Key Takeaways
- Unsustainable cost is cited by 26% of sports parents weighing an exit, up from 21% in 2024, per the Good Sports Cost of Play Index.
- The Harris Poll survey found 77% of parents believe private clubs and travel teams are pricing many children out of youth sports participation.
- Six-figure households are not exempt: 17% of parents earning $100,000 or more took on extra work to fund sports, the Index found.
- Good Sports reports 87% of the youth programs it serves may cut programming or cap enrollment within a year as equipment costs rise.
The cost of youth sports has passed injury risk and a child’s own enjoyment as the reason parents most often give for thinking about taking their kids out. That is the central finding of the 2026 Good Sports Cost of Play Index, conducted by The Harris Poll, which surveyed 574 U.S. parents of children under 18 from June 23 to 25, 2026. Among parents whose children have played sports, 26% named unsustainable cost as a reason they have strongly considered pulling a child, ahead of injuries at 24% and the child not enjoying the sport at 23%, according to the Index.
Good Sports, the national nonprofit that commissioned the research, reports that 68% of those parents have seriously considered pulling a child out at some point. The organization says it has delivered more than $137 million in new equipment, apparel and footwear to over 11 million children since 2003.
What Is Pushing Parents Toward the Exit?
Cost leads, but narrowly. Among all 574 parents surveyed, the Index’s key findings report lists unsustainable cost at 23%, followed by injury concerns at 21%. A child not enjoying the sport, poor coaching and a negative team environment each came in at 20%, with time commitment at 19% and school performance at 15%. The Harris Poll puts the survey’s precision at plus or minus 5 percentage points, so the top five reasons sit within that range of one another.
The movement is easier to see on a like-for-like basis. In its 2024 edition, Good Sports reported that 75% of parents whose children had ever played sports had strongly considered pulling them out, and 21% cited cost. The 2026 Index puts those same measures at 68% and 26%. The share who have thought about leaving fell 7 points. The share naming money as a reason rose 5.
Two cautions apply to anyone trending the data. The 2024 wave was fielded October 16 to 18, 2024 among 741 parents, while the 2026 wave ran in late June among 574, according to the Index methodology. And The Harris Poll’s own report describes the all-parent cost figure of 23% as “similar to” the 19% recorded in 2024.
How the Cost of Youth Sports Lands on Household Budgets
Equipment is where the pressure is most widespread. The Index found that 61% of parents with children currently playing say paying for required equipment has become a financial burden, compared with 58% in 2024. More than half of all parents, 53%, worry they will not be able to enroll a child next year because of rising costs, versus 56% two years earlier.
The key findings report also details what families have done to keep kids on the roster. Per the Index, 24% have paid junk fees such as parking, venue admission and processing charges, 21% drive five or more hours a week, and 21% have made a child choose between sports. Another 18% have taken on extra work, 14% have taken on debt, and 14% have pulled a child from a team.
Good Sports’ 2024 release put the debt figure at 18%, though that number was reported among parents whose children had played sports. The 2026 figure is not footnoted to that base, so the two are not directly comparable.
Time is a cost as well. In a question new for 2026, 36% of parents whose kids have played said they have missed work or left early to get a child to or from a sports event, the Index found. Another 32% reported eating “car dinners” between school, work and the field, and 21% said they have skipped a meal entirely.
The emotional ledger is close to even. According to the Index, 33% of parents whose children have played sports feel satisfied about what they spend, and 31% feel stressed.
Parents Blame Travel Clubs, Thin Rec Options and a Fee System Built for Profit
The 2026 Index added a set of questions about how youth sports is structured. Because they are new, The Harris Poll notes they cannot be trended against 2024.
Per the Index, 77% of parents agree that the growth of private clubs and travel teams is pricing many children out of participation. The survey also found 68% are concerned about the over-commercialization of youth sports, 67% say affordable or public school sports options have declined over the past five years, and 56% say their community lacks enough viable recreational or intramural programs.
On pricing, the Index asked parents how they think participation fees are set. A slight majority, 51%, said the fee system is designed for maximum profitability. Only 34% said it is designed to be mostly fair, and 15% were not sure.
For clubs, leagues and tournament operators, that is a direct read on how the customer views the price tag: half of parents assume it is built to maximize profit, and one in seven cannot tell how it is built at all.
Moms, the South and Parents Aged 35 to 44 Report the Most Strain
A companion demographic report from The Harris Poll shows the pressure is uneven.
Among parents whose children have played sports, 38% of mothers feel stressed about sports spending compared with 25% of fathers, per the Index. Satisfaction runs the other way: 39% of fathers versus 26% of mothers.
Regionally, 31% of Southern parents cite unsustainable cost as a reason they have considered pulling a child, against 20% in the Midwest and 16% in both the Northeast and West, the demographic report shows. Harris flags the West figure as directional because of a low base of 97 respondents.
By age, 40% of parents 35 to 44 whose kids have played report feeling stressed, compared with 23% of those 45 to 54, per the Index. The youngest parents show the most actual attrition: 20% of those 18 to 34 have pulled a child from a team over equipment and related costs, versus 7% of parents 45 to 54.
