Walking through a big-box sporting goods store one day last week, I suddenly felt a stab of nostalgia.
There, hanging on a display rack, were high-end youth baseball bats. One model, I discovered, had a price tag of $399.
Three hundred and ninety-nine dollars!
I’m sure the glossy-red bat has all the latest bat technology and might even add a little pop to a 10-year-old’s swing. But it also occurred to me that the bat could lead to stress for both the player and the parent.
First, there is the stress of the purchase. A worker making $20 an hour would have to work 20 hours — or two and a half workdays — just to pay for the bat. (Longer, if you count sales tax and federal taxes withheld from the worker’s paycheck.) Never mind that the Little Leaguer will outgrow the bat in a year or two.