I'm losing my mind. Baseball registration is 200 bucks, then you need the uniform, glove, cleats, batting gloves. Add in the tournament fees and we're pushing 1000 for a 10 week season. And that's just one kid. I played sports growing up and it was never like this. When did it become such a money grab? Thinking about pulling him out and just having him play casually at the park instead.
The tournament fees are what kill me. It's like they know you're already committed so they just keep piling it on. We're trying to find cheaper leagues but everything's gotten crazy expensive.
The glove and cleats thing gets me too. Kids outgrow them so fast. I've been able to hand down some gear between my two but even then you're constantly replacing stuff. Have you looked into any local leagues that do equipment sharing programs? Some communities have them to help with exactly this problem.
I work odd hours which means I'm constantly juggling four kids' activities around my schedule and yeah, the cost is brutal. Two hundred just for registration is bonkers. What really gets me is when they say 'oh and bring snacks for the team' like that's not adding another fifty bucks to the tab.
Man I feel this in my soul. Between three kids and flag football coaching, I'm basically funding the entire youth sports complex in Tampa. The registration fees are insane but then you add in tournament fees, team snacks, equipment replacements... I've stopped asking how much things cost because the answer makes me want to cry.
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Yeah man, baseball is brutal on the wallet. Between registration, gear, and tournaments we're looking at like $800+ per kid per season. I've started checking Facebook Marketplace for used equipment just to survive.