To poor kids, playing sports has always been a diversion, a way of staying out of trouble, a path toward escaping the neighborhood. Growing numbers of rich kids also see sports as their ticket to a better future. Ask any suburban parent and they ll tell you about the challenging pace of having their sons and daughters play sports registering kids for sports programs year-round, driving back and forth to practices, and paying expensive fees for lessons, athletic programs, and sports equipment.
Sports are an accepted part of the parental drill for parents all across the country.
Today we have thousands of organized leagues that start by the time kids can walk and take a whack at a T-ball. Kids today play basketball, baseball, hockey, and soccer, and parents are shelling out big bucks for the privilege. In all, there are about 40 million young people playing organized sports, but not all of these kids are playing just for fun. While many parents want their kids to be well-rounded, just as many parents are pushing their kids through sports programs to satisfy their own egos. Mom and Dad are also hoping that their kid will be recruited by a big name school or eventually get a job in sports any job in sports .