Many believe the parents of child athletes are worse now than ever before and Texas leads a list of states with the most stressed sports parents. Parents are routinely getting into brawls at games and one of the most popular explanations for stress comes as no surprise -- money.
This isn't your grandparents' little league. Dr. Chris Stankovich says some parents of traveling sports athletes spend hundreds of dollars per month.
"They see their kid get take out of a game or not played or played in the wrong position; a lot of these things can trigger an emotional reaction."
Elizabeth Gladney of team fundraising site FlipGive says parents are spending a lot more these days.
"They're investing more in higher end equipment, they're investing more in private coaching, and they’re investing more in setting their kids up for success."
Gladney says FlipGive tries to help parents cut costs on team sports.
Dr. Stankovich says it's understandable if you're spending hundreds of dollars a month on youth sports to want to see a return.
"When you invest so heavily in your child, whether it's sports, academics, music, art -- I think a lot of parents expect there to be some kind of payoff."
So-called traveling sports have the child engaged in it year round and the cost of gear and travel -- and the time commitment -- has many parents pulling their hair out.