Travel teams, club sports taking a toll on families. Should they be regulated in Massachusetts?
BOSTON - Massachusetts is a national leader in youth sports participation, but club sports and travel teams are taking a toll on families.
Private clubs also hurt local town sports and they create a financial and time burden on parents and kids.
So, should youth sports in Massachusetts be regulated?
"Build small leagues"
"I think we have to rebuild our local recreation departments and build small leagues that are local," Boston University Professor John McCarthy told WBZ-TV. He oversees coaching specialization in the school's Physical Education, Health, and Coaching graduate program.
McCarthy believes well-meaning parents have just accepted the expensive system.
"It's remarkable how much time and money, you know, they're putting into just one child, let alone if they have more than one child. It really gets hard for them to manage," he said.
Growing pushback can be seen and heard all over social media. Videos on TikTok from parents and psychologists are quite emotional. Some say club sports are "ruining families, marriages, and kids themselves."
One mother, Karin Menard of Lunenburg, lost $3,600 when her twins' soccer club suddenly folded.
"There was nobody to call. There was nobody to say, 'hey, we need some help here," she told WBZ.
"Not for everyone"
Other families really enjoy the experience. Dave Samara of Shrewsbury is a devoted father who sees the hours he spends with his kids at hockey tournaments as precious and fleeting.
"What I do is not for everyone," he said, "It's been great. We went from Springfield to Maine this weekend, all sports are expensive now and that's just another financial burden, but it's kind of like pick and choose what you want to do with your children."
He'd rather have his kids active and moving than at home "on their iPad."
Many people are beginning to worry that the time, travel, and expense have made youth sports out of reach for more kids in Massachusetts.
"Similar to a private club"
"We want to make sure that we are providing young folks that ability to be able to play sports without the cost being associated with it," said Steph Lewis, the CEO of Roxbury non-profit The Base which provides sports free of charge.
He believes youth club sports have become "predatory."
"Sports numbers in young folks is down, costs are up, similar to a yacht club, it's similar to a private club. It's a members-only club and that's what it's almost become," Lewis told WBZ.
Regulating youth sports
Now the state is getting involved.
"Massachusetts used to be the leader in putting kids in high school, college, and professional hockey, and we've lost that, and I think it has to do with how it has changed with club hockey here in Massachusetts," says State Senator Barry Finegold, a former athlete who coaches his son in football.
"You look at college sports, it's regulated by the NCAA. When you look at high school sports, we have the MIAA. Now we have our most vulnerable population in society, our youth sports and there's nothing," Finegold told WBZ.
He has proposed a bill that would create a new regulatory body to oversee youth sports in Massachusetts, just like the MIAA controls high school athletics.
"Parents are spending a billion dollars a year, they're stressed out about their kids playing, and we want to get it right," Finegold promises.
Some people worry about more state bureaucracy or perceived government overreach.
"I think they have to look at the fact that if you're in high school it's easier to play three sports in high school than it is as a youth athlete," Finegold said. "What does that say?"
"We want kids to play as many sports as they can. There has to be some balance, and how's the best way to have that balance and make sure that everyone - whether you're a poor kid, middle-class kid or rich kid - gets to participate in sports," Finegold told WBZ.
He's planning to hold three listening sessions around the state in 2025 to gather feedback from parents, youth coaches, and businesses before moving forward with his plan.