Weekly Column: The Professionalization and Pricing of Youth Sports

In this week’s column, California Sports Lawyer® CEO and Managing Attorney Jeremy M. Evans discusses the professionalization and pricing of youth sports and how families can navigate the growing investment of time, money, and expectations in youth athletics.

The decision is not to stop playing youth sports, but rather to participate in sports, and anything else in life, with intention.

You can read the full column below. (Past columns can be found, here).

Parents have the equally difficult but fantastic role of raising children. When their children are blessed with athletic talent, there is an opportunity to train and eventually have a professional career. However, most youth sports participants, just like most high school and college athletes, do not make it to the professional level. Most professional athletes do not have lengthy careers, become an All-Star, win a championship, or get inducted into the Hall of Fame.

The point of sports is to compete and win. However, the process of getting to victory and staying victorious in sport is just as important. Sports also provide community, test one’s abilities, and foster physical, mental, and social development.

At what point do youth sports become too expensive and/or produce diminishing returns? Parents often wrestle with how involved they should be, how much they should encourage their children to compete, and which sports their children should pursue. Parents of course want to see their children become successful in all of their endeavors.

There is, however, a balance between guidance and independence. Parents, coaches, and advisors often observe that the line between support and overinvolvement can become blurred when significant time, money, and emotion are invested in a child's athletic development. Push too hard and children will resent the insistence. If parents do not encourage or discipline enough, then the child has little direction. There is hope in the area between encouragement and discipline where the child has to make choices and strive for things they want. A mistake in all of this would be to assume that children can live the dreams of their parents, but the child does not want to take a predetermined path willingly.

Youth sports were once primarily community activities where children learned social skills, competition, teamwork, and had fun. Today, youth sports often require significant financial commitments, extensive travel, and year-round participation, while presenting a broader view of what athletic achievement may be possible. This is not an indictment of youth sports programming, particularly private programs, but rather an opportunity for parents and their children to reflect on why youth sports matter and what role they should play in family life.

According to a Project Play report by the Aspen Institute from March 2025, American families spend approximately $40 billion per year on youth sports, with 54-56% of children aged 6 to 17 participating. The cost to play youth sports per family increased 46% from 2019 to 2025. One explanation for this increase is that many families placed renewed value on sports participation and community engagement following the government restrictions imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic. The argument is that parents wanted to reinforce the community and competition of sports that government restrictions had shut down, which is understandable.

The spending increase may also be influenced by the growing visibility of name, image, and likeness (“NIL”) opportunities in high school and college athletics. While only a small percentage of high school athletes will benefit financially from NIL, its prominence has increased awareness of the potential economic opportunities associated with athletic success. That perception can further intensify competition and investment among families participating in youth sports, creating a trickle-down effect throughout the youth sports ecosystem.

Parents want more for their children, but often at an increased expense of money and time. Families and coaches should remember that talent, effort, and opportunity remain the primary drivers of athletic success. The athletes who ultimately reach and sustain professional careers are exceptionally rare, regardless of the amount of money spent on training, travel, or competition. Talent, effort, and perseverance are often the qualities that make athletic careers successful and sustain achievement in any profession.

The decision is not to stop playing youth sports, but rather to participate in sports, and anything else in life, with intention. Participation should be driven by development and enjoyment, not merely the pursuit of future opportunities. Parents making decisions for their children in sports should also consider the impact it has on the family, budget, time, and influence. A child’s interests and talents should be pursued, whether that is playing the piano, baseball, or pursuing acting. However, pursuit should not be at the expense of soundness, like a family’s financial stability, time commitments, other children, and overall well-being.

About Jeremy M. Evans:

Jeremy M. Evans is the Chief Entrepreneur Officer, Founder & Managing Attorney at California Sports Lawyer®, representing entertainment, media, and sports clients in contractual, intellectual property, and dealmaking matters. An award-winning attorney and industry leader, Evans is based in Los Angeles and Newport Beach, California. He can be reached at Jeremy@CSLlegal.com. www.CSLlegal.com.