Steady decline in youth hockey participation in Canada raises concerns about the future of sport

[Reverend Mayhem]

Its already a bourgeoisie sport dude

And so by logical deduction, the future as well.

 

[joelef]

Cost is a huge part but it's not the only part.

Hockey didn't compete with basketball pre Michael Jordan. Most small towns didn't have basketball courts. It wasn't televised (maybe in Toronto it was). In 1980, the ability to follow the NBA was extraordinarily limited.

Now, basketball is all over TV, streaming, and social media. Every school has both indoor and outdoor basketball hoops. Basketball has huge stars and significant overlap with media and music.

It's never been easier to play and watch basketball in Canada.

Even socccer is like this now to a certain extent.

 

[Tom Hanks]

Canada’s median household income after tax is $61,358.

Housing & food ….. ……

 

[wetcoast]

I very much doubt this is why.

Youth participation comes down to what the parents want , not what kids think is cooler.


Costs of living are astronomical nowadays and even “upper middle class” people can barely afford basics, not to mention the insane time and effort investment it takes to take your kids from early age all the way to high level junior hockey

What you say is true but there is also a bit of a false narrative going on here.

Firstly there is a media narrative, driven for political reasons that everything is horrible because bad news sells more than good news.

I work in a very good blue collar job and the guys at work all fall for this narrative and think they are doing poorly when in reality they are doing very well.

There is concern though about the growing gap between the middle class and working class but frankly the working class kids have been squeezed out for competitive hockey for quite a while.

Now don't get me wrong the problem for the lower and working class groups is more dire but they weren't the hockey crowd in the first place.

Meanwhile the top end of youth hockey is churning out extremely talented players so the NHL is probably in a better place talent wise than it ever has been in.

 

[Sasha Orlov]

If Canada didn’t have one of the worst economies of any developed country this would be a non-issue

Families can’t afford to pay $10k a year to put their kids in hockey anymore

 

[abax44]

Where's the Swiss guy to tell us how all Canadians are rich and should have no issue affording hockey?

 

[La Bamba]

Hockey is a rich kid sport with lots of politics involved in order to get your kid ice time and on certain teams

There is probably so much untapped talent out there due to the sport being inaccessible

 

[Golden_Jet]

If Canada didn’t have one of the worst economies of any developed country this would be a non-issue

Families can’t afford to pay $10k a year to put their kids in hockey anymore

If your kids playing non competitive/ house league with his buddies.
It’s not 10k.

 

[Sasha Orlov]

If your kids playing non competitive/ house league with his buddies.
It’s not 10k.

Competitive hockey is more relevant for the “future of the sport” but yes. Even house league is $$$ when you have kids who need new equipment every year.

 

[BB79]

As a dad of a young son and young daughter I can tell you it’s not just hockey that has a problem. The professionalization of all youth sports and activities is out of control.

It breaks two directions but if you kid is somewhat talented you are kind of f***ed if they want to go “competitive”. They don’t even have to be talented in some activities for the cash grab.

My buddies daughter was good at fastball and got “monotracked” 10-12 thousand a year later (before parents travel) and 11 month a year commitment from when she was 13 on. My daughter is decent at Gymanastics but started late…..even then the grind is still on as she has gone up a few levels and now its 3 days a week x 4.5 hours per practice session and $5000 before travel. Don’t get me started on the for profit world of “Dance or Cheer”

Hockey you can put your kid in “house” and it’s generally about $1500 max plus equipment, one practice and one game per week.

There is no cheap sport if you are talented because they have found a way turn them all into for profit businesses. AAA hockey if you want to go full bells and whistles can get really pricy but so can any sport if your kid is good enough.

It’s all a problem but there are usually cheaper options if kids want to play for fun only.

This is the most on-point reply in the entire chain. It's the same here in the states. Even the football fields these kids play on are lightyears ahead of the crabgrass covered fields we played on 30 years ago. High school sports have become mini-college sports, complete with psycho parents

 

[britdevil]

Its already a bourgeoisie sport dude

 

[alko]

How was is back in 70s, 80s.. in Canada or USA?

Who from actual Canadian or USA stars came from families, they count every cent?

