Is softball to expensive for the average family?

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With the state of our economy being what it is and job losses we haven't seen in decades, is travel softball a sport that only the well off can afford to do. Most people I have talked to look at travel softball as a investment to get their DD's into college. Has this sport become to expensive for the average family of 1 income to afford? What are your thoughts?

 

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IMO its the most affordable of the popular female travel sports, besides most "travel" teams stay in a 30 min radius for 90% of their schedule.

 

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With the state of our economy being what it is and job losses we haven't seen in decades, is travel softball a sport that only the well off can afford to do. Most people I have talked to look at travel softball as a investment to get their DD's into college. Has this sport become to expensive for the average family of 1 income to afford? What are your thoughts?

I believe travel softball is affordable for the average family. We have several fundraisers available to our players that help out families offset training and travel costs. Our fees are spread out in payments to allow families to get through the holidays and not have to pay all the fees up front. I can tell you from experience that our travel softball expenses and fees are significantly less expensive than our travel **cc*r expenses. We do have single parent players on our team as well as multiplayers from the same family also in the organization. So between fundraisers, multiplayer discounts, pitching scholarships and donations, it really helps offset costs and helps families out. Hope this helps.

 

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I'm not well off and all my kids play. Fundraising is the key, find a good organization that allows you to fundraise. I'll be a pick 3, night at the races, candle, and reverse raffle pimp for 10 years so my kids can have this experience.

 

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Well depends on what you call average? 80,000-120,000 or 35,000-45,000? I guess the size of the family has something to do with it. I will have to agree with the statement of an (Investment) I do agree there, hopefully with all the money we as parents spend in this great sport, our daughters will be able to benefit from some of it. As far as (fun) raisers, well when you get to 16-18 those really dont matter very much, you can only ask those neighbors for so many 10 dollar bills and the grandparents dont even take the stuff anymore they just give you the 10 dollars (lol). So lets try to break a season down and then multiply by say 6 starting from 14u.

Team Fees-500 this is just an hypo some teams are more some are less!!
Cleats-75.00 may purchase 2 pair if dd is a pitcher
T-Shirts for every tourney- 80.00 (8 tourneys)
Food at Tourneys All Summer- 35-40 a weekend 2 people (560.00) +- 50
Hotels- 100 a night for 6 weekends- 1200 not including some fridays!!
Gas-150.00 give or take the distance for the weekend
Dinners on Sat Night not at Ballpark- 60.00 X 8 weekends
Nationals- 7 Days in Hotel (600) 20 a day at park(100) night dinners(250)
Gas again depending on the national- 150.00

Somewhere in the total of 4125.00 for about 3 months give or take. Im sure I left a few things out and my fellow OFCers will jump in. We all know that we can usally look to spend around 5000 per summer on our DDs. I have not even started on the (Personal Instruction) for kids, at that rate jump your total dollar amount at least 1000.00.

5000 x 6 seasons= 30,000.00 or 18 months of summer ball.

JMHO=== Hell Ya its alot!!!

 

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Well depends on what you call average? 80,000-120,000 or 35,000-45,000? I guess the size of the family has something to do with it. I will have to agree with the statement of an (Investment) I do agree there, hopefully with all the money we as parents spend in this great sport, our daughters will be able to benefit from some of it. As far as (fun) raisers, well when you get to 16-18 those really dont matter very much, you can only ask those neighbors for so many 10 dollar bills and the grandparents dont even take the stuff anymore they just give you the 10 dollars (lol). So lets try to break a season down and then multiply by say 6 starting from 14u.

Team Fees-500 this is just an hypo some teams are more some are less!!
Cleats-75.00 may purchase 2 pair if dd is a pitcher
T-Shirts for every tourney- 80.00 (8 tourneys)
Food at Tourneys All Summer- 35-40 a weekend 2 people (560.00) +- 50
Hotels- 100 a night for 6 weekends- 1200 not including some fridays!!
Gas-150.00 give or take the distance for the weekend
Dinners on Sat Night not at Ballpark- 60.00 X 8 weekends
Nationals- 7 Days in Hotel (600) 20 a day at park(100) night dinners(250)
Gas again depending on the national- 150.00

Somewhere in the total of 4125.00 for about 3 months give or take. Im sure I left a few things out and my fellow OFCers will jump in. We all know that we can usally look to spend around 5000 per summer on our DDs. I have not even started on the (Personal Instruction) for kids, at that rate jump your total dollar amount at least 1000.00.

5000 x 6 seasons= 30,000.00 or 18 months of summer ball.

JMHO=== Hell Ya its alot!!!

But well worth it!!

 

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LOL, Yes you are correct.

 

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But well worth it!!

You know your totally right. My oldest is a senior and playing 18U. She will be playing college ball next year and now my middle DD is playing her first year of 10U. I know all parents love the time softball allows us to spend with our DD's, but as a dad its been priceless. Girls kind of hit an age where Dad is the atm, bug killing, boyfriend chasing away, car buying and oil changing guy in their life. Mom is more of a confidant in their lives. Softball gives us dads a lot of time with our DD's that dads of a lot girls dont get. I am purely looking at from a dads perspective. Regardless if your DD plays college ball or not, you cant put a price on all those summer weekends we get to spend with our DD's!

 

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Absolutely!!

 

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I think one of the toughest things to do is manage all of the softball stuff and still take care of work obligations. It would be really hard if your say a nurse, police, fireman or a swing shift worker. I bet most parents work 9 to 5, no weekends, or run their own companies or something like that. Indeed the time you spend with you dd's is priceless, that goes without saying. I would like to see each team give 1 child, who maybe can't afford it the opportunity, the chance to be apart of this great sport, no fees. Whats your thoughts on that? Not everybody can afford this chance.

