Youth sports have been a staple of American culture for some time now. However, recent developments point to a trend in the wrong direction. According to the Washington Post, athletic participation for kids ages six through 12 is down almost eight percent over the course of the last decade. This could be caused by a wide variety of reasons, but many reports suggest it’s due to an uptick in the price to participate.
Time magazine recently reported that the youth sports industry is now worth $15 billion. What this means for different areas of the country is varied. In some areas, it might mean a decrease of price due to an increase in funds. In other areas, it could entail an increase in price due to the higher quality of the leagues. Either way, recent trends in the youth sports industry have been shown to cause an increase in price for most children. The Washington Post article cited the uptick in price as one of the key factors in what has led fewer children to participate in youth sports.
While it may seem like a small issue, kids not being able to participate in youth sports has wide-ranging effects. The effects may include missed opportunities for athletically gifted children and a decrease of future talent for pro sports leagues. The latter is already prevalent.
The recent decline in both baseball’s popularity and talent influx could be attributed in large part to the decline of Little League participation. According to the Huffington Post, Little League participation has dropped sharply over the course of the last 12 years. One of the reasons this has happened, according to them, is the difficulty to pay for all that is necessary to participate. On top of the regular league fees, most children have to pay for bats, gloves, helmets and shoes. When all of that is added up, it’s simply not an option for some parents to pay for their kids to play.
Obviously, video games and Netflix also play a role in the decline of youth sports. But it more so comes down to the inability to pay the funds necessary to start. There are tons of kids out there who have the potential to develop their skills and become professional athletes in their own right. Hopefully, there will be action taken to combat this nationwide issue.
