Why aren’t there Americans left in Motogp

I've been reading these posts about the current costs of youth sports in the US and all I can think is that something has gone horribly tragically wrong over there. Admitedly, I don't have kids and haven't lived in the US for a long time, but what you guys are writing is shocking.
The apparently extreme monetization of what should be nothing more than a fun hobby for kids is obscene. Youth stick and ball sports being out of reach for the average working family is appalling. And sorry but the parents who do support that system by paying huge sums in the delusional hopes of a financial payoff for their kid one day should be slapped.
Fuckin'ell, in a country where only rich kids can afford to play soccer what chance does motorcycle racing have?

 

In some cases, it’s literally criminal.

 

It's a choice to spend that kind of coin on the delusion that your kid is going to be the one that makes it.

My kids do it all, cross country, track, basketball, cheerleading, boxing, football, soccer...and over 16 yrs I haven't spent anywhere near what some people are spending in a single year.

I can't wrap my head around that kind of coin for kids to have fun and be active. Maybe it'll be different if they really fall in love with one particular sport, and want to get involved with camps and specialized training...but even then, I can't see where I'd need to drop that kind of coin

 

Stick and ball sports can charge through the nose because they are in high demand.

For some it's daycare, for others it exercise (because letting your kids run around the neighborhood is pretty frowned upon nowadays), for many it's a bullet point on a college resume, and for the good few it's a ticket to a better school or maybe even a free one. Very few actually think they are raising the next MLB star, but if your mid tier student can get into a top tier school thanks to the baseball coach you might consider that a total success.

Can you put racing on a college resume? I honestly don't know. I’m trying to figure out how to slip it into a job resume right now.

 

Yall think stick and ball is bad, get your daughters into "competitive" cheer. What in the fucking fuck. These stupid costumes are expensive and you gotta have the bedazzled bags that are $350, then you got warm up uniforms, practice uniforms, travel, always expensive fucking meets that you pay for then turn around and STILL get charged admission to get in the building. I have two daughters and that shit is fucking astronomical. But I do love my girls and will keep paying stupid costs because they love it.

 

My kid did the whole travel lacrosse thing for 6 or 7 years and hells to the yeah it was expensive but it was also a lot of fun for us as a family and she made some lifelong friends doing it.
Did it pay off for her in cash from schools and all that nonsense you hear from parents?
Well, she was recruited by a 7 or 8 D1 teams, got some offers of breaks on tuition and perks that go along with being an athlete at those schools and all that nonsense. She was lucky out of her age group. Some got better offers and perks, some got no offers at all.

Did the cash spent pay off? Well, considering we never looked at sports to pay her way and was something she had fun at while also taking it heart attack serious it did.

There was worse ways to piss away money.

 

Ooh, ooh, me, me!

Like... a MotoGP or WSBK.com subscription?

 

My daughters play competetive club level soccer, at a pretty high level, and the costs are absolutely stupid. We have a budget, and we keep to that budget. We allow them to do it because they enjoy it and its good for them, physically and mentally to be committed to improving themselves and trying to acheive goals. My oldest, now a junior in college - went on to play D1 her freshman and sophmore year in college and opted not to continue this year. She is burnt out and she achieved her goal of playing at the college level. Parents that think they are in some way investing into the future because their kid is the next big thing are delusional.

To be fair, the really stupid costs for it have only really onset hard in the last 10 years or so, and when we moved to a relatively stupid area when it comes to people with money and having money it got ALOT worse. But even the "stupid costs" that exist are minor compared to some "extra" sports/arts/actvities. R-B is right, cheer and dance and gymnastics are some of the more retardedly overpriced things. All in all, its a pitful and sad reality - the consumerism toilet flush of "competetive youth *insert activity here*"

 

Life is hard, man.

https://www.tmz.com/2024/01/26/alyssa-milano-dragged-fundraise-gofundme-son-baseball-trip/

 

I finally stopped coaching youth football a few years ago because the parents are unbearable and so many of the kids hated it - their parents involvement as well as how much time and effort was involved with the competitive club level team. I did everything I could to keep team costs low, but we still had league fees, tournament fees, etc.
Stupid costs, especially considering how many of the kids were only there because dad made them and had zero plans to continue next year in high school.

 

Was he named after a Tesla cause he's really fast and quiet?

 

It looks like these moto3 bikes are under $20k. Why is the junior class in MA not just these?

 

I spent roughly three trillion dollars going road racing with my son. When we swapped to track and field, I spent a further $22.34. I'm convinced that time spent on various tracks, rather than doing stupid kid stuff, resulted in him being the successful person he is today. I don't regret the investment.

 

Do you remember the Moriwaki series?

 

No.

 

Now you've answered your own question.

 

The worlds are weird. Went to a party Friday night and it was balls out fun. No bottle service or any of that shit.
@Mike Fennell
nope, it was a combo Irish/ pa Scranton polish party before the wedding complete with kegs in the corner but with Irish line dancing.

when sam finally gets sick of me and I’m in the divorce thread and dead broke . . . My second wife will be a curly haired redhead who does Irish line dancing and played lacrosse.

I loved that Irish dance!!!!!

 

Lindsay's getting her perm ready.