 

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You can cut that WAY down if you wanted. You can have ZERO team fees with fundraising. Static team did it last year. Nike Keystone cleats are only 40 bucks at Dick's. DD has used them last 4 years (new pair every year) and have never had them wear out. Skip the T-shirt every tourney. Food at tourneys, pack some but always go with the Walking Taco's. Hotel's, if you shop you can get the good ones for less. Had LaQuinta down to $50 last year. Gas, siphon from the team mate that buys every tourney T-Shirt. Dinner on Sat night, think Arby's, the value menu at McD's or pizza back at the hotel. Just **** it up for the Nationals. JMHO

 

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But like my other half has told me many times " Of all the addictions out there, there isnt one better than your kids future, or present." You could find plenty of ways to waste the same money. How many of them would let you spend the time with your kids, and meet the kind of people you see every weekend. My girls are 13 and 14, and have friends all over the state. We know people from all walks of life, and that is priceless. So I ask is it worth it??? Yea we are still doing it, so it must be to us.

 

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blazer441:

You are absolutely right about the conflict between work and being at tourneys. We had flexibility in our professional obligations with our DD's schedule and we have that now with our current coaching schedule, and I should remember more often to be grateful for that. I should also be grateful that many of the parents of our players cooperate together to minimize the time from work that any one parent has to take.

And as for the expenses, I think I am stating the obvious when I say that for some families, it IS too expensive. Unfortunately, each family has to decide whether because of its financial situation the DD needs to remain with rec ball, join a rec all-star team that only travels a bit, or join a travel ball team that actually only travels a bit. As stated above, there are probably ways that a family could cut costs in other activities and in travel ball that would allow the DD to play. But I think it would be silly to suggest, absent EXTRAORDINARY talent, that finances don't restrict a significant number of young ladies from playing our game.

 

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I know a few that are way above average ball players that could make it on most top clubs and the parents are cutting every cost out just to make ends meet. I think a lot of players are blessed with the means to play at all levels. There are a great deal of girls out there missing the chance to play this year and last year, they are out there and most will not tell you they can not afford to play. Even fundraisers to play could not get the parents to sway towards softball this year. If costs increase even higher in equipment, team fees, tournaments and even having parking cost at events, that is how tight they are... some parents will not be able to continue even with the opportunity of fundraisers. No frills and just low cost to cover play is too much for some, times have changed and we have to adjust for those with less. I just want the ball players playing even if it is free scrims.
For the life of the sport we need to keep costs down and help those who need it. Fundraiser operators should be increasing and retailers should be lowering prices if they want to make a sale. Don't forget there are many parents without jobs that have kids on the streets when they were on the ball fields. Just remember us that are active and making it are blessed and who knows what next year may have instore for us, planning ahead is a very good idea.

 

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There are teams that will suit almost any budget depending on what you and your dd want to get out of the experience. Some will have lower fees with good fundraising opportunities and play closer to home. To play for a team that looks for college exposure and goes to showcase tourneys, you will likely pay more in fees to cover the higher cost of those tourneys and travel more which often requires hotel stays.

 

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AceGrc:

Thanks for reminding me that some companies who are in the business of providing "fund raisers" take the lion's share of the profit. If a team is conducting a fund raiser, it should be one that returns the highest yield to the team, not to the third party offering the fund raiser.

 

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I think one of the toughest things to do is manage all of the softball stuff and still take care of work obligations. It would be really hard if your say a nurse, police, fireman or a swing shift worker. I bet most parents work 9 to 5, no weekends, or run their own companies or something like that. Indeed the time you spend with you dd's is priceless, that goes without saying. I would like to see each team give 1 child, who maybe can't afford it the opportunity, the chance to be apart of this great sport, no fees. Whats your thoughts on that? Not everybody can afford this chance.

Remember life is not always "fair". I'm sure we all have to make softball work within the confines of our work schedules and finances. If you want your daughter to play you can find a way to do it.

 

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The money will be spent regardless. If it is not on softball tun it will be on movies or the Olive Garden, Dave and Busters, vactions etc. If my kids didn't play sports, we'd have a cabin on a lake somewhere thinking "if I didn't have this cabin my kids could be playng ball. "

 

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Ringer, I know you realize that to even think about the cabin on the lake, you have to have the extra income. Some families just don't have the income to choose between a cabin on the lake and softball.

dd0818:
I agree that many families can make changes to allow for softball, but disagree that EVERY family has that choice.

 

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A couple of expenses and and general thoughts: Parking fees and admission fees. These just irritate the ^&$^&$^ out of me, as we are already paying all the other expenses listed just to be there, then they tack on Mickey Mouse **** like that...A $15/person all weekend bracelet for the wife and two other DD's equals $45/tournament; some charge a $3.00 fee per parking with no in/out privileges-so if you play at 8, 12, 3 and 7, you can either spend all day at the park or blow another 6-9$/day. I do think softball is turning into the 21st century arms race. I've already heard, "your daughter is not serious if...." she doesn't have this glove, or that bat, these cleats, etc. What a bunch of ****. Kids can still play good ball with the good-bargain stuff. But, and this is what galls me, I have been told certain coaches and recruiters think you are not "Serious" without high-dollar gear. This year, we have lost two girls from our team officially for "injuries", privately-due to expenses, and we are one of the lowest priced orgs. around. Unfortunately, I don't think the situation will imporve. The haves will continue to thrive, the have-nots will be ran out of the game. I had the temerity to ask at our Rec meeting if the 10$/game/ump increase in ump fees means they will actually learn the strike zone and the rules-a lot of regualr folks are actually being ran out of the sport because of the cost, as muc as we don't like to hear it, and the fact ump fees went up when the overall economy went down is a joke.