Reply #11: Some winter sports are certainly expensive

[muriel_volestrangler]

Some could be fairly cheap, depending on the country you come from. You say skating is 'hugely expensive' - what sort? Speed skating needs a track, and then it's an athletic sport like many others (I can't imagine there's regular outlay on skates). Cross-country skiiing needs the skis, but after that it's another athletic sport, if you live in a place that gets plenty of snow.

Expense on coaching is probably far more important for baseball, in fact. It's skill that has to be taught from experience; and to get the best coaches in it, you have to pay a lot more than in something like cross-country skiiing. Baseball in the US may be equivalent to alpine skiing in Austria - there's so much community support that in each country it probably is equally open to everyone.