Playing sports is a great experience for everyone whether being on a high school or club team. It gives you an opportunity to get out there, get in shape and make new friends. However, athletes sacrifice a lot to be able to play their sport(s). Here are the top 5 “costs” of playing sports:

1. Limited leisure time

Sports take up a lot of time after school and on the weekends.  You never really get the chance to just kick back and relax. When you get home your family will most likely want to spend time with you, so you don’t really get much time to yourself either. Just when you think you have a moment to take a breath, you’re off to your next practice.

2. The literal cost

Every sport requires certain equipment, whether it’s cleats for soccer or a stick for lacrosse. Not only that, but club teams require you to purchase uniforms, which can cost up to $400 on a good day. Plus, there’s the cost of traveling to different tournaments. Some can be as far as Florida or even California, so the cost of the hotel, plane fare, gas, and not to mention going out to eat every night comes into play.

3. No social life

A committed athlete barely has any time to spend with their friends. Practice runs every day during the week and then there are games on weekends.  In my case, the famous, “I can’t, I have soccer,” phrase comes into play. Being dedicated to a sport makes you give up going out to have a good time. Many have to miss parties, concerts, and more because they either have a game or have to be up for a game the next morning.

4. Non-stop eating

After a long day of practice athletes look forward to coming home to one thing: food. Running off all the carbs we ate the night before just makes athletes crave food more. Once they get home, they grab the first thing they can find to eat and devour it. Athletes never seem to feel full, so they just continue to eat until they head to sleep.

5. Lack of sleep

Practices and games can run very late during the week. Once you get home you still have so much to do: eat, shower, and then the dreaded homework. Having to stay up late finishing everything they have to do, athletes tend to end up going to bed late, and then have to wake up at 6:30 the next morning. They wake up tired and cranky, wishing they could just go back to sleep, and question: why do they play sports?