Money In Youth Sports Research Paper

Harpreet Kalsi
Final Essay: More Money, More Problems
Nike just released their brand new Nike CR7 chapter 4 series of soccer cleats which promises explosive speed like Cristiano Ronaldo. The Nike Mercurial V soccer cleats are just a small fee of $334.99 (World Soccer Shop). These cleats are not meant for professionals or even college athletes, they are directed towards youth athletes. This is just one of the many examples of the rising costs associated with youth sports. The average cost of of sports increases by 6.7% year over year, placing an increasingly large burden on those who participate in them (White). Thus, the largest issue in right now sports is its inability to reconcile the influx of money and increased commercialization in youth

In the 1980s Sonny Vaccaro, also known as the “sneaker pimp”, began the exploitation of the commercial potential for college athletes. He brought companies to college sports by offering the institutions and coaches money for having their players wear sponsored shoes. He was the key factor in the relationship that harbored the first corporate entity that got involved with a coach and university, but he was far from the last. Many other companies followed Vaccaro’s example and began to sponsor college sports. The more money that came into sports, the smaller the gap between college and professional sports became. This can be seen with the creation of new college sports facilities like the new Oregon sports facilities totaling over $68 million, complete with a barbershop, separate hot tubs for the coaches, and a complete team cafeteria. While college sports are quite different that youth sports, the commercialization and the elaboration of college sports are essential components to the commercialization of youth

The average costs have been rising by 6.7% each year and the variance between the higher level of sports and lower level of sports has never been greater. According to an article by Greg Stamper, the total cost for a youth hockey player can range from $580 to $16,200. This degree of variance is not exclusive to hockey. It can be seen in all other sports including baseball which have an average range of $4,280 ($270 on the low and and $4550 on the high end) and soccer with an average range of $3190 ($110 on the low end and $3300 on the higher end). Not only have the variance of princes of sports risen, but the average costs have aso