The business of children's sports & activities

i was recently asked about the cost of playing youth hockey in Stillwater. the person asking knew i was an active member and coached my kids teams. and since we are in early August we have already been sent our first emails about registering for our winter sports so the question was fresh in my mind.

To have my 2 boys play youth hockey in Stillwater Mn this year 2013-2014 will be a minimum of $2500-3000. Clearly not a an "affordable" sport for many families, but this is not a new topic.

 i think the recent change in the topic is the twist of business people deciding to take advantage of an opportunity to serve a group / generation of parents hoping and wishing our little Billy and Janes will be the next Tiger Woods or Zach Parise or Maya Moore. 

These business people have taken what was a volunteer or part time operation which was affordable and made it into a full time business, making it far less affordable. The business of training, specialization and private lessons. None more true than in hockey, baseball and golf. The theory of multi sport athletes continues to be pushed down the aisle, like dust off the shop floor. While many parents and coaches talk a good game, implementing and supporting kids to play 2 or 3 sports is less prevalent each season that passes. 

Part of the reason for limiting the sports a kid plays is that the machine that has been created is hard to be maintained when our kids get distracted by other sports. How do the businesses keep our wallets open if we are busy with a different sport? 
And god forbid if the kid decides he likes one over the other, then the machine has one less family feeding it. 

I am a full blooded and self admitted sports fan, and much of my time and my family time is involved in these activities, and I am a self employed entrepreneur, so I am not condemning anyone. My thought is more along the lines of wishing that a kid, any kid, would not be falling off the screen of a coach or organization because he or she decides to try and enjoy other activities and takes a sport as a more recreational activity and not a full time occupation.  

If each of us would be a little more conscious and understanding that each family has different goals for our kids, that understanding will go a long way.