My experience with HeadFirst baseball was great, but it took a lot out of my parents and me. First off, it was about an hour's drive there and back two times a week, mostly right after school. This was, of course, rush hour, so my dad or mom and I would sit in the car for an hour driving there, then I would practice for an hour and a half, and then we’d spend another hour driving home. This was a big commitment for our family, but especially for my parents. They had to be able to have the time to drive me to these far practices, and also be able to buy all the new gear that was required. I loved playing with this team, but I also realized that committing this kind of time and resources wasn’t an option for a lot of families. The culture of baseball, which requires families to spend lots of time and money if they want their kids playing at a high level, has led to the decline in the popularity of youth baseball.

As popularity for the sport of baseball steadily declines, a lot of blame should be put on the MLB. Many American kids, especially those from poor or minority communities, don’t see baseball as a sport they could play and enjoy. Baseball has a certain culture or atmosphere that you can only experience at a ballgame. Even I, who loves baseball with all my heart, sometimes will get very bored watching a baseball game. However, going to the games was something I always loved to do. Over the years, going to a baseball game has become very expensive. In 2021, the average ticket price for a game was $34! How are kids and their families from working-class communities going to be able to afford that, let alone get to the game? Atlanta Braves, the reigning world series champions, are a perfect example. Writing for The Progressive magazine, Dave Zirin states, “Even though Atlanta is 47 percent Black, the team quite consciously moved its stadium to the outskirts of Cobb County in 2017, away from downtown Atlanta, inaccessible by mass transit—sending a message to the city about who exactly this game and this team are for.” You would think that the city would want as many people as possible to go to the games. Atlanta did the opposite, building their stadium where only certain people would or could go. This information is very disappointing, and it becomes obvious that the sport is dominated by white rich people, and the MLB plans to keep it that way.

The culture of youth baseball limits participation. The amount of poor and working-class kids playing baseball is tremendously low. The number of kids playing basketball from working-class families is far greater than the number of kids playing baseball. Zirin, writes, “Baseball--in the US context--has gone country club. Like golf and tennis, or their hemp-addled cousins in the X Games, they are sports that require serious bank for admission. In addition, you need parents with the leisure time to be involved.” In my experience playing youth baseball, my parents spend a lot of time making sure I get to games and practices. Thankfully, they’ve been able to drive long distances to get me to practices. A ton of parents just don’t have that time, and can’t get their kids all the way to a practice 45 or 60 minutes away. Zirin goes on to explain some of the conditions affecting modern American cities. “I live in Washington, DC. I get to travel to places like Milwaukee, Cleveland and Detroit. The story is the same: deindustrialization, shuttered community centers and home foreclosure signs that pepper the streets the way American flags did after 9/11. In Tom Riley's Seattle, a tent city formed in the shadow of Microsoft headquarters. Five schools are closing and a $200 million jail is being built.” In all these big cities, the amount of money spent on positive things in the community is way too low. They are deciding to build jails instead of rebuilding community centers, which would give kids more resources for things like baseball. Giving young kids the opportunity to play baseball, allows them to become resilient and build character. In a world that is so difficult to live in, baseball would be a great gift for many kids.

I am in love with the sport of baseball, and I would say I am pretty good, however, I have no idea where I would be without my parents. They were able to give me an advantage by spending lots of time getting me to practices and games, an advantage that many poor and working-class kids don’t have. The MLB doesn’t help at all. Since tickets are outrageously priced and the games are inaccessible by mass transit, fewer and fewer poor and working-class families are able to attend a ballgame. To once again make baseball a sport enjoyed by all, communities need to build nice public facilities for young kids, instead of individual families having to shoulder the costs. And organizations like the MLB need to make it possible for ordinary people to come out to games and make memories without putting a large dent in their wallets.