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How much is too much to spend on your kids sports?
Posted on 8/7/25 at 4:02 pm
Posted on 8/7/25 at 4:02 pm
Where do you draw the line and say that's enough?
My kid races dirtbikes at a fairly high level. Last week we were at the biggest race in the US and the money being spent to get there is absolutely staggering. I see a lot of post here about travel ball and I know it can get expensive, but it honestly pales in comparison.
On average, I spend around $20k per year on racing and trainers. This doesn't include the cost of the bikes which I try to squeeze 2 years out of them.
I was talking to an acquaintance at this race and he told me he's spending $80-$100k per year on racing and training. I know this is a fairly accurate number when looking at the fact that he's bought 5 bikes this year, the kid lives full time at a training facility that's halfway across the country from home and cost $30k a year just for training.
The kid is good, but he has no shot at making a legitimate living as a professional racer. In fact, at this point I highly doubt he will ever get his pro license.
Yes his family has money and $100k for them may even be easier than $20k for me, I don't know. I just know that it made me question how much is too much. I told my kid years ago that I didn't care how good he got, I would never sacrifice his education to race. It's not worth it, but this race was stacked full of 8-10 year old kids that home school so that they can train all day everyday on the bike.
At least with travel ball they aren't pulling kids out of school, but I know many of them are spending close to what I do every year.
My kid races dirtbikes at a fairly high level. Last week we were at the biggest race in the US and the money being spent to get there is absolutely staggering. I see a lot of post here about travel ball and I know it can get expensive, but it honestly pales in comparison.
On average, I spend around $20k per year on racing and trainers. This doesn't include the cost of the bikes which I try to squeeze 2 years out of them.
I was talking to an acquaintance at this race and he told me he's spending $80-$100k per year on racing and training. I know this is a fairly accurate number when looking at the fact that he's bought 5 bikes this year, the kid lives full time at a training facility that's halfway across the country from home and cost $30k a year just for training.
The kid is good, but he has no shot at making a legitimate living as a professional racer. In fact, at this point I highly doubt he will ever get his pro license.
Yes his family has money and $100k for them may even be easier than $20k for me, I don't know. I just know that it made me question how much is too much. I told my kid years ago that I didn't care how good he got, I would never sacrifice his education to race. It's not worth it, but this race was stacked full of 8-10 year old kids that home school so that they can train all day everyday on the bike.
At least with travel ball they aren't pulling kids out of school, but I know many of them are spending close to what I do every year.
55
Posted on 8/7/25 at 4:04 pm to pickle311
quote:
Where do you draw the line and say that's enough?
quote:
I spend around $20k per year on racing and trainers
About $17-18k ago...
Posted on 8/7/25 at 4:05 pm to pickle311
quote:
On average, I spend around $20k per year on racing and trainers. This doesn't include the cost of the bikes which I try to squeeze 2 years out of them. I was talking to an acquaintance at this race and he told me he's spending $80-$100k per year on racing and training.
Let’s be completely honest, this isn’t even for the kid anymore.
Posted on 8/7/25 at 4:11 pm to CollegeFBRules
quote:
Let’s be completely honest, this isn’t even for the kid anymore.
It is, the ball is in his court. He works his arse off at this. He can tell me at any time that he doesn't want to compete at this level anymore and we can pull back, we have done it before. In fact, he hasn't raced at all this year due to tearing his ACL and I've been perfectly fine with it. Now he's released to get back on the bike and more motivated than ever. I simply told him that I will match his effort. It's his last year to do this before he goes off to college and he has goals he wants to achieve.
Posted on 8/7/25 at 4:11 pm to pickle311
quote:
he's spending $80-$100k per year
Sounds like he's spending $80k per year trying to one-up all the other parents.
Posted on 8/7/25 at 4:16 pm to pickle311
I am 100% serious when I say it depends on how talented they are. It’s that simple. If someone tells me this kid is just not normal, I’ll eat cereal to give my kid the best chance they have if they love it.
Posted on 8/7/25 at 4:18 pm to pickle311
Time to teach the young fella the value of a dollar if he has no chance.
Posted on 8/7/25 at 4:19 pm to pickle311
$10k or so
Volleyball and track
Volleyball and track
Posted on 8/7/25 at 4:30 pm to pickle311
(no message)
This post was edited on 9/11/25 at 8:37 pm
Posted on 8/7/25 at 4:34 pm to pickle311
How much money is there in dirt bike riding at the pro level? I remember Travis Pastrana and Ricky Carmichael but that’s been years ago.
