By: Noah Gloege

World Editor

The United States needs to lower the costs of sports and increase accessibility for younger athletes before it can become a major country that consistently produces talented athletes and competes with other countries. As one of the largest nations in sports and athletic events, the country’s expectations for any American team are high. However, most of these athletes have arrived from other countries, including Brazil, the Netherlands, and Spain, among many others, before joining the leagues here. For the sake of this article, we will take a closer look at football, also known as soccer. 

If people have followed the US soccer program, they would have seen the massive differences in quality between the US and other countries. The women’s national team has been the best in the sport for 13 years. The questions still linger, however. How is the US men’s national team struggling to compete with other countries, while the women’s team has been ranked number one for many years? The answer lies in the development of athletes during their younger years and upbringing. 

For the US women’s national team, the nation has become one of the most successful teams in the world. A lot of the reason behind the gaps in quality comes from the investment in the sport. The US Men’s teams began receiving more funding in the early 2010s, many decades after the leading nations in the World Cup and other tournaments became a main thing. They have never fully caught up with the rest of the world, and many of the team’s stars grew up playing in Europe. However, the women’s team has secured funding before most of the world, allowing them to support better youth development and the creation of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). 

One thing that has dramatically affected youth development is the cost of athletic clubs and facilities. US families have annually spent between 1,800 and 3,500 dollars on sports costs. In comparison to European countries, the average price per family is about 500 euros. That average difference is in the thousands. Many athletes grew up playing in the streets with a ball and were able to gain access to professional athletic facilities at a much easier level. Some of the best footballers, like Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar Jr., have come from poorer backgrounds; without the help of local academies scouting them and allowing them to play, sports fans would never have seen these world-class athletes on the field. 

Similar ideas apply to other sports, such as basketball, which is generally more expensive in the US than in many other countries due to its highly structured, competitive pay-to-play system. This system is one thing that has held back the United States for decades and has held back thousands of talented athletes from being able to reach their dreams. 

It is very sad to see these highly gifted individuals who simply cannot afford to play at a higher level due to the high fees. Until the US athletic programs address these unreasonable costs by increasing access to community facilities and treating clubs as community institutions, they will never be able to compete with major athletic nations like Brazil, Argentina, Spain, and many others.  

The United States is still one of the largest centers of athletics and holds the most Olympic gold medals in history. And with the World Cup and the Olympics coming to the United States, we have a lot to look forward to in sports. To local athletic and city leaders, the costs of playing sports are way too high; our community needs to lower those costs before thousands of gifted individuals have to quit the game. 

(Sources: AP News, NY Times, USA Today)