My neighbors have kids in these pay to play soccer and volleyball leagues called "select" the fees are 2k a year+++. They hope the kids get a free ride in a college - end of story.
Then there is the other side of this.
A child of 7 has the unique ability to hit with a puck any spot in the net you tell him to hit. A coach watches him from the stands, comes down and asks how well he skates. The following week the kid has a private skating teacher at 75 bucks an hour, a spot on a travel hockey team for 3,000 bucks and 1,000 dollars in gear with a 500 dollar pair of skates. With this the coach says he hasn’t seen a kid play like this in years. He has a chance.
Move forward 7 years. 20,000 in league fees, 30,000 in skating lessons, another 10,000 in camps, and 20,000 in travel expenses and the kid is very good, but not going to the Olympics. The kid can pin point his shots from the blue line, thread passes, stick handle like a pro and sees the ice better then kids playing college D1 hockey. Only problem, the kid skates like his feet are encased in concrete.
Every year the coaches said he would grow into his feet, that he needs to mature and when he figures it out he will play pro.
Kid is now 16. He is a referee, he travels around North America with hockey camps, teaching hockey. All the kids try to be him and the parents adore him. When he is at the rink, parents come up to him and pay him to teach their kids. He still plays, but at the lowest level.
The day I took him to the airport to see him off to another camp and month away from home, he looked at me and simply said thank you Dad, I love you.
Was worth every penny.