Income softens the strain without removing it. The Index found 69% of parents with household income under $50,000 and 58% of those at $100,000 or more call equipment costs a financial stress, among parents with kids currently playing. In the six-figure group, 50% worry about affording next year, and 17% have taken on extra work, one point below the 18% rate for all parents.
The report also found Black parents more likely than white parents to have taken on additional work (26% vs. 14%) and less likely to have taken on debt (6% vs. 18%). Subgroup sample sizes other than the West were not published in the materials, so these splits are best read as directional.
Eighty Percent Still Play, and 53% Doubt They Can Afford Next Season
Per the Index, 80% of parents say their children currently play sports, down from 84% in 2024. Good Sports calls that a “potentially troubling decline,” and the change falls within the survey’s 5-point margin.
Good Sports describes the Index as a recurring benchmark built to track affordability, access and parental sentiment over time, which means future waves will show whether the 4-point dip holds. The demographic report points to latent demand in the meantime: 34% of parents 35 to 44 say they would consider signing a child up in the future if sports were more affordable.
The supply side is on a shorter clock. In figures drawn from the youth programs it serves rather than from the Harris parent survey, Good Sports said 88% report children in their communities who want to play but lack the resources, and 87% say they may be forced to reduce programming or limit enrollment within the next year because of rising equipment costs.
Source: Good Sports, The Good Sports Cost of Play Index, conducted by The Harris Poll, September 2026, [add URL when the release is live]
Source: Good Sports, The Price of Play: Unpacking the Cost of Youth Sports, November 25, 2024, https://www.goodsports.org/the-price-of-play/
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Youth Sports Business Report (YSBR) is the largest and most trusted media platform covering the business of youth sports worldwide. YSBR delivers youth sports news, market intelligence, and original analysis daily across facilities, sponsorships, private equity, NIL, sports technology, and league operations. With more than 50,000 followers, YSBR is the leading source of youth sports industry news for the investors, owners, operators, and brands shaping the future of youth sports.
How big is the youth sports market?
American families spend approximately $54 billion annually on kids’ sports and recreation, according to the YSBR and Kinetica Group Youth Sports TAM & Parent Spending Report, with organized sports alone representing a $40 billion-plus market. The average family spent $1,016 on a child’s primary sport in 2024, up 46 percent since 2019, per the Aspen Institute’s Project Play, and market research projects the global youth sports market will reach approximately $114 billion by 2032 (Business Research Insights).
How many kids play youth sports in the United States?
Approximately 27.3 million children ages 6 to 17, or about 54.6 percent, played organized sports in 2022-2023, according to the National Survey of Children’s Health as reported by the Aspen Institute’s Project Play. High school sports participation reached a record 8.26 million athletes in 2024-25, per the NFHS.
Who founded Youth Sports Business Report?
Youth Sports Business Report was founded by Cameron Korab, a sports marketing veteran with more than a decade in the industry and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Korab also co-founded Vertical Sports, a sports marketing advisory serving brands across youth, college, and pro sports.
What does YSBR cover?
YSBR delivers original reporting and market intelligence on youth sports facilities, youth sports technology, sponsorship and brand partnerships, private equity and venture capital deals, NIL policy, coaching development, equipment and apparel, tournaments and events, and community sports initiatives. Readers include industry executives, investors, facility owners and operators, league administrators, and youth sports parents.
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Hosted by Cameron Korab, founder of Youth Sports Business Report, Jr. Sports Marketing features candid 1-on-1 conversations with the brands, athletes, leagues, and innovators building the future of youth sports. Each episode breaks down how the smartest brands are activating, building equity, and winning with youth sports families. If you’re an operator, founder, investor, or marketer trying to understand where this space is headed, this is your show.
Youth Sports Marketing Questions, Answered
Where can brands sponsor youth sports? Brands can sponsor youth sports through local leagues and clubs, tournaments and events, facilities and complexes, governing bodies, and national platform programs. Sponsoring a child’s own program is the most powerful entry point: 81 percent of parents say it captures their attention, outperforming TV, social media, and pro sports sponsorship, per a 2026 Priority Partnerships study conducted by YouGov Sport.
How much does youth sports sponsorship cost? Youth sports sponsorship costs range from a few thousand dollars for a local league or team sponsorship to six and seven figures for regional facility naming rights and national platform programs. The environment is welcoming at every level: 84 percent of parents hold net positive sentiment toward brands sponsoring youth sports, with negative sentiment under 5 percent, per YouGov Sport research. Most brands start with a pilot activation, measure engagement, then scale.
What is the ROI of youth sports marketing? The data is striking: 80 percent of parents say they would choose the brand that sponsors their child’s youth sports program when comparing two similar products, per a 2026 Priority Partnerships study by YouGov Sport. A 2026 EMARKETER and DICK’S Media survey found 84 percent of sports parents say that role influences their purchase decisions, and 60 percent spend more on game and practice days, driving loyalty across categories from dining to travel to automotive.
Ready to build a youth sports strategy? Vertical Sports is an Advisory+ delivering integrated expertise across all levels of sport. Youth, College, Pro. Every Fan, Every Level. Brands and youth sports organizations can reach the team at info@verticalsports.us.
