Cooper Flagg’s mother shares her best advice for parents who navigate sports for young people
Mackenzie Salmon sat with Cooper Flagg’s mother, Kelly, to talk about how she managed to sail in the world of sports for young people.
Sports seriously
Parents spend $ 3,000 a year for their children’s sports, the majority of them taking action elsewhere to manage the cost increase.
The results of the sounding of American adults with children from 7 to 18 years old who participate in youth sports, led from March 1 to 6, also indicate that parents pay money believing that they invest in an ultimate gain.
“Our research suggests that parents are deeply determined to support the athletic potential of their children-not only for the joy of sport, but as a way to higher education and future success,” said Jessica Ruggles, vice-president of financial well-being companies at New York Life, in a shared press release with USA TODAY SPORTS before prevent Tuesday publication of its results.
According to the online survey representative at the national level with 1,036 participants whose children play at school, community and travel sports, 83% of parents think that their children or children have the skills necessary to play at the college level, while 49% are confident that their child will receive a sports scholarship and 75% think they have the skills necessary to play professionally despite long chances.
According to NCAA data in 2024, supplemented by data from the National Federation of State Lycée associations, around 6% of secondary athletes play collegially (a percentage of lower game 1), while less than 1% of NCAA athletes are written in a professional sport.
“Many families are counting on sports scholarships to facilitate the cost of the college, but these opportunities are limited and uncertain, in particular in the face of injuries or changing priorities,” explains Ruggles.
According to New York life data, parents adjust household budgets and plunge into savings to support their children’s sports, 76% taking a kind of action to manage costs, generally by reducing expenses in other fields (38%). Twenty percent indicates that they had to reduce or stop the participation of their children due to financial constraints.
Wealth’s clock survey, which follows the financial objectives of Americans, progress towards these objectives and feelings concerning their ability to guarantee their financial future, reflects other statistical and anecdotal evidence of a national mania on priority and even the monetization of children’s sports.
Parents spent 46% more in their child’s main sport in 2024 than in 2019, According to another recent survey Directed by the Aspen Institute in partnership with Utah State University and Louisiana Tech University. It is twice the rate of price inflations in the American economy during the same period, according to the Aspen Institute.
According to Aspen, which regularly collects and distributes research and the latest sports trends for young people, parents spend more than $ 40 billion a year for their children’s sports.
“It all starts with, I think, the process of admission to college, more money in university sports; this creates this signal which descends up to eight years, probably even earlier,” said the successful author and Father Michael Lewis in March at Aspen d’Aspen Project Play Summit In Berkeley, California. Project Play is Aspen’s initiative to build healthy communities through sports and develop access to the national scale.
“Parents can say to themselves:” We do this because you get this advantage at university “, either you get free tuition fees or now it is even more, as if they were going to get null offers and all this,” said Lewis, a former coach of the softball team of his daughter who wrote two books on the youth sports experience. “It’s a bit like the way people react far too strongly to the temptation of the lottery.
“Most children will get nothing, and parents will spend much more money than they should spend in pursuit of this dream; sometimes children do not even want to be there. When you have this price that is suspended at the other end, and a very bad education throughout the probability of obtaining a price, you will get a lot of distortion of people’s behavior.”
According to Recruitment of the NCSA collegeA website that helps connect high school athletes to college coaches, less than 2% of high school athletes are offered sports scholarships in college.
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While the number of scholarships could increase with The house against the colony of the NCAAThousands of current athletes in Walk-on should lose their place in division I teams if it is approved.
“The pursuit of athletic objectives can also exert real financial and emotional pressure on families,” said the New York Life ruggles. “While parents make significant sacrifices to maintain the passions of their children, it is essential to prioritize both performance and well -being. Building a trust team – including sports mentors and financial coaches – can give families clarity and confidence to defend their child’s growth without compromising their own stability, maintaining confidence in their broader financial future.”
The sports parents interviewed by New York Life had an average of $ 30,787 saved for the higher education of their children. If you are a parent with your child’s goals by playing collegially, you may know that, in some cases, Annual family sports contributions even approach this figure.
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“This type of long -term investment reflects a belief in hard work and opportunities,” explains Ruggles. “But although hope and effort are essential, planning is also planning.”
And perhaps a change in our priorities. Sixty-four percent of the parents of the New York Life Survey have declared an increase in costs for children’s sports in recent years. Almost all (99%) are actively involved in the sports of their children, attend games, practice or manage transport.
“I think the system does not work for workers’ families”, ” Jennifer Siebel NewsomThe first partner of the governor of California Gavin Newsom and co-president of the Governor’s council on physical condition and mental well-being, said at Project Play Summit. She is also a sports mother.
“The cost of entry and the part of these clubs increases (and it is) an obstacle for too many families,” she said. “It is also a disruptor, because, as children play at higher and more competitive levels, they have pressure at academic school if they travel all these weekends. … It is not healthy for family dynamics.
“I just think that we need a real interruption of reasons. We have to return to the premises. We have to return to children in REC sports, but as Rec depending on games, where they strengthen confidence, reinforcing skills, growing up as a team player in their school or in their local leisure center, so that it works for local families, is not very exorbitant.”
Steve Borelli, coach Aka Steve, has been editor-in-chief and writer at USA Today since 1999. He spent 10 years training the baseball and basketball teams of his two sons. He and his wife, Colleen, are now sports parents for two high school students. His column is displayed every week. For its past columns, click here.
Do you have a question for coach Steve, do you want to answer in a column? Send him an email to sborelli@usatuday.com