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STANDARDS

CCSS: 6.SP.B.5, 7.SP.A.2, MP1, MP3, MP5

TEKS: 6.12C, 6.12D, 7.6G, 7.12B

Sports For All

JuanCarlos Chan/Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks

Kids play wheelchair basketball at a PlayLA event.

JuanCarlos Chan/Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks

Kids with and without disabilities play basketball together.

Every year, about 60 million kids across the U.S. head to gyms, fields, and the great outdoors to compete and have fun. Playing team sports like soccer or field hockey is a great way to get physical exercise, spend time with friends, and learn teamwork. But the cost of uniforms, equipment, and fees for being part of a team can make these activities too expensive for many kids to participate in. Even if a potential player can afford it, a sport might not be playable because it doesn’t accommodate a disability.

A new program in Los Angeles, California, aims to make sure all kids have a chance to play. The program, called PlayLA, offers sports and physical activities to the community at just $10 per program. That fee includes all transportation needed for location-dependent activities like surfing, as well as the cost of equipment. Every sport offered is taught by trained coaches. The program is also partnered with Team USA athletes who have represented the country at the Olympic and Paralympic Games. They meet and play with participants.

The PlayLA program offers 24 traditional sports and 14 adaptive sports, which are sports that kids with and without disabilities can play together. “It’s so important for all children to participate together,” says Edna Degollado, the director of Neighborhood Services for the City of Los Angeles.

No matter the sport, Degollado says, PlayLA’s main goal is “for kids to come out and play.”

Answer the following questions using the information in the infographic and graphs above. Record your work and answers on our answer sheet.

What percent of parents surveyed spent between $500 and $999 per month on youth sports in 2019?

A. 7%

B. 18%

C. 20%

D. 53%

Which sport’s average annual cost is more than $2,500?

A. baseball

B. ice hockey

C. gymnastics

D. tennis

In which year did the fewest kids ages 13 to 17 participate in a sport or physical activity?

A. 2013

B. 2016

C. 2019

D. 2021

About how many parents surveyed spent $499 or less on youth sports per month in 2019?

A. 179

B. 530

C. 711

D. 853

About how many times more expensive is the annual cost to participate in baseball than the PlayLA cost?

A. 10

B. 30

C. 59

D. 100

In 2015, there were about 80 million kids between 13 and 17 years old in the U.S. What percent participated in at least one sport or physical activity?

A. 70%

B. 73%

C. 78%

D. 80%

About how much more does a tennis player spend than a cross-country runner?

If you wanted to play soccer, baseball, and basketball in one year, about how much would you spend in total?

In which category do you think the parent of a soccer player would respond in the “Paying to Play” chart? Explain your reasoning.

Poll your class on which team sport they like to play the most. (Visit scholastic.com/math for a poll template.) Then make a circle graph of the results.

What does your class think?

Which team sport do you like to play most?

Please enter a valid number of votes for one class to proceed.

Which team sport do you like to play most?

Please select an answer to vote.

Which team sport do you like to play most?

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