A friend and father of 3 boys told me years ago, “Kids in sports, stay out of courts!” Which was his way of saying that he felt it was important to keep his boys busy playing sorts, so they would stay out of trouble. I agree, that when kids have too much free time, and not enough focus on after school activities, it can lead to trouble in one way or another. I loved playing sports as a kid, baseball, basketball and track were my favorites! My daughter played softball for 9 years, and also was involved in gymnastics and dance. The only downside for parents is the huge expenses that these things incur! Keeping kids busy playing sports is NOT cheap….and some are far more expensive than others. Most expensive sports are….

Ian Somerville, the owner of Play It Again Sports in Novi, Michigan, told the Huffington Post that  the price of equipping your child in new gear for their sport of choice isn’t getting any cheaper, thanks to rising fuel and manufacturing costs.

“Last spring for example, the cost of cotton and wool doubled from the year before, and this caused prices to increase this spring on everything from baseballs to umpire pants, anything with cotton or wool in their assembly.”

Somerville also told the Huffinton Post that the most expensive sports include hockey, lacrosse and snow sports like skiing and snowboarding.

Here are the general prices you’ll be looking at for brand new equipment for these sports:

HOCKEY

Helmet = $50-$80

Pads from neck to shins = $150-$200

Skates = $60-$100

Stick = $20-$100

Miscellaneous items (hockey bag, stick tape, blade guards, etc.) = $50

Total = $330-$530

LACROSSE

Helmet = $100-$140

Pads from shoulder to waist = $90-$150

Cleats = $25-$50

Stick = $30-$50

Miscellaneous items (bag & mouth guard) = $50

Total = $295-$440

SKIING

Skis = $200

Boots = $100

Poles = $25

Helmet = $50

Goggles = $30

Ski pants = $40

Ski jacket = $60

Ski gloves = $30

Total = $535

When kids don’t stick with the sport they wanted to play, it’s like throwing all that money out the window!

How much did you spend out sports equipment, and then your kid decided to quit playing?