Gordon Monson: Done right, youth sports in Utah are worth it. Here’s one team’s way to ease parents’ burden of paying increasing costs.

Youth sports have their place. They have their purpose. They also have their price.

Like a lot of things these days, they are expensive. The cost has long burdened parents trying to give their kids a positive experience in activities that actually involve moving their bodies, focusing their minds and interacting with others, rather than sitting in an isolated room, staring at a screen and pushing buttons on a gamepad.

According to various surveys, parents spend multiple thousands of dollars on their kids’ sports. That certainly happens here in Utah, with that number rising and, in some cases, in some athletic pursuits, it bloats much higher, limiting those who can participate.

One youth football team in Layton — we’ll get into their identity and their details in a minute — has settled on a new hope, a new way, a new solution to lessen the financial burden, a burden that most definitely needs lessening.

Take it from someone who has traveled that road, without finding that new way, that new solution. I traveled quite literally to youth tournaments and games and meets and matches from Florida to Hawaii and many points in between, and repeatedly slapped cash down on the barrel to provide opportunities for growth in athletics for my five daughters, all of whom are adults now. Aside from becoming accomplished athletes, they benefited from the lessons learned, the friendships made, the places seen, the sweat and resources expended, the triumphs and troubles enjoyed and endured.

En route, they needed uniforms, soccer cleats, shinguards, weights, basketballs, soccer balls, volleyballs, footballs, tennis shoes, volleyball shoes, weightlifting shoes, CrossFit shoes, rackets, rides, gloves, assorted practice gear, club memberships, team and league fees, KT tape, bandages, sweatbands, bottles of Gatorade, containers of Icy Hot Pain Relief Cream. I swear I bought a thousand pairs of replacement Nikes, Reeboks, Wilsons, Nobulls, Mizunos, ASICS, Adidases.

On top of that, I handed over enough money to their coaches and trainers to help pay off a couple of mortgages.

Granted, I might have overdone it — just a bit. But only because I was feeding the beast, giving the girls only what they needed and wanted in order to soothe their competitive thirst, not my own. I would have been happy had they goofed around, playing just for kicks — to get a little exercise and make a few good friends.

They did that and more. Whether your child is a supreme athlete competing at a top level or an eager or even reluctant participant in a rec league, sports done right have a way of cultivating effort and discipline and friendships.

Which is to say, according to what my grown kids have said, adults who have kids of their own now, it was worth what I could scratch together to plow into the endeavors. For some folks with great kids, youngsters who should have every opportunity, that scratching comes harder.

Back to the costs of youth sports. They’re often worth paying, if family funds are available for them. But as the expenses increase, some parents and kids and teams on which they play are looking for the aforementioned new ways to cover the costs.

One such team, the Layton Lancer youth football squad, is endeavoring to reduce the cost of fielding a team, lower the financial outlay for the 22 kids on the team and their parents, by establishing a GoFundMe. The account has been put in place to help the boys pay for uniforms, gear and associated expenses. The parents on the team get it, they understand how sports can help youngsters along.

Jennie Swain, the team mom who got the idea to try to raise funds for the 12-year-old boys in this manner, says: “These kids are in 7th grade, a time that is pivotal in the direction they will go. We wanted to keep them together. We want these kids to know the community cares about them. It’s gotten so expensive, this is just a rec league team. But we see more and more the struggle of families. The cost can eliminate the kids who need it the most. We hope they maintain good friendships and make good choices. This helps.”

Playing youth football helps.

“We don’t know if [the fundraising] will come to anything,” she says. “But we’ll see.”

The team goal is to raise $700.

If anyone wants to pitch in to meet that goal, or exceed it, they can contact the team’s GoFundMe link. Or they can keep their head on a swivel and help, any which way they can, other teams with youngsters equally eager to play — at whatever level is there for them.

This is one way adults should be involved in youth sports, by the way.

These activities are all good as long as they’re kept in proper perspective. If I had five bucks for every time I saw a preteen or teenager improperly pushed — and bullied — by an overly ambitious dad or mom or coach set on their kid or player becoming the next Coco Gauff or Carlos Alcaraz or Scottie Scheffler or Caitlin Clark or Cooper Flagg or Josh Allen or Shohei Ohtani, I’d have enough to pry the Dallas Cowboys away from Jerry Jones.

Youth sports are best used for what they’re for — enriching the lives of those playing them. That’s it, that’s all. Not for winning. Not for boosting the egos of parents living vicariously through their kids. Not for gratification of overbearing coaches.

I passed this sad story along years ago, but I learned from it, so I’ll tell it again now.

When my oldest daughter, Lauren, started in at a young age on junior tennis tournaments, having played the game recreationally for a time and having had a ton of fun, I paid a wise coach, Clark, to guide and mentor her efforts. On one early occasion, I, alongside Clark, watched her play what turned into a tight match.

As the contest proceeded, it became obvious that Lauren was struggling against what I deemed in my mind a less-than-formidable opponent. Lauren hit a routine ball two feet past the baseline, then three feet. She hit another ball four feet wide. So it went. I huffed around for a while and then finally said to Clark, “What’s going on here? Why is she playing like this?”

Clark grinned and nodded and said, “You should see her in practice. She’s hitting into the fence. But I’m really proud of her. I recently changed her grip, a whole new thing. She could’ve switched back to her old grip and taken care of her business in this match, but instead she’s staying with the new grip, doing what I told her, trying to get accustomed to it.”

A few more misses occurred.

“But Clark,” I said, “this is hard to watch.”

That’s when the sage coach stared straight into my soul, and when I stared back at him I wasn’t sure if I saw disgust or pity, and he taught me a lesson I never forgot. He said: “It’s a lot harder watching it with you.”

Boom.

I kept my big mouth shut — and my attitude and outlook changed — forevermore.

So let’s shut up and just put up, helping more kids get involved in youth sports for all the right reasons.

Done right, it’s a good investment for a promising future, better than easing back and having kids sit alone, staring at that screen and punching that gamepad.