It was a simple, short-sleeve T-shirt. One color. Three words on it — Algona Little League.
It was what I and all the other kids wore to each of our Little League games. Each team had a different color, of course, but the uniform didn’t get any more complicated than that. Yes, we each had a baseball mitt, too, but no cleats. No pants. No jerseys. No hats. No batting gloves. Just a T-shirt. And the cost of it was included in the modest participation fee.
Today, the cost to play in organized youth sports is out of the park. And, maybe as a result, fewer American kids are playing sports. This is detailed in a recent column by Hanna Skandera entitled, “No kid should be priced out of playing sports.” She wrote how the importance of reversing this trend cannot be overstated.
“Youth sports are not just games; they are a critical component of childhood development. Simply put, the well-being of our nation hinges, in part, on our investments in youth sports today.”
She noted how youth sports are becoming steadily more privatized, quoting how “pay-to-play” youth sports is a $30- to $40-billion dollar industry and that American families spend an average of almost $900 annually per child to participate in organized sports.
She also points out the growing socio-economic gap in sports participation, stating, while more than two in three kids from wealthier families are playing sports, only about one in three from the poorest families get the same opportunity.
“Sports teach teamwork, discipline, perseverance and resilience — traits that are essential both on and off the field,” she wrote. “For many kids from challenging family situations, sports offer a sense of belonging and purpose and put them on the path to a more stable future.”
But, in the big picture, do sports really matter?
“Participation in sports has been linked to better academic performance, higher self-esteem, and a greater likelihood of college attendance,” she wrote. “Studies show that 66% of students who earn all A’s play organized sports compared to just 24% of students with mostly D's and F's."
Skandera stated how kids who play sports have higher lifetime earnings and have vastly lower rates of depression, obesity and other serious health conditions. She says investing in youth sports is a matter of public health and national pride. She may be right, and it may start by getting back to the simpleness of sports. Parents should not have to spend hundreds of dollars to equip their child to play in a sport. A simple T-shirt will do just fine.
Have a great week, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305 | 
