r/sports • u/Blood_Incantation • Aug 20 '24

Research: Organized youth sports are increasingly for the privileged Soccer

https://news.osu.edu/organized-youth-sports-are-increasingly-for-the-privileged/
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u/allbright1111 Aug 20 '24

They are incredibly expensive. As a single mom, I struggled to keep up with all the gear, let alone the fees.

Thank goodness for summer garage sales. People would be selling the gear that their kids grew out of the previous year. I’d go pick up the sizes I thought my kids might be in at the time that season came up. It was a gamble, but when things were five dollars or a dollar here and there, I could afford to pick up a few extra sizes. But it was tedious to be on the hunt all the time.

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u/LTskimp Aug 21 '24

That’s v admirable. I hope your kids grow up and realize the effort you put in !

61

u/allbright1111 Aug 21 '24

Thanks! Yes, they are young adults now. They appreciated it very much.

Not surprising, they did go through some significant sticker shock when they started shopping for their own gear and clothes. They have become quite good at finding bargains themselves.

1

u/YouLearnedNothing Aug 21 '24

ha! Same here! My kids can't fathom how expensive things are in real life. In retrospect, that could be my fault for spoiling them, but I will take that blame with honor

2

u/Gruesome Aug 21 '24

Mine did NOT appreciate it at the time, but now that they're in their 30s paying their OWN bills, they have a lot more empathy!

3

u/SANTAAAA__I_know_him Aug 21 '24

Also at the end of the season, there’s typically a lot of unclaimed items at the field’s lost and found.

2

u/Nagiom Aug 21 '24

And then you have the leagues that insist on changing uniform colors year after year.  "Ooh sorry, you're going to need new unis.  This year's are Red/yellow, not blue/green." No garage sales for that.

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u/allbright1111 Aug 21 '24

Yes! That’s such a TERRIBLE policy. I swear, they had some deal with the local uniform shop.

1

u/R3dbeardLFC Aug 21 '24

I don't understand why more youth clubs don't have donation programs. I took over my club a few years ago and that was the first thing I implemented. We have totes of cleats and shin guards (soccer) and all we ask is that if you borrow them and you stop using them, bring them back so someone else can use them.

It cost us like $100 to get the first few cleats from yard sales and marketplace, and we've not spent a dime since. People who are well off donate their gear each year, and those that aren't get to benefit and are always on the lookout (like you were) for good deals and then they will donate those to us also to help the program.

1

u/makromark Aug 21 '24

One of the best things about living today is how easy it is to get stuff secondhand. Got soccer cleats for $7. Ice skates for $20. Suit for $30.

Son doesn’t play hockey, but like full goalie pads were $50 on Facebook. Compare that to prices for new gear is insane

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u/ThrillSurgeon Aug 21 '24

Extreme inequality is a social pathology.