Americans overwhelmingly see major benefits to children playing organized sports, a new poll finds. However, higher-income families are more likely to participate in youth sports due to the significant out-of-pocket expenses involved. About 7 in 10 K-12 parents with a household income of at least $100,000 annually say their children play organized sports, compared to about 4 in 10 parents with a lower household income.

Benefits of Youth Sports

The poll found that learning teamwork and reducing screen time are among the perceived benefits of youth sports. Most parents see major benefits to kids playing youth sports, including learning to deal with adversity, improving physical fitness, making friends, and learning about hard work and commitment. Many parents hope that their children’s participation in youth sports will lead to athletic scholarships or improved college acceptance odds.

Despite the demands and hefty costs, the vast majority of sports parents feel good about their children playing organized sports. About 8 in 10 sports parents say they feel proud and happy about their children’s participation in youth sports.

Challenges in Youth Sports

Scheduling and costs present challenges for some sports parents. About 8 in 10 say that scheduling and logistics, or the time commitment, present a major or minor challenge for their household. Roughly 7 in 10 say the same about team or club fees, the amount of travel involved, and the equipment or uniform costs.

Original reporting: KSAT Sports (San Antonio) — read the source article.