By NOELLE PHILLIPS
Staff Writer
This year, Gary Fulmer predicts he’ll spend about $1,500 on athletics for his sons.
Brett, 12, plays on two baseball teams. Kevin, 9, plays baseball and soccer.
By the time the Fulmers buy uniforms, cleats, bats and other assorted gear, they’re well on their way to spending a large chunk of change. Then, there is the travel to tournaments with hotel stays, restaurant tabs and various other expenses.
“It is not a small amount,” said Fulmer, who also works as athletics coordinator for the Richland 2 school district.
Each year, Americans spend about $79 billion on sports equipment, said Mike May, spokesman for the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association. And as the weather warms and the days get longer, people head outside. That also means they visit local sporting goods stores to outfit themselves.
The association doesn’t have an estimate on what the average family might spend, but May said it can range from less than a hundred dollars to thousands.
For the child who wants to play YMCA basketball, the expense might be nothing more than a league entry fee.
For the child whose goal is the NBA, the tab can reach four digits by the time parents pay for traveling teams, specialized camps or private lessons.
For the Fulmer household, the thrill is baseball.
“I’ve always been involved in sports,” Fulmer said. “My philosophy is, if they’re involved in athletics, then you know where they are.”
That’s why Fulmer doesn’t mind paying for $200 ball bats, $40 customized bat bags and $15 fitted caps.
He even spent $700 to build a batting cage in the back yard.
“You can go to a lot of neighborhoods and see them in back yards. You don’t have to worry about breaking out windows.”
Recreational sports enthusiasm has been growing for years, and so has the amount of money spent on playing.
Gene Moore, co-owner of Todd and Moore sporting goods store, said the store once sold wooden baseball bats for $3.50. In its 60 years of operation, bat prices have topped $300.
“If you’re a good hitter and you have a high-priced bat, it will help you,” Moore said. “If you’re a bad hitter, it doesn’t matter how much the bat costs.”
Moore said the sports equipment industry has grown for several reasons:
• Technology has improved equipment quality. Tennis racquets, football pads and other gear just cost more to make.
“I think the price of equipment has gone up drastically,” he said.
• Girls’ sports participation has grown dramatically in the past 10 years.
“The girls market has doubled and tripled in the past five to 10 years,” Moore said. “It is an area that is still growing.”
• High schools encourage students to participate in organized sports because it looks good on college applications.
• There has been growth in the number of traveling teams and in year-round play so children can specialize in one sport.
“Sports used to have a set season,” Moore said. “Now, people travel to baseball tournaments and basketball tournaments year-round.”
Tracey Saxby, a mother of three soccer-playing daughters, said the cost to play goes up as the players get older.
She spends far more on her children than her parents spent for her ice skating as a child in Maryland.
“It is crazy,” Saxby said. “It’s a big chunk. But there’s always something more expensive.”
Jon Poston coaches the Sidewinders for Trenholm Little League and S.C. Hurricanes, an AAU traveling team. His 12-year-old son, also named Jon, plays on both.
The traveling team uniforms cost more than $100 because the team wears different jerseys and pants during a weekend tournament. Then, there are caps, socks and cleats.
“When I was a kid, we all shared a bat, and it was nailed together,” Poston said. “Now, everybody has bat bags with logos and numbers on them.”
Reach Phillips at (803) 771-8307 or nophillips@thestate.com
Staff Writer
This year, Gary Fulmer predicts he’ll spend about $1,500 on athletics for his sons.
Brett, 12, plays on two baseball teams. Kevin, 9, plays baseball and soccer.
By the time the Fulmers buy uniforms, cleats, bats and other assorted gear, they’re well on their way to spending a large chunk of change. Then, there is the travel to tournaments with hotel stays, restaurant tabs and various other expenses.
“It is not a small amount,” said Fulmer, who also works as athletics coordinator for the Richland 2 school district.
Each year, Americans spend about $79 billion on sports equipment, said Mike May, spokesman for the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association. And as the weather warms and the days get longer, people head outside. That also means they visit local sporting goods stores to outfit themselves.
The association doesn’t have an estimate on what the average family might spend, but May said it can range from less than a hundred dollars to thousands.
For the child who wants to play YMCA basketball, the expense might be nothing more than a league entry fee.
For the child whose goal is the NBA, the tab can reach four digits by the time parents pay for traveling teams, specialized camps or private lessons.
For the Fulmer household, the thrill is baseball.
“I’ve always been involved in sports,” Fulmer said. “My philosophy is, if they’re involved in athletics, then you know where they are.”
That’s why Fulmer doesn’t mind paying for $200 ball bats, $40 customized bat bags and $15 fitted caps.
He even spent $700 to build a batting cage in the back yard.
“You can go to a lot of neighborhoods and see them in back yards. You don’t have to worry about breaking out windows.”
Recreational sports enthusiasm has been growing for years, and so has the amount of money spent on playing.
Gene Moore, co-owner of Todd and Moore sporting goods store, said the store once sold wooden baseball bats for $3.50. In its 60 years of operation, bat prices have topped $300.
“If you’re a good hitter and you have a high-priced bat, it will help you,” Moore said. “If you’re a bad hitter, it doesn’t matter how much the bat costs.”
Moore said the sports equipment industry has grown for several reasons:
• Technology has improved equipment quality. Tennis racquets, football pads and other gear just cost more to make.
“I think the price of equipment has gone up drastically,” he said.
• Girls’ sports participation has grown dramatically in the past 10 years.
“The girls market has doubled and tripled in the past five to 10 years,” Moore said. “It is an area that is still growing.”
• High schools encourage students to participate in organized sports because it looks good on college applications.
• There has been growth in the number of traveling teams and in year-round play so children can specialize in one sport.
“Sports used to have a set season,” Moore said. “Now, people travel to baseball tournaments and basketball tournaments year-round.”
Tracey Saxby, a mother of three soccer-playing daughters, said the cost to play goes up as the players get older.
She spends far more on her children than her parents spent for her ice skating as a child in Maryland.
“It is crazy,” Saxby said. “It’s a big chunk. But there’s always something more expensive.”
Jon Poston coaches the Sidewinders for Trenholm Little League and S.C. Hurricanes, an AAU traveling team. His 12-year-old son, also named Jon, plays on both.
The traveling team uniforms cost more than $100 because the team wears different jerseys and pants during a weekend tournament. Then, there are caps, socks and cleats.
“When I was a kid, we all shared a bat, and it was nailed together,” Poston said. “Now, everybody has bat bags with logos and numbers on them.”
Reach Phillips at (803) 771-8307 or nophillips@thestate.com