Latest news, weather, high school sports for Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

MARQUETTE -- Recently, we've seen out of the park gas prices and school funding strike outs.  And statewide, high school sports have taken a huge hit from budget cuts.  Less than one percent of most school budgets go towards sports.

For about 10 years, U.P. high school students have been paying to play on their varsity teams, and even more recently, fee costs have sky-rocketed to keep athletics alive.

"You have that choice:  do we cut a sport or do we ask for some parent support to help fund it, and that was the choice," said MAPs athletic coordinator, Jamie Tuma.

Marquette Redmen hockey is one of the most expensive pay to play sports because of rink rentals and travel.  Costs run players around $800 per season; almost double what they were when Joe Papin joined the coaching staff about a decade ago.

If it continues to climb as fast as it has in the past, there'll be a point where it will be too expensive.

But surprisingly, Marquette hockey, like most sports at Marquette, has maintained its popularity, proving its tradition is significant to local families.  Still, some of our Facebook fans say sports is a luxury.

Thomas Fuller posted, "Maybe schools should drop sports altogether and the communities...take the reigns...kind of like a league, like travel soccer or T-ball."

But while high school sports asks families to throw teams hundreds of dollars, travel leagues can cost thousands each season.

"Travel hockey is much more expensive," said hockey mom Dawn McAuliffe.  "They do play more out of town games, more games overall, so the costs are going to be higher."

If sports costs are too steep for your family, most districts have booster programs which can offer help.

For information on those programs, contact your district's athletic department.