A new AP-Ipsos survey reveals that Americans overwhelmingly recognize the benefits of organized sports for children, yet participation is increasingly divided along income lines — with higher-income families significantly more likely to enroll their kids in athletic programs.

Approximately half of U.S. parents with K-12 school-aged children report that their children play a structured sport. However, participation rates diverge sharply by income: about 7 in 10 K-12 parents with a household income of at least $100,000 annually say their children play organized sports, compared to only about 4 in 10 parents with lower household incomes.

The findings highlight a persistent challenge in youth athletics: while parents nearly universally view sports participation as a vital component of childhood, out-of-pocket expenses can be substantial — and disproportionately burdensome for lower-income families. The trend reflects a decades-long shift in the U.S. youth sports landscape, where the growth of privatized club teams, travel leagues, and specialized training programs has created a fee-based structure that some researchers and advocates describe as a widening access gap, particularly as many school districts have reduced or eliminated free athletic programs amid budget pressures.

"There's travel, the uniforms, pitching in on the lunches," said Tanisha Curry, 51, an Ohio resident who has custody of her granddaughter, a school volleyball player. The costs strain Curry's budget, though her extended family pools resources to keep them manageable.

"Kids don't go out and do things anymore," Curry said. "Getting them away from a screen, at least for an hour — it's worth it."

The Financial Landscape of Youth Sports

About two-thirds of K-12 parents with at least one child playing sports estimate they spend up to $2,000 annually on equipment, fees, training, and travel. Roughly 2 in 10 spend more than $2,000 but less than $5,000, while only about 1 in 10 spend more than $5,000 per year.

Notably, more affluent sports parents — those in households earning at least $100,000 annually — spend approximately the same yearly amount as sports households with lower incomes, which underscores the heavier financial toll on less affluent families. Higher-income households are somewhat more likely to report spending more than $5,000, though that remains atypical even among that group. About 1 in 10 households making at least $100,000 spend over $5,000, compared to nearly no lower-income households.

Kathryn Stuczynski, 37, from New York, said she and her husband carefully budget to afford the activities their 7-year-old and 13-year-old daughters are passionate about, including karate, grappling, and wrestling. The household forgoes purchasing the latest iPhone or a new television to keep expenses manageable.

"Giving my girls life experiences, it's priceless," Stuczynski said. "I'd rather have the old phone, you know? I'm fine with that."

Perceived Benefits Drive Sustained Participation

Despite the demands and costs, K-12 sports parents overwhelmingly say the benefits of youth sports outweigh the drawbacks. Nearly all U.S. adults identify learning to deal with adversity, improving physical fitness, developing teamwork skills, making friends, reducing technology time, and learning about hard work and commitment as either "major" or "minor" benefits of organized sports for children.

About three-quarters of adults who played organized sports as children describe the experience as having had a "mostly positive impact" on their childhood, and roughly 6 in 10 say it positively influenced their adulthood. Those views are consistent with a body of research that has linked youth sports participation to better academic outcomes, higher rates of college enrollment, improved long-term health, and even higher adult earnings — outcomes that underscore what is at stake when lower-income children are priced out.

Jon Fassnacht, a 47-year-old father in Pennsylvania, has watched his 9-year-old daughter develop both physically and mentally through competitive swimming — a sport she took up after initial swim lessons. Over multiple seasons, he has seen her confidence grow as she improves her times.

"It's just so good for her self-esteem to have that goal setting," Fassnacht said. "And then there's the social aspect on top of it. She's kind of shy, so to have these opportunities to meet new people outside of her school is big."

Soccer, basketball, and softball or baseball rank among the most commonly played sports, according to the poll. About three-quarters of K-12 sports parents say their children have played on a recreational sports team, and about two-thirds report their kids have played on a school sports team. Around half say their children have attended specialized youth sports camps or completed independent sports training, while roughly 4 in 10 report participation in travel or club sports teams or private lessons.

Logistical and Financial Challenges

Most K-12 sports parents confront obstacles related to their children's organized sports participation. About 8 in 10 say that scheduling, logistics, or the time commitment present a "major" or "minor" challenge for their household. Roughly 7 in 10 cite the same concerns regarding team or club fees, the amount of travel involved, and equipment or uniform costs.

Still, the vast majority of sports parents express positive sentiments. About 8 in 10 say "proud" describes how they feel either "extremely" or "very" well, and a similar proportion say the same about feeling "happy."

College Scholarships and NIL Considerations

While relatively few K-12 athletes go on to compete at the collegiate level or earn athletic scholarships, the poll indicates that many sports parents have such outcomes on their minds.

About 8 in 10 sports parents say the possibility of improving college acceptance odds is at least a "minor" benefit of organized sports participation. About 6 in 10 say the hope of their child earning an athletic scholarship or improving college acceptance odds plays either "a major role" or "a minor role" in the decision to enroll their children in sports, though only about 3 in 10 say either factor played a "major role."

Less affluent parents are more likely than more affluent parents to say the possibility of improving college acceptance odds, earning an athletic scholarship, or earning NIL money played a "major" role in their decision to enroll their child in sports. More affluent parents are more likely to say these considerations played "no role."

Stuczynski has watched her 13-year-old daughter excel at wrestling and believes she has the potential to earn a college scholarship if she continues, but she and her husband are letting their daughter's passion guide her athletic future.

"We would never force it," Stuczynski said. "We'll go as hard as she wants to go, basically."

Fassnacht, similarly, hopes his daughter continues swimming through high school for the physical and mental benefits, but he is not banking on it becoming a career.

"I'm more focused on the benefits to her," he said. "If she ever stops enjoying it, then we'll move on to something else."

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The poll of 1,737 adults was conducted July 21–26, 2026, using a sample drawn from Ipsos' probability-based KnowledgePanel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. It included interviews with 510 parents of school-aged children who play youth sports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 2.7 percentage points for adults overall and +/- 4.9 percentage points for parents of school-aged children who play youth sports.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com.