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Inflation puts tighter squeeze on already pricey kids sports

Liam Kennedy holds his baseball glove as poses for a photo Friday, Oct. 28, 2022, in Monroe, Ohio. It only took a few seconds for Rachel Kennedy to grab her phone after she left the checkout line at the sporting-goods store, where she had just finished buying a new glove, pants, belt, cleats and the rest of the equipment for Liam's upcoming baseball season. “I texted his dad and asked him, ‘Did we really spend $350 on all this last year?’" Kennedy said. (AP Photo/Aaron Doster) Rachel Kennedy and son Liam sit at their kitchen table as she is interviewed Friday, Oct. 28, 2022, in Monroe, Ohio. In youth sports, everyone from football coaches to swim-meet coordinators is struggling to to find less-expensive ways of keeping families coming through the doors. Costs of uniforms and equipment, along with facility rental, are shooting up. (AP Photo/Aaron Doster) Rachel Kennedy goes through photos in her kitchen of her son, Liam, playing baseball over the years, Friday, Oct. 28, 2022, in Monroe, Ohio. Sticker shock in youth sports is nothing new, but the onslaught of double-digit inflation across America this year has added a costly wrinkle on the path to the ballparks, swimming pools and dance studios across America. It has forced some families, like Kennedy's, to scale back the number of seasons, or leagues, or sports that their kids can play in any given year, while motivating league organizers to become more creative in devising ways to keep prices down and participation up. (AP Photo/Aaron Doster) Liam Kennedy, left, and his mother, Rachel, go through an equipment bag while being interviewed Friday, Oct. 28, 2022, in Monroe, Ohio. (AP Photo/Aaron Doster) Rachel Kennedy goes through photos in her kitchen of her son, Liam, playing baseball over the years, Friday, Oct. 28, 2022, in Monroe, Ohio. Kennedy opted Liam out of summer and fall ball, not so much because of the fees to join the leagues but because “those don't include all the equipment you need.” (AP Photo/Aaron Doster) Liam, left, and his mother, Rachel Kennedy, pose for a photo as they stand in their front yard Friday, Oct. 28, 2022, in Monroe, Ohio. Sticker shock in youth sports is nothing new, but the onslaught of double-digit inflation across America this year has added a costly wrinkle on the path to the ballparks, swimming pools and dance studios across America. It has forced some families, like Kennedy's, to scale back the number of seasons, or leagues, or sports that their kids can play in any given year. (AP Photo/Aaron Doster) A photo of Liam Kennedy is seen on the family's refrigerator Friday, Oct. 28, 2022, in Monroe, Ohio. (AP Photo/Aaron Doster) Rachel Kennedy carries her son Liam's baseball equipment bag as she arrives home with her son Friday, Oct. 28, 2022, in Monroe, Ohio. Kennedy said she has long been fortunate to have a supportive family — including grandparents who chip in to defray some costs of Liam's baseball. But some things had to go. (AP Photo/Aaron Doster) Liam Kennedy walks through his garage to put away his baseball equipment bag Friday, Oct. 28, 2022, in Monroe, Ohio. Everyone from football coaches to swim-meet coordinators is struggling to to find less-expensive ways of keeping families coming through the doors. Costs of uniforms and equipment, along with facility rental, are shooting up. (AP Photo/Aaron Doster) Liam Kennedy tosses a baseball he stands in his family's front yard Friday, Oct. 28, 2022, in Monroe, Ohio. (AP Photo/Aaron Doster)