeah there are spaces. I guess kids just don't go out and use them on their own like they used to.
Man sports was so fun when I was a kid. I’ll make sure my kids play if they want to
Anybody else notice the girl in orange get absolutely clocked in the chest by a frisbee in the background at 7:47? lololololol
just saw it lol
Greed, pure and simple.
Nothing in life is "the same."
Good luck to next generation of athletes the adults of past have forgotten manners and respect
Interesting video- I think you need to be careful generalizing club sports. It’s not only elite wealthy families who are participating. In my case I work two and three extra jobs despite making 100k base salary in order to fund my children playing in club sports. It’s a sacrifice I’m making in order to invest in my kids future. In most cases, that’s a future that’s beyond the high school level. I still think there are many chances for
Kids to play sports for free or very low cost depending on the sport. I think examining cultural differences and motivation to participate in sports really needs to be examined closely.
And every new prodigy that comes up into the sports world seldom has a story of paying there way to get there. Yet parents and society continue to think that capitalistic principals are true of athletic development
No one offers any solutions, just points out problems
The sports clubs in my area are for rich kids, period! The kids in low income households who have talent get left behind.
What area is that?
If you don’t make it, what a waste
Is this video about kids not being allowed to play or is it about certain kids getting a competitive advantage in pursuit of playing at the collegiate level and kids specializing too much? I live in Dublin and my child goes to Hilliard City Schools. There are plenty of affordable leagues to play in. Kids don't have to have private trainers or play on expensive travel clubs in order to play.
I think its about getting priced out of the "travel clubs". Yes you can do rec. But if other kids are playing a lot more then over time you'll fall behind. By the time they try out as freshman in HS the kid who played travel baseball or soccer will have an advantage.
I'm from a small town. The politics are so bad I encourage my kids not to play.
Good for you! You are doing them a great service! Unlike those that are buying their kids into something that will be a failure in the end for 99% of them. Then what?
My sons pop Warner league is charger $575 to play $275 for baseball . Its outrageous!
$275 for baseball is cheap.
If my kid(s) are serious to play soccer, I'm taking them to learn and train in Europe.
Dang, that's kinda cool. You're gonna move there or just take them to a camp?
I have to be here for school :(
me too
It costs $200 to play an entire season at my area, and doesn't include guards. I don't have that much money!
The average across the country is $400/kid/season. Absolutely out of reach for most everyone.
rec sports everywhere i have seen here in CA, is roughly 100$, comp sports is 300$. where are they coming up with the numbers of 700$? seems like they are digging deep to find these stats.
uh your numbers are way off. Where in CA do you live? It's a huge state.
What’s not mentioned here is that family birth rates are at an all time low. That frees up a lot resources to spend on sports as well. One child per family means no siblings to play with so what else is there to do besides sports?
A world of things. Be creative.
This is disgusting. Youth sport has become a business. Our poor children.
why immigrants will dominate usa sports. farm teams get into 2nd world countries and pic the best athletes who get into the u.s. but make their parents sign away their financial rights if the kid goes pro. the kid really didn't have any better option
My name is Seth Williamson. I’m ranked #1 fastest 5yr old in the nation. Can you guys do an interview with me?
Who wrote this question Seth? It wasn't you!
@@Jenda-ld8dj I’m Seth’s dad. Dwight
@@Jenda-ld8dj can you get us on???
@@tampatrackstars5203 Well hello Dwight!
@@Jenda-ld8dj hi
I don't buy their excuses. Give the kids something to sell like World's Finest Chocolate candy bars which are easy sell and tell them if they want to play they need to help pay their way.
Absolutely.
What is so sad is that many of these kids won’t even be college scholarship athletes and those parents’ money could put their money to more constructive and communal use.
It doesn’t help that those parents also add pizza and burgers to the post game meals. Gee, what elite athlete foods when even more of that money could go to the poor. Oh yeah, what about those other matters such as academics most focused in science, technology, engineering, and math?
Our national priorities are going down the toilet!!!
Any one here for a PE Assignment ?
Depressing af
5:45 HBO get it over with and just call it racist. You say it's racist without saying so
It’s only getting worse in 2023. We drop over $10k a year on my 4th grade boy. He has done it for a couple years now and the difference in skill set to any other kid playing rec league is remarkable. He focuses on one sport most of all and if we tried to shift him sports, it might already be too late to make a comp team. Have to start early and dedicate money and time just to play.
The world we live in SUCKS
Make the best of your uniqueness,…. it's not a right to have the same opportunities. And btw, don't have children if you're not on the up an up, and can provide healthy living. Priorities: Health and making a good life, in the ways you can. Reasonably.
It's the " working man's " fault? Most towns have a rec league. If they don't then it can easily be started with some hard work and fundraising. But unfortunately the kids suffer from lack of parenting. Bottom line
The name of the game is limiting opportunity for others, so that you can increase opportunity for your own.
These people and families that knowingly or unknowing participate in this madness get a serious wake up call when they can no longer buy their way into a program.
In a world based on logic and reason, parents/families should have become wise to the game being played. But, no! They still hand over their hard earned money believing some nobody group of fathers or an alleged pro level trainer is going to help their child(ren) become an elite athlete. These misinformed parents spend more money on sports than they do academic development, and expect their aspiring student-athlete to earn a college scholarship. The snake oil salesmen will tell parents anything to make a dollar.
These parents end up lost, confused, and bitter when they realize little Johnny or Cindy have been trained to look good at a showcase or combine but cannot physically compete with their peers who are just as skilled but blessed with superior athletic ability.
Life ain’t fair and your money can’t help or save you from the harsh reality
So true.
2:05 "Drop in kids playing competitive sports over the last decade"? So misleading. Does the supposed drop take into account exogenous factors like smaller average family size, greater number of kids from cultural backgrounds that DE-emphasize sports and emphasize academics/other activities, increase in alternative activities kids (from being video gamers to druggies), childhood obesity/declining physical activity, the proliferation of kid-sport-businesses while the number of casual rec level/YMCA/church type programs remain.
All this "cost" stuff isn't an issue. If you wanna play, you can play for free practically or at the Y, school, church, or woa - here's a crazy idea, what about pickup?
If you're truly a great youth athlete with pro-potential, "they" WILL find you. I've seen the pi55 poorest kid phenoms getting free rides (literally too, being driven from across town) to play in elite programs for football, soccer, baseball, and basketball.
The point still stands. The overall numbers are down because many kids that aren't "pro potential" just give up and stop participating in organized sports. Sure they may play the occasional pick up, but thats not competetive sporting.
When the vast majority of youth sports research and studies conducted in the last 10 years disagree with you, you're wrong. There's a reason why the world doesn't look to the US model of sports anymore.
0:46 that aint weightlifting....
Sam Gonzalez dumbbell Romanian deadlift isn’t lifting?
@@Driving4bangers most accurately, weightlifting refers to the sport of snatching and clean&jerking a barbell. Often people use the term to describe what is actually just exercise or weight training if you will.
Sam Gonzalez wow sam lmao
Isnt that capitalism tho?
All the kids look the same.....
That's racist lol
this is just wrong
you cant teach talent..
Baseball sucks
BULLDOZER
LOL! What a stupid segment!