Are youth basketball tournament fees becoming too expensive, or will they keep rising?
Just a year after parents voiced concerns over $45 weekend passes for a travel basketball event in Lexington, Kentucky, ticket prices have climbed even higher across the country.
At the recent New Balance P32 tournament in Dallas, parents paid $40 per day to watch their children compete. With seven tournaments scheduled on the spring circuit, attending all would cost $630 per person.
It’s unclear if every tournament charges the same, but many parents feel overwhelmed by rising prices that seem designed to extract as much money as possible.
One parent shared, “Almost every team played a single Friday game to make families pay $90 for the weekend instead of $80 for two days. The hustle was strong.”
This scheduling often means another night in a hotel, which also comes with inflated costs. The same parent reported, “I went to a tournament in Rockford, Illinois, and paid $200 a night for a third-tier hotel that normally charges $95 to $100. Price gouging at its finest.”
Do these tournaments at least offer good experiences and rewards like rings or medals?
Not always. Another parent said, “We won a Made Hoops Tournament in St. Louis recently. Fees were similar, but the kids didn’t get any ring, medal, shirt, or backpack. Not a damn thing!”
And the costs don’t stop at tickets.
“One tournament in Louisville charged $11 per ticket when paying by card at the door. It wasn’t advertised,” a frustrated parent explained.
Parking fees add even more to the total. “I paid $20 to park at the Adidas circuit in California. It’s an insult on top of everything else,” another parent added.
While it’s unclear if parking fees are charged daily, parents suspect they are being hit with $20 per day.
With costs for tickets, hotels, and parking steadily rising, many families wonder how much longer they can afford to keep up with youth travel basketball.
