• by Jon Last , Columnist, 3 hours ago

Early next month, I will attend my first Little League World Congress.  I’m looking forward to it for a number of reasons, both professional and personal. Re the latter, I’ve actively volunteered at the local and district level for some 20 years.  From a professional level, as a sports researcher, I’ve seen firsthand a shifting emphasis toward select club travel teams that's both concerning and intriguing, given many of the consumer trends I track.

Locally based recreational leagues fill an important societal role by offering inclusive opportunities for social and athletic development.  While I value the championship banners that my teams won over the years, I also value the opportunity to help kids learn critical life lessons.  I’ve been moved to visit with several of my former players, now young adults who appreciate the positivity that sports participation delivered.

But in today’s world, more youth athletes participate in pay-for-play club and travel programs, which promise and often deliver more specialized instruction, higher levels of competition, and a chance to travel and play in modern, shiny new complexes. Of course these programs fuel the often-exaggerated expectations that junior will move on to play at the next level. 

A Washington Post story published last week detailed soaring prices that have grown family spending on these programs to an estimated $40 billion per year, with the average family spending $1,000 to $3,000 annually for the privilege.  I’ve personally seen that model as well, though the Little Leagues in our district charge 10% less than that, with abundant scholarships and hardship programs available.

It's not surprising to see the growth in pay-for-play programs in a world that highly values super-sized experiences for a coddled generation.

Last month in this space, I identified experiences as one of the Four Es: essential components of leisure marketing. Club travel teams deliver experiences in ways that grass-roots programs often lack.  They also satisfy the “E” that we defined as eagerness. Players are often vaulted into trips to mega complexes modeled on those where the pros play, without having to advance their way through several more localized tournament stages. 

Recall that two-thirds of sports fans strongly agreed that their life philosophy is more about living for today than tomorrow.  “Making” a club team can be a surrogate for being an “instant winner,” even if that isn’t always the case.

And the “elite” positioning of club teams plays into the E that we labeled entitlement, which is transcending generations as society actualizes on an admitted selfishness and sense that people have earned immediate rewards for enduring challenging times.

It’s not difficult to see how these prevalent attitudes are helping to fuel the growth in pay-for-play sports clubs. What’s less clear to me is the net impact on the youth sports landscape.