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There are certainly benefits to youth sports. They may impart valuable life lessons and promote good health. But as any parent of an amateur athlete will attest, it can also be a significant drain on household resources and finances.

Before their budding young athlete even steps foot on a field (or another sporting venue), they must invest in the required equipment and safety gear, including goggles, helmets, mouth guards, and cleats — plus a physical exam depending on league rules. (A high school softball catcher may well be sporting $2,500 worth of gear between catcher’s mitts, leg guards, bats, shoes, protective gear, helmets, and bags, most of which must be replaced every few years).

And then, of course, there are the participation fees, which were virtually non-existent 25 years ago, but today cost hundreds of dollars per child, per sport, per season. Athletes who play for more competitive travel teams can pay far more, depending on the sport. Softball travel teams can cost $10,000 or more per year due to equipment, facility costs, enrollment fees, and coaching.

All told, the typical parent spends $693 per year, per child on youth sports, but those with children who participate in elite programs (particularly in lacrosse, gymnastics, ice hockey, gymnastics, tennis, and skiing/snowboarding) frequently spend $12,000 per year or more with the bulk of the money going toward travel and team fees, according to a 2019 survey by Project Play.

The average across sports was $693. But even the least-expensive sports had some parents spend in excess of $9,000 per year on one child. Those fees do not include the cost of private training clinics or sports summer camps, which can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars more per year.

There are other worrisome trends as well. Data show that the rising cost of organized sports has created an economic divide in which kids from lower-income homes are increasingly priced out of the game.

Nationwide, research from the Aspen Institute found that sports participation rates for white children exceed that of African Americans, Hispanics, and Asian children as many confront barriers such as pay-to-play fees, transportation issues, and equipment costs. In historically marginalized communities, the fields and play spaces that do exist are also often occupied by programs that do not serve local residents.

The dramatic growth of travel leagues, which have lowered the age at which kids compete in a single year-round sport, only exacerbates the divide, as underprivileged kids who cannot afford to try out quit sports altogether.

Despite such troubling trends in the organized sports community, participation in youth athletics delivers many benefits. Studies show that structured extracurricular sports help teens develop the discipline they need to engage effectively in academics. A broad body of research also shows team sports can help enhance concentration, have a positive effect on classroom behavior, and deliver social and psychological benefits, including higher self-esteem, goal-setting, and leadership. Fit kids are also more likely to be fit adults.