Posted on 8/7/25 at 4:41 pm to pickle311
You left off the medical costs for injuries. How much goes there?
The only serious dirt bikers I know have had more broken bones, concussions and missing spleens than crash test dummies.
The only serious dirt bikers I know have had more broken bones, concussions and missing spleens than crash test dummies.
Posted on 8/7/25 at 4:43 pm to pickle311
I think if the sport is fundamental to the kids happiness, if they are driven to the point that every second not spent doing the hobby is preparing for the next time to do it, and if trainers/coaches point out that the kid is talented beyond normal students...the dollar limit would be whatever money we have as a family. Parents and kids that truly bond over a sport/hobby to a semi-pro or pro level have a connection on a different level than the average family. I've seen it be the best thing ever, and I've seen that relationship crater to nothing from burnout. But both times the parents sacrificed money/time and effort beyond anything close to what my parents were willing to put in. And I don't say that to discredit my parents, I say it to emphasize my earlier point that there really might not be a limit if you have the means and the heart for it. I can easily name 5 people I competed with in college who's families have absolutely spent over $1,000,000 on their (now adult) child's water skiing career. A new 100k boat every 3 years. A new $2k ski at least once a year + the hundreds of must have accesories, private coaching on manmade lakes for a month or 2 at a time. Most of them built houses on private lakes to be able to ski 2x a day 6 days a week. Yeah, a million is honestly conservative.
Posted on 8/7/25 at 5:07 pm to pickle311
I was at Loretta's last week with my grandson. I know he has the speed and heart to run with the Supermini 1 12-15.
My problem is I can't afford to get him to the areas and regionals, much less a week at the ranch.
Did you watch Enzo show out?
My problem is I can't afford to get him to the areas and regionals, much less a week at the ranch.
Did you watch Enzo show out?
Posted on 8/7/25 at 5:07 pm to pickle311
I probably spent around 3k per year between 14-18 for my oldest, half that 11-13..most of that cost was hotels...it paid off, got two years of college free...2nd son did lacrosse- way more and a freaking scam, team cost 1,600 and they had 4 tournament s a year, of those 2-3 you had to fly...team hotels were always super nice, so if you didn't stay with team your kid thought you were a poor...didn't really figure it out until he was a junior in HS and realized lax college teams have 50+ kids for around 11 scholarships and the lower level schools that offered money were private 60k a year offering 20k, just to get kids that wanted to say they play college
Posted on 8/7/25 at 5:28 pm to pickle311
It just depends on how deep your pockets are, and what you're willing to spend. I've been to Loretta's a few times because one of my best friends grew up racing, and he and his son traveled across the country during the summers racing. He's a multi-millionaire that he earned it on his own and could afford to spend $100,000 or more a year. I would go and meet them at Loretta's every year.
I told him if I was spending that amount, I would probably move towards late model racing where there is a possible career out of it. They stopped racing about ten years ago when his son got into high school.
I told him if I was spending that amount, I would probably move towards late model racing where there is a possible career out of it. They stopped racing about ten years ago when his son got into high school.
Posted on 8/7/25 at 5:32 pm to pickle311
Training, travel, and camps were spendy AF…but he was only son and the time together was amazing. Would trade it for anything. He was remarkably good, so that drove it all.
Posted on 8/7/25 at 5:33 pm to Gaston
quote:
Would trade it for anything
Damn
quote:
He was remarkably good, so that drove it all.
This place is gonna be wild if your son ever wins/loses a game for UF against LSU
Posted on 8/7/25 at 5:33 pm to pickle311
quote:
I was talking to an acquaintance at this race and he told me he's spending $80-$100k per year on racing and training.
My daughter is a junior in HS.
I made her pay $100 of her new $399 Softball Bat.
We are not in the same class.
Posted on 8/7/25 at 5:40 pm to pickle311
quote:
he has no shot at making a legitimate living as a professional racer.
This should be shouted from the rooftops. Because of the time spent and the money invested, neither will be there to help your son become a normal and productive adult.
When I see the time spent on children learning to sing or dance much less semi-control motorized vehicles, I wonder if their education is low priority. Will they even be able to read books, to read and write cursive, to comprehend history (other than the history of their sport), to understand the chemicals that fuel their hobby and can destroy their engines, to comprehend the mathematics that engineers must have to be able to design things (like the things he is currently riding ). Will he ever be able to control his fate or will he be satisfied to be a follower working a less productive job so he can afford to repair his weekend obsession.
Posted on 8/7/25 at 5:45 pm to Sun God
Yea, not going to be pretty. I deserve it either way.
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