- Parents are shopping at Play It Again Sports in Omaha, looking for less expensive gear.
- It is something that impacts youth sports and how it is getting more expensive for kids to play every year.
- Studies and reports show that private equity firms are making their way into youth sports while simultaneously pushing families out
OMAHA, Neb. — At Play It Again Sports in Omaha, I found Tom Wilkens, a barber whose wife is a teacher. His kids aren't old enough to play sports yet, but the way things are going, he's not sure they'll be on the roster.
"It's not just sports, it's staying in hotels and gas money," Wilkens said.
Increasing costs of youth sports in a time when it seems like everything is getting more expensive has parents searching for deals.
Ryan Gentry tells me he is from a hockey family. His kid's travel hockey team costs him around $10,000 a year.
"I'm buying my 10 year-old another $100 stick because he broke his at practice. When I was a kid, sticks were 20 bucks, made out of wood, and they lasted all year," Gentry said.
A 2024 survey published by Project Play shows the amount of money families spend on youth sports for everything from equipment to hotels for away games has increased each year since 2019. Families now say they spend about $1,000 a year for one child to play one sport.
Not only that, an article published in July by Vice says equipment and travel aren't the only things driving up prices. The article reports private equity firms are buying out little leagues across the country, catering to higher income families and in the process pricing out others.
"I don't think the price will ever truly come down unfortunately with different tariffs and stuff you see it's just not possible for the prices of different equipment to come down," said Marcus Schultz, owner of Play It Again Sports.
Schultz along with parents tell me that they'd love to see the price of play come down but fear that it'll get pricier before it gets cheaper.
"I don't see anything ever coming down. Parents who want to have their kids at that level of higher end sports are going to pay it unfortunately," Gentry said.
"I hope intramurals come back really strong and kids just want to start playing for fun again," Wilkens said.
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