How much does that cost?

I've decided to take a step away from professional and college sports this week to take a moment to reflect on the price of equipment.

I work at Athletes' Alley in Shrewsbury. We sell baseball, softball, lacrosse, soccer, basketball, football, wrestling and field hockey equipment. The price of some of the stuff is absolutely absurd. To get a boy suited up for lacrosse would cost about $250 to $350 depending on the equipment. It can go anywhere upwards to $450. A girl is a little less expensive at about $100 to $200, depending on the stick.

Baseball is just crazy. There is a glove, the Primo by Rawlings, that goes for over $400! Who the hell spends $400 on a baseball glove!? A bat, for high school players, costs just about the same as that Italian leather glove. Softball bat prices can be just as expensive and the gloves run about $110.

Then there is a field hockey stick that goes for $250, a basketball that costs $60, and wrestling shoes that cost $90. Although these prices sound cheap compared to the ones above, it is still a lot of money for something the child will either outgrow or play with too much and wear it out.

I wish kids here in the United States could get a glimpse of how kids play sports in other, less fortunate countries. The sight of a baseball or soccer ball brings such joy. Just being able to run around and kick a ball or have toss with a simple glove means the world to them. I would love for kids here to see how much kids elsewhere appreciate the sport for what it is and maybe they wouldn't take there $400 bat, glove, or equipment for granted.