 

[Golden_Jet]

Kids would rather play video games than ball hockey now, is one issue.

 

[JianYang]

Kids would rather play video games than ball hockey now, is one

Yes, the screen time is out of control. I remember it being an issue back when I was growing up in the form of television and video games.

But it's amped up exponentially with smartphones and tablets (social media) IMO.

 

[DoubleGold]

It's over.

 

[Fatass]

If Canada didn’t have one of the worst economies of any developed country this would be a non-issue

Families can’t afford to pay $10k a year to put their kids in hockey anymore

Maybe hockey shouldn’t cost so much?

 

[dalewood12]

I suspect we will continue to see an "elite" industry of camps and academies for those who can pay for it, while less-competitive and house league ice hockey enrolment declines.

In my pocket of the Toronto suburbs, street hockey still seems strong, and I've seen non-white kids play it in the neighbourhood.

I laughed when I heard the cost of my 7 year old nephew's martial arts classes. A year of classes is less than most kids' annual hockey gear.

 

[Sasha Orlov]

Maybe hockey shouldn’t cost so much?

Maybe everything shouldn’t cost so much

 

[ITM]

Take a breath man. I like hockey too but I am pretty sure the world and Canada will continue.

So do cockroaches, but the finer point is, there are culturally distinct elements that are commonly cherished (or were) by Canadians about being Canadian. Winter, like hockey is a reflection of common cultural ties and shared values and experiences.

It would leave me breathless if at the end of my life what made Canada had been neglected to the point of extinction.

Anyone of a certain vintage that remembers life in areas where Mom & Pop stores were the norm know exactly what I mean; The hard truth of distilling profits and erasing points of common living history in the name of profits is that it isn't conducive to maintaining what once defined Canadian life. All that's required is a constant supply of consumers of goods and "services' at a level that's scalable.

Hopefully there's a respite coming. Without it, change for change's sake will continue to happen, and eventually "we" won't know what "we" lost anyway.

So you're right "Canada" will continue.

 

[57special]

Hockey is too expensive, but it can’t be just the cost.
How many kids play pond hockey these days? All one needs is a stick and skates.
I bet the numbers are a mere fraction compared to my youth. Too many other things for kids to do nowadays.

You can say the same about playing outside in general. Kids would rather be playing video games or chatting with each other inside. This is not just a hockey, or even a sports problem.

 

[Favster]

This is 100% because of cost. I personally know a guy who sold his boat to put his son through AAA hockey. It's just ridiculous.

 

[Golden_Jet]

This is 100% because of cost. I personally know a guy who sold his boat to put his son through AAA hockey. It's just ridiculous.

What percentage of kids are in AAA.

 

[Favster]

What percentage of kids are in AAA.

It doesn't matter. Do you think someone like Lemieux's family, who lived in an appartment in Ville Emard (small suburb of Montreal) would be able to pay for AAA hockey in today's world? Not a chance in hell.

My point is elite talent should resurface regardless what the family income is.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

It doesn't matter. Do you think someone like Lemieux's family, who lived in an appartment in Ville Emard (small suburb of Montreal) would be able to pay for AAA hockey in today's world? Not a chance in hell.

My point is elite talent should resurface regardless what the family income is.

Nobody who lives in the city of Montreal plays hockey seriously look at the amount of players coming from inside the city ,I'm not sure there is a single one right now in the entire game ,

I know that Ribeiro was , aside from that? All from montreal suburbs and burroughs lol nice families with a fully paid house and cars.


Ain't no kids who grow up close to downtown/the center of the island or in an apartment turning pro And this isn't only a Montreal thing either

Meanwhile every other Major league sports has kids that come from all sorts of backrounds.

Hell soccer and basketball and football have kids who literally come from nothing and make it pro.

Here in Canada a feel good hockey story is Arber Jackeye because he has a job at Costco at 18 years old , must have been really hard on the kid what an amazing story!

 

[McShogun99]

This is 100% because of cost. I personally know a guy who sold his boat to put his son through AAA hockey. It's just ridiculous.

The dad was probably looking at is an investment if his kid makes the NHL.