Baseball is my passion and I have been playing it since I was four. In the recent years I have dedicated much more time to baseball and now I play it year round. With the competition constantly getting harder I always want new baseball gear to make sure I can keep up with others. Although sometimes I do really need new gear, generally it is in good condition and I could still use it for years to come. Even if my gear is completely fine I would still spend thousands of dollars on new bats,gloves,pants,helmets and balls. As I have matured more I realize that spending thousands of dollars every year on new gear isn’t sustainable for my wallet or the environment.  Unless I need new gear I will from here on out be using my gear until it isn’t usable. Instead of buying of the best gear I will get used or less expensive gear. By doing this it will save money and reduce my carbon footprint.

I play baseball too and wrote a passage just like this. I feel like a lot of the time you’re buying so much gear, not just because it supposedly will make you better, but it’s also just the “cool” thing to do. Having the newest design of bat, or the 350 dollar glove. I have found too, that I am constantly buying new things. While baseball is an expensive sport, where you often need new gear, there are definitely ways to work around it in more sustainable ways.

I am also a baseball player and I could not agree more with both of these. I’ve just gotten more into baseball in the recent years and I’ve found myself more recently spending way to much on newer bats, gloves, glasses, etc. and honestly when I’m just browsing around in stores I see something that looks as Liam said “cool” and new and feel like I need to get it to get my best possible baseball experience. Obviously sports are expensive and at some point in time you eventually will need new things, I totally agree that we should use things to their maximum, as they were made for.

Hey guys! Although I do not play baseball, I as well am passionate about sports. For me, my sport is hockey. Even though it is different sports with different equipment, the prices still add up. What Liam was saying about how new models for gear and sticks come out every year and they advertise it to make you believe you will perform better with the newest equipment. I think not only the cost of gear tearing a big hole in the environment and your wallet, but additionally how bad it is for the environment transporting to games or practices. Although for club sports it can be difficult getting around the negative impacts transportation has for out environment, there are ways to get around buying new gear. For example I get some of my hockey gear from my brothers old equipment. You can also reach out to family friends or teamates that play the same sports as you. This can be a good solution to bring new life to somebody’s old gear.

I completely agree with you Brian! Even though I do not play baseball, I ski almost everyday in the winter. In the past year I have been purchasing way too much ski gear. Just this winter I have gotten two new pairs of snow pants that I really did not need. Next year I am going to try to cut down on purchases and reuse almost all of my gear from this year. Like baseball, skiing is also extremely expensive. Not only would it be better for the environment, but you would also save tons of money.

I completely agree, I would buy new bats, gloves, and many other things for baseball every year, even when I had perfectly good ones.  I stopped buying new gear as often pretty early on.  I wish I could say I made this decision because I knew was helping the environment, but the real reason was I liked to take my older brothers bats.  Only a few years ago did I realize the effect it had.  I know donate my old gear to a place that’s sends to the Dominican Republic.  I not only help m wallet and the eenviorment, but I also get to help replace milk cartons with baseball gloves.

I agree, although I play hockey and not baseball there is still many instances in which I purchase new gear when it is not necessary. It not only has a large effect on the environment, but your bank account as well. Whenever possible I try to buy used gear and give old gear to someone who needs it. It is not only good for the environment but it also is often at a reduced cost. It is important to realize that expensive purchases like sports equipment can have a big effect on the environment. When you play a sport which driving is absolutely required, cutting down on your carbon footprint in any way you can is especially important.