The ‘travel team trap’ that’s sapping parents’ time and bank accounts

Straight Arrow News

Watch The ‘travel team trap’ that’s sapping parents’ time and bank accounts - Straight Arrow News on Dailymotion

Transcript

00:00The opening ceremony for the Target USA Cup in Blaine, Minnesota is quite the scene.

00:05A youth travel soccer tournament billed as the largest in the Western Hemisphere.

00:10It hosts over 1,200 teams and 16,000 players from all over the world each July.

00:16It's the ultimate example of how big the youth sports travel team culture has grown in the U.S.

00:22There are thousands of club and travel tournaments each year across the country,

00:26and parents who can afford it will spend, on average, between $2,000 and $20,000 per year to take their children.

00:34But the soaring cost of these weekend trips is leaving parents without the means on the sidelines.

00:42A recent study published in the Journal of Sport and Social Issues found that club and travel sports participation

00:49has steadily increased over generations.

00:524% of surveyed adults born in the 50s participated.

00:56Compared to 13% of those born in the 90s.

01:00The Aspen Institute estimates that 17% of kids in 2024 played on club or travel teams.

01:08And the trend is not slowing down.

01:10Chris Knuster, a sociology professor and researcher at The Ohio State University, is the lead author of the study.

01:16Part of the rise in private club and youth sports, right, is this confluence between parenting expectations

01:23and really a booming in the youth sports industry full of people who are selling services

01:29and are essentially youth sport entrepreneurs, you know, making the case that they can aid skill development

01:37and offer improved experiences.

01:39The Sports Events and Tourism Association estimates that youth sports travel accounts for more than 60%

01:45of the estimated $52 billion sports tourism industry every year.

01:51Parents often spend more on travel than on equipment or registration fees.

01:54Chris Bjork is an education professor at Vassar College and co-authored the study.

02:00He said parents can easily get sucked into the travel team trap because they want what's best for their kids

02:06and they follow the lead of other parents in the community.

02:09Sometimes that works out, but sometimes it doesn't.

02:12And the effects tend to get exacerbated because once you sign up for one of these elite programs,

02:19you discover that you're spending a tremendous amount of time with these other parents

02:23who are all looking at things from the same perspective.

02:27So it's kind of an echo chamber.

02:28So where can this echo chamber take you and your budding star player?

02:33How about a weekend at Ripken Baseball?

02:35The original Ripken facility is in Aberdeen, Maryland, where the MLB Hall of Famer, Cal Ripken, grew up.

02:42Visiting teams can pay over $3,000 to enter a four-day tournament

02:47showcasing as many as 48 teams from around the country.

02:50In addition to the cost of actually getting to the facility, which can run thousands if you're flying,

02:56families will likely pay for multiple hotel rooms, which can cost more than $200 per night,

03:02meals, gas, tolls, and activities in the area before and after each day's games.

03:08On top of the cost, kids then find themselves under the bright lights

03:12and are pushed to play well against top competition.

03:16So there's certainly an atmosphere of pressure and even, you know,

03:21a focus on every practice and every game to the extent that didn't really exist

03:27for, you know, much of the history of youth sports certainly,

03:30but has become amplified as parents and children and communities invest more time

03:36and energy and awareness of what goes on in youth sports

03:40and particularly private club and travel sports.

03:43For some families, the cost and the scrutiny are worth it.

03:46Those trips and experiences can become cherished family memories

03:50and lead to lifelong friendships.

03:52Success on the field can also lead to more exposure and interest

03:56from college recruiters and professional scouts.

03:59But those opportunities are rare.

04:02The NCAA says only 2% of high school athletes will land a scholarship.

04:07Now, because of this huge increase in kids who are playing for a travel team,

04:12the pool has increased substantially, but the kind of end point has remained the same.

04:20So that means that a lot of families are going to get disappointed.

04:24Bjork, who is co-author of a book on the changing youth sports industry,

04:28says it's not necessary for your kid to join a club or travel team

04:31unless you're committed to helping them get a shot at that scholarship.

04:35Your kid can be very happy, can be very successful

04:39without playing basketball 11 months a year, four days a week.

04:44Another thing that's really important to take into consideration is

04:47now parents are forced to make these decisions

04:49when their kids are 8, 9, 10 years old.

04:52And what 8-year-old knows what they're really going to want to do when they're 15?

04:57When deciding whether or not to join a club or travel team,

05:00Bjork and Knuster encourage parents to be mindful of outside influences

05:05that create pressure to keep up with other families.

05:09Creating balance in your kids' lives is essential,

05:11regardless of how much money you spend.

05:14For Straight Arrow News, I'm Chris Francis.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended