It’s the beginning of a new baseball season and last night I got the dreaded email….”can you please sign up for a game to bring the team snack.”
The team snack. Everyone signs up for a date and puts together enough for each player to have a snack bag when the game is over. It started at 4 yrs old on my son’s tiny soccer team and has gone on for every sport for every season. Soccer, T-ball, Baseball, Football.
You know what? I am so over the Team Snack. This is the third baseball team my son has played on this year alone, and it’s just getting out of hand. I have been a sports parent for 5+ years and every season is the same – we all sign up to bring a snack for the players to have after the game. We go out and buy drinks and goodies in bulk and assemble them in little brown paper bags to distribute to the players on their way off the field.
Well enough already. Sure it was cute for T-ball, but at the All Star level it is just unnecessary. The team snack bag that has somehow evolved into something hat rivals a birthday party goody bad has got to go.
To be honest, half the snacks that are put into said goody bags I don’t even want my kids eating. Fruit Roll-Ups and Bottles of Gatorade are not something I buy or feed my kids and it’s not something I want them eating every week. The whole point of feeding a child after a game is to re-hydrate and refuel their bodies and I’m sorry but a sack full of artificial coloring and high fructose corn syrup are not going to do that. Week in and week out I watch my son consume fruit snacks, mini oreos, sugary sports drinks, and worse – and then I have to deal with the after effects.
And the healthy snacks that I make sure to bring when it’s my turn? You know; bananas, apples, granola, and water…ya, they usually get thrown out. So why, then, do I waste my money? Why do I put in the effort to feed the kids a wholesome snack actually worth eating when it’s just going to be scoffed at and tossed in the nearest trash can on the way off the field.
Don’t get me wrong, bringing a treat as a celebration for a birthday or a big win? I’m all for that. Of course, special treats are great for a celebration. But the goody bag snacks that have become so commonplace in youth sports? Just say NO!
Here’s an idea…you want your kid to eat after a game? Bring your own snack and I’ll bring mine.
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