@article{448605,
      recid = {448605},
      author = {Hyman, Mark.},
      title = {The most expensive game in town : the rising cost of youth  sports and the toll on today's families /},
      publisher = {Beacon Press,},
      address = {Boston, Mass. :},
      pages = {xv, 160 p. ;},
      year = {2012},
      abstract = {Building on the eye-opening investigation into the  damaging effects of the ultra-competitive culture of youth  sports in the author's previous book Until It Hurts, the  author's new book takes a look at the business of youth  sports, how it has changed, and how it is affecting young  Americans. Examining the youth sports economy from many  sides, the major corporations, small entrepreneurs,  coaches, parents and, of course, kids, he probes the  reasons for rapid changes in what gets bought and sold in  this lucrative marketplace. Just participating in youth  sports can be expensive. Among the costs are league fees,  equipment, and perhaps private lessons with a professional  coach. With nearly 50 million kids playing organized sports  each year, it is easy to see how profitable this market can  be. He takes us to tournaments sponsored by Nike, Gatorade  and other big businesses, he talks to parents who sacrifice  their vacations and savings to get their (sometimes  reluctant) junior stars to these far off, expensive venues  for a chance to shine. He introduces us to videos  purporting to teach six-month-old babies to kick a ball, to  professional athletes who will "coach" an eight year old  for a hefty fee, to a town which has literally staked its  future on preteen sports. Through extensive interviews and  original reporting, this book explains the causes and  effects of the commercialization of youth sports, changes  the author argues are distorting and diminishing family  life. He closes with strong examples of individuals and  communities bucking this destructive trend.},
      url = {http://library.usi.edu/record/448605},
}