The game today
The game got expensive.
More kids play than ever, but the cost of staying in keeps climbing, and the rules at the top have changed. Here's where things stand, with sources.
$1,016
average family spend on a child's main sport in 2024, up 46% since 2019. About $1,500 across all sports.
6×
kids from low-income homes quit over cost six times as often as kids from high-income homes.
$20.5M
per year a college can now share directly with athletes, under the 2025 House v. NCAA settlement.
What it means for families
- Travel ball, gear and fees now decide who stays in the game.
- Talent in small towns and other countries gets missed.
- Money now flows at the top (NIL since 2021, revenue sharing since July 2025), so promises to young players are bigger, and easier to break.
What we do about it
- Grants, not loans, paid straight to the program or vendor.
- Records the athlete owns, so a scout can trust them.
- Every dollar in public, so a family knows who kept their word.
Sources: Aspen Institute Project Play, 2024 parent survey (Nov–Dec 2024, 1,848 parents) and 2020 survey; CBS Sports and ESPN on the House v. NCAA settlement (approved June 2025).