$1,400 for an 8-year-old’s sports? This reporter breaks down the cost

Here's one of my proud sports dad moments this fall

My eight-year-old weaving his way to a flag football touchdown for the Rockford Saints

My hard-earned sports writing dollars at work. Cleats? Check. Mouthguard? Check. Jersey and flags included in the registration fee

The cost of youth sports continues to rise, adding to what's become a $40 billion a year industry

Parents who can afford it pay it because of the many benefits associated with organized sports

and mostly because they want their kids to be happy and become well-rounded adults

And hey, maybe even get a scholarship one day. About 60 million American children play sports, according to the Aspen Institute's latest parent survey

And the average family spent $1,016 on a child's primary sport in 2024

That's a 46% increase since 2019. So I was curious how my credit card bills stacked up

And I might need to take a second job. Experts say kids should play multiple sports when they're young

And without prompting, my eight-year-old, it seems, took to all of them at once

Fly football, soccer, basketball, little league, and golf. Here's the tally for one kid for 2025, starting with the equipment we bought

in no particular order. This is for football, soccer, little league, which turned out to be

the most expensive sport overall and a set of starter golf clubs Admittedly there were a few luxury add to get him going A mini soccer goal a basketball hoop for the driveway and a baseball hitting net which I learned

if you cover with moving blankets, can double as a golf hitting net. Total damage here, $227.98

Luckily, these items should last several years. And as the kids say, they need their fit too

We're helping to keep Nike, Under Armour, and Dick's Sporting Goods in business

Thankfully, some of this gear can be worn year-round for multiple sports

My son, however, has already grown out of a few pair of shoes we bought last year

Total cost for all these items in 2025, $237.92. So we're already close to $1,000, and then the registration fees and other costs put us over the top

Adding up the four leagues and eight trips to the driving range this summer

and we dropped $585.92. Little League was by far the most expensive

but the costs vary depending on where you live and how many kids are playing at a given time

The grand total, $1,416.08, spent on one child in one year. And looking into my dad, Crystal Ball, I know that price is going to go up

because we have yet to pay for any private lessons or travel

So that's my experience, and I know I'm not alone. I'm interested in hearing what other families are spending

and what they can expect as their kids get more involved in youth sports. Have you done the math

What are you spending each year? Send me a breakdown at cfrancis at san.com