Remember When Kids’ Sports Didn’t Require Financing?

When I was a student at Poudre High School in Fort Collins, I was encouraged to be involved in sports. I ran track in middle school, and I remember the day I got my uniform. It wasn't new, and it definitely wasn't fresh.

My coach just unlocked a dusty old equipment closet and picked my size from a box full of used jerseys. That was it. No fanfare, no crisp, fresh material, and definitely no new-uniform smell.

It was maybe $30 for track season. That seems like nothing in this day and age. Fast forward to my 3 kids. One played football, one was on the cheer team, and the last one was in softball and soccer. Grand total= $64,289. Woof.

Let's take a look at the differences between sports in the '90s and 2026.

Sports in the '90s

As I pointed out earlier in the article, sports in the '90s were so much easier. You tried out, practiced before or after school, and you were assigned a uniform. That's it. In my case, both my parents worked full-time jobs, so they weren't often able to attend my track meets, which is fine because I sucked.

Sports in 2026

Boy, oh boy, things have changed in the past few decades. Technology has made things a little easier, I suppose. But the cost might take your breath away. Some sports require a fee to play, and new uniforms are sometimes required yearly.

Also, it seems like parents come to everything, even practices. Again, my parents were gone from 7 to 5, which means we were on our own all season. And yet I survived.

The '90s were a simpler time, I suppose.