--- title: The Astronomical Cost of Kids’ Sports description: Parents are spending a lot of money on kids' sports. Here’s how six popular sports stack up, according to surveys from Utah State University. canonical: https://time.com/4913284/kids-sports-cost/ author: Emily Barone article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-08-24T13:40:38.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-08T09:30:55.719Z article:section: Sports og:title: 6 Popular Kids' Sports, Ranked by How Much It Costs to Play og:description: Parents are spending thousands of dollars on youth sports og:url: https://time.com/4913284/kids-sports-cost/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1e506ef9a9182a11/6988daeb196cf4b83e0419a2/gettyimages-514611469.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5329 og:image:height: 2998 og:image:alt: 170824_sport equipment og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 6 Popular Kids' Sports, Ranked by How Much It Costs to Play twitter:description: Parents are spending thousands of dollars on youth sports twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1e506ef9a9182a11/6988daeb196cf4b83e0419a2/gettyimages-514611469.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Astronomical Cost of Kids’ Sports > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. ## Video: A Day in the Life of Joey Baseball [Watch (HLS stream): A Day in the Life of Joey Baseball](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/sACMY4WY.m3u8) (2:05)  _Published 2017-08-23. 10-year-old Joey Erace, who's known as Joey Baseball on Instagram, has developed a large social media following with videos of him practicing in his backyard batting cage and competing in tournaments around the country._ by [Emily Barone](https://time.com/author/emily-barone/) ## Emily Barone Aug 24, 2017 1:40 PM UTC by [Emily Barone](https://time.com/author/emily-barone/) ## Emily Barone Aug 24, 2017 1:40 PM UTC In [TIME’s cover story ](http://time.com/4913687/how-kids-sports-became-15-billion-industry/)this week, senior writer Sean Gregory explores the growing business of kids’ sports — a $15.3 billion industry that has nearly doubled in the last 10 years. Between league fees, camps, equipment, training and travel, families are spending as much as 10% of their income on sports, according to survey research from [Utah State University](https://www.usu.edu/). Sky-high costs are preventing some kids from participating. Overall sports participation rates have declined in the U.S. in recent years, and the trend is most evident among kids from lower-income families. “Some parents just can’t pony up for it,” says Travis Dorsch, one of Utah State’s leading researchers on parental involvement in youth sports. “How many Michael Jordans and Michael Phelpses are out there who don’t have the opportunity?” One of Utah State’s surveys conducted last year found that the average family spends $2,292 per year on sports. The respondents to that survey include families with children as young as 8 and who participate at all levels, from recreational to elite. The same 2016 survey found that the maximum spending among the respondents was close to $20,000, as some families invest in travel teams and personal trainers. Not all sports are equally expensive. Soccer and basketball, for instance, don’t have as many equipment costs as, say, baseball or hockey. Here’s how six popular youth sports stack up according to Utah State’s survey sample: ## Lacrosse Average: $7,956 Maximum: $17,500 ## Hockey Average: $7,013 Maximum: $19,000 ## Baseball/Softball Average: $4,044 Maximum: $9,900 ## Football Average: $2,739 Maximum: $9,500 ## Soccer Average: $1,472 Maximum: $5,500 ## Basketball Average: $1,143 Maximum: $5,150 ## Transcript Hi, My name is [ INAUDIBLE ] Most people, [ LAUGH ] Hi, my name is [ INAUDIBLE ] Most people know me as Joey baseball. [ MUSIC ] Here is my bedroom. I have my PS 4 which I play. And I have all my trophies. These are medals that I won in USA, North Carolina. This one is one of the best ones that fit me. And the people that make these rings probably don't know that we're ten years old. We're not 30 like all the MOB players. [ MUSIC ] This is my bed. And these are all the books I read. [ MUSIC ] My favorite books are Baseball Genius and Class Dismissed. [ SOUND ] Over here these are some the the teams I play with. The Sanders from Philadelphia, I play in this tournament called Perfect Game, Prospect Dugout, Eastern Banditos, Young Guns Elite. This is my oldest hat I ever had. I had this since I was six or seven. I played with they're called the Cleveland Cavaliers, which is my high school. But you're not in high school yet. No. [ MUSIC ] I'm in 5th grade. [ MUSIC ] I like everything. I like hitting, fielding, running. I like all of it equally. Most of the time I get more positive comments than negative. Whenever I see the negative comments, it makes me just work harder. [ MUSIC ] The record I would like to break is probably 3, 000 hits because that's an elite baseball program right there if you get that high in hits in your career. It's fun working hard and it's also fun when people know you. When they come to you and ask for pictures. And a lot of that stuff. 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