It feels like if you don’t have money, you will fall behind. I coach in a very affluent neighborhood. I have a modest apartment, a very blue collar job, and drive a 20 year old car. I have a semi decent amount of money saved up due to living a frugal life, so I prioritize buying my son higher quality gear without thinking much of it, but we’re not going on any luxury vacations or getting one on one training.

All the kids in the league he plays in get dropped off in luxury SUVs, live in multimillion dollar homes, and routinely go on vacations to beautiful parts of the world. They join tournament teams that play indoors when the weather’s unplayable, which is like October through March, and they also have occasional tournaments in Arizona during the cold months. These teams cost upwards of $10k a year, before travel expenses.

It’s impressive seeing how talented some of the kids have become, but also a lot of these kids have batting cages in their backyards, have former minor leaguers as hitting/pitching coaches, and play in tournaments all year round. And they’re 10.

In the nba and nfl we hear stories of players going from rags to riches that make it a lot more admirable knowing the background of where many of these players come from. But I feel like the stories of American mlb players are all just players who come from families of parents with fill in the blank high earning careers. Obviously the talent to make it to the highest level is worth acknowledging regardless of one’s upbringing, but I do feel like children who come from less wealthy families are put at a huge disadvantage that’s seldom discussed.

It’s a shame because sports can be a great pathway to make it to college for families who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford tuition, but with the increasing cost of youth sports, the kids that are most likely going to be able to become talented enough to earn athletic scholarships are kids who come from families that could pay to have their child attend anyways.