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

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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

00:50has steadily increased over generations.

00:52Four percent of surveyed adults born in the 50s participated.

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

01:00The Aspen Institute estimates that 17 percent 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

01:30and 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 percent

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, and the effects tend to get exacerbated

02:15because once you sign up for one of these elite programs, you discover that you're spending a tremendous amount of time

02:22with these other parents who 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 showcasing 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

03:13and 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 and energy

03:37and awareness of what goes on in youth sports, and particularly private club and travel sports.

03:42For some families, the cost and the scrutiny are worth it.

03:46Those trips and experiences can become cherished family memories and lead to lifelong friendships.

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

04:13the 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 when 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,

05:01Bjork 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,

05:12regardless of how much money you spend.

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

05:16And I'll do time fortaa esas three years.

05:17I believe in regarding the changes

05:21that do not have private choices.

05:22Thank you for all the new sales.

05:23And if you will see you next time,

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05:27For me to join 그러면

05:29Thank you to Society foria-ют央ci

05:31and start gathering

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05:36There is a way to do the neighborhood

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05:39And this is a, during the years

05:41this was a two-year and a project

05:41for our families.

05:42And let's talk about it together

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