The Cost of the Dream

Youth Baseball and the Pay-to-Play Paradox

There was a time when youth baseball was about joy. About neighborhood rivalries, matched uniforms, and the dust of a sandlot diamond.

Back in my day, you just showed up with a glove.
The bats and balls were in an old Army duffle bag the coach brought with him, green canvas, fraying at the seams, heavy as hell. It smelled like leather, dirt, and the ghost…