Participating in youth playing sport is a great way to learn physical and social skills that will help young people throughout life. We want to get as many children involved in sport as possible, but unfortunately this is becoming harder as the cost of playing sport is increasing. We have analysed the economics within sport to determine whether money factors have become an issue in sport.
It is said that organized sports have become more popular than ever (Hyman, 2012). As a result of this, the cost of sport participation is rising. With youth playing sports, parents now need to take into consideration the costs that are included with the sport such as the uniform, gear and facilities. This is without considering the travel expenses, meaning …show more content…
It also has an aspect of luck - if children are born into a low-income family they are disadvantaged due to the cost of participating. There have been cases where others have had to assist due to the cost of sport. An example of this comes from an essay written to the Major League Baseball Players’ Tribune by Andrew McCutchen. His coach paid for training camps and tournaments. McCutchen believes that he would not have made it to Major League Baseball if it wasn’t for the assistance from his coach (McCutchen, 2015). Coaches should not have to support athletes financially, especially since coaches are generally volunteers. This proves that expenses are becoming too expensive in youth sport. Scholarships, sponsorship and community trusts help to assist with the cost but generally do not cover petrol, uniforms or boots (New Zealand Government, 2008), which means there are restrictions on what funds can achieve. Perhaps a similar idea to StudyLink, but for sport could help in improving participation levels in youth. With a number of sport dropouts saying that sport costs too much, an allowance system may help to improve participation and remove the financial barrier of sport. This along with community grants, scholarships and sponsorship should help to keep youth athletes in …show more content…
Many youth athletes require the funding that is provided by scholarships in order to reach the elite level. For some promising athletes who may struggle financially, a scholarship (or any other form of funding) can be the difference in reaching the desired ‘elite’ level and missing out. Renowned sport sociologist Jay Coakley suggests that “If you’re not upper middle class or middle class with three credit cards, you’re going to have a hard time keeping your kids involved in sports at a relatively elite level” (Coakley, 2010, p.17). According to a CNBC report written by Mark Koba (2014), “some parents see college scholarships as a reason to get their kids into youth sports." (Koba, 2014). This places unnecessary pressure on children who are participating in sport and want to have have fun alongside their
It is said that organized sports have become more popular than ever (Hyman, 2012). As a result of this, the cost of sport participation is rising. With youth playing sports, parents now need to take into consideration the costs that are included with the sport such as the uniform, gear and facilities. This is without considering the travel expenses, meaning …show more content…
It also has an aspect of luck - if children are born into a low-income family they are disadvantaged due to the cost of participating. There have been cases where others have had to assist due to the cost of sport. An example of this comes from an essay written to the Major League Baseball Players’ Tribune by Andrew McCutchen. His coach paid for training camps and tournaments. McCutchen believes that he would not have made it to Major League Baseball if it wasn’t for the assistance from his coach (McCutchen, 2015). Coaches should not have to support athletes financially, especially since coaches are generally volunteers. This proves that expenses are becoming too expensive in youth sport. Scholarships, sponsorship and community trusts help to assist with the cost but generally do not cover petrol, uniforms or boots (New Zealand Government, 2008), which means there are restrictions on what funds can achieve. Perhaps a similar idea to StudyLink, but for sport could help in improving participation levels in youth. With a number of sport dropouts saying that sport costs too much, an allowance system may help to improve participation and remove the financial barrier of sport. This along with community grants, scholarships and sponsorship should help to keep youth athletes in …show more content…
Many youth athletes require the funding that is provided by scholarships in order to reach the elite level. For some promising athletes who may struggle financially, a scholarship (or any other form of funding) can be the difference in reaching the desired ‘elite’ level and missing out. Renowned sport sociologist Jay Coakley suggests that “If you’re not upper middle class or middle class with three credit cards, you’re going to have a hard time keeping your kids involved in sports at a relatively elite level” (Coakley, 2010, p.17). According to a CNBC report written by Mark Koba (2014), “some parents see college scholarships as a reason to get their kids into youth sports." (Koba, 2014). This places unnecessary pressure on children who are participating in sport and want to have have fun alongside their