Voicebox | Jason Weigandt

I’m just old enough to have watched the transition from youth sports as they used to be to youth sports as they are now. I can use motocross as a guide, but I can also tell you this is just part of a broader trend of every parent in every sport stepping up the spending and the commitment to get their kid to the top. According to projectplay.com, the average U.S. sports family (based on “traditional” sports like baseball, basketball, football, and soccer) spent 46 percent more on their child’s sports in 2024 compared to 2019, which, in case you’re wondering, is double the rate of inflation during that time. It’s clear that travel sports and increased lessons from ex-pros are now the pathways for American kids, and motocross is already there.