When it comes to spending money on youth sports, Canada is number one. Canada’s youth-sports economy, dominated by travel teams and national tournaments, expensive equipment and coaching, sports medicine and new smart-phone apps, has become a juggernaut $8.7 billion industry. 

The industry has exploded as tournament organizers and private schools and property developers have all seized on the dreams of young athletes and the financial wherewithal of their parents. Various sports federations and associations have warned that young athletes face the risk of burning out by specializing in a single sport at an early age. 

Yet for players and their families, the pressure is worth it.

For starters, some families say they spend more time together thanks to their children’s sports. And the long-term payoff for some is the prospect of a university scholarship. NCAA schools in the United States offer scholarships worth an estimated $3 billion per year.