Firstly, I agree with the observation made by Frank Russo that sport has become big business, and the cost of access is out of reach for many. The main reason for his assertion is based on the concerns raised by different stakeholders especially families on the rising costs of the sport. According to the New York Times magazine, many families have been pushed out of sports by the increased costs (Rosner & Shropshire, 2017). Research studies show that forty-one percent of children from households that make over $100,000 per annum participate in organized sports, but unfortunately, twenty percent of children in different households pull in less or $25,000. At the same time, statistics show that over half of the lacrosse players are from the $100,000 households while close to two-thirds of swimmers have their parents pull in $75,000 per annum. Further, it has been established that fifty percent of players in a football game hit the $75,000 number, together with half of the players involved in basketball (Sullivan, 2016). Consequently, the participation in the Good and Little League has dramatically dropped by close to twenty percent. Surprisingly, the cost is even higher when travel and accommodation expenses are included. Upon this reality, it is clear that Russo’s observation is correct.
However, despite the high costs in sport, some measures can be taken at an individual or institutional level. Firstly, buying used equipment should be recommended. High-end and new equipment such as bats, shoes, skates, and helmets among others could make one cough a couple of hundred dollars. One can instead get used equipment at lower prices and save some dollars (Rosner & Shropshire, 2015). A family can as well choose to play for recreational leagues than travel teams which require good amount of money, more than $1,000 per season. Other measures include limiting the number of sports a child is playing and being realistic if the kid has slimmest chances of being the one percent that make it professionally.
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References
Rosner, S., & Shropshire, K. L. (2017). The business of sports . Sudbury, Mass: Jones and
Bartlett Publishers.
Rosner, S., & Shropshire, K. L. (2015). Analysis: The cost of sporting . Sudbury, MA: Jones &
Bartlett Learning.
Sullivan, E. C. (2016). The dimensions of physical education . Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett
Learning.
