Little League Comes with a Big Price Tag

Have you purchased a baseball glove for your Little Leaguer lately? Did you pay more than $100?

How about a $250 bat?

Baseball and softball equipment, including cleats and uniforms, accounted for over $1 billion in sales in 2010, reported the New York Times.

"Youth equipment represents the highest percentage of sales, particularly bat sales, as the parent willing to buy a $200, 28-inch bat for a 9-year-old is likely to pay the same price for a 30-inch bat for a 10-year-old the next season," wrote Mike Tanier in "Big Price Tags Attached to Even the Littlest Leagues."

The cost of joining a league and outfitting a player can overwhelm families, and may even prevent some kids from playing.

So what do you think?

Has the cost of bats and gloves taken our kids too far from the simpler days of sandlot and playground ballgames? Or have you had better luck finding more modestly-priced equipment?