Isn't hockey more expensive than other organized sports?

[Paula Sims]

It confuses me when Sarah Palin passes herself off as a "typical middle-class hockey Mom". As the wife of a goalie (who plays in an over-40 "no check" league), I can tell you that organized hockey is an EXPENSIVE sport. Typical equipment includes:
1. Hockey skates (probably every year for a growing kid)
2. Socks
3. Hockey pants with padding
4. Elbow pads
5. Shoulder pads
6. Neck guard
7. Stick (goalie sticks cost more)
8. Helmet with cage
9. Mouth-guard
10. Gloves (goalies also have a catch glove & blocking glove)

And then there's the chauffeuring all over the place since not all schools have hockey (in Alaska it's probably more common). Not sure if kids have to pay for ice time. And since schools are getting less funding, I'm sure parents have to pay more than they used to.

Yes, all organized sports are expensive but hockey is REALLY expensive. Given today's shrinking middle-class, I'm surprised no one has come out against this "Jane 6-packing" portrayal.

[AnnieBW]

1. Plus dental work

for teeth knocked out by flying pucks and/or fists.

[RagAss]

2. Who cares !!!!

[Paula Sims]

4. Because she's trying to equate herself with "soccer Moms"

and for people that don't know, "hockey Moms" probably have more money/credit/debt that is spent on hockey vs other sports. She's trying to portray herself as a typical Mom and most people don't get it.

Then again, most people don't get a lot of things.

[RagAss]

5. ok...I gotcha...

[SoCalDem]

15. Our soccer-son cost us a FORTUNE

there is no "cheap sport" for kids anymore:(

(organized sport, at least)

Our son played "club soccer", and the travel alone, darned near killed us... "Mom we've got a week long tournament in Phoenix, San Luis Obispo, San Diego, Sacramento, etc..

and of course he had to have 4 or 5 different sets of shoes for the different turfs.. (they played at the polo fields near San Diego, and had to have special shoes just for that place)

and of course the yearly fees were high too..

but that said...

hockey is one of the MOST expensive sports..

[GreenPartyVoter]

3. All-star cheering is super expensive like that too. I think any joe six pack families out there

with kids in those sports are probably either really making sacrifices for the kids or living off of credit cards.

[Forkboy]

6. Very expensive over the years.

If your kid plays goalie expect to shell out around $700 in equipment, and that's used. And he or she will probably outgrow it in a year or two, meaning more equipment is needed. Some leagues have equipment sharing programs, but not all. And even with them it's still a highly expensive sport to play organized.

But playing hockey is as fun as it gets. :)

[ThomWV]

7. Plus you gotta buy all that god damned ice ...

[ColbertWatcher]

8. It's probably not more expensive than football. Stadiums are expensive. n/t

[Cleita]

9. Alaskans and Canadians do have one freebie and that is the ice.

My long time Canadian friend, whose two brothers, one who turned into a hockey pro and the other who went to college on a hockey scholarship, told me that her family flooded their back pasture every winter to create a rink and that they were skating and playing hockey every chance they got from the time they were old enough to walk. Of course this was back during the depression so all that fancy equipment you listed was minimal, and often home made anyway.

[gravity]

10. It is still a middle class sport

I don't think you can argue that playing hockey is an elitists sport. This isn't polo or sailing.

[KarenS]

11. That and they have $2M worth of assets,,,,

sorry,,,, I think that's on the extremely high-end of middle class,,,,


I'm not sure if there's an official gage or not,,,,

but if $2M in assets still puts them in the middle class then we're something alot lower than that
:) from one of the "I just thought we were middle class" class folks.

[hack89]

12. Very much a working class sport in Rhode Island. nt

[lib2DaBone]

13. Hockey is very Expensive.....

Skate sharpening, custom pads, custom equipment, Coaching, doctor bills, shuttle to practice and games.... a parent who can take off work to be there, why is there not a cross section of kids in the game? No, it has nothing to do with guts......

[Posteritatis]

14. Hockey's ubiquitous in Nova Scotia

And this province's cup runneth not over even at the best of times. Throw a rock into a random K-12 classroom and you'll hit a few people who play or played hockey. It's hardly polo or kendo or something like that.

There's plenty of complaints to make about Palin, but this one is silly.

[Regret My New Name]

16. You serious or just trying to come up with ridiculous arguments that can be easily defeated?

Anyways, she equates herself to being middle class (although we all know it's more of a upper upper type middle class than anything). Either way, many middle class families of all subtypes have their children in hockey since it's not out of realm of what many middle class families can afford. Now, if she was saying she was from a low income class then you would have a point, me thinks.

But what do I know, aye? I'm just awesome.