Sports - what a racket!

Most of you are aware that I am trying to get back into the habit of swimming. I bought my ten-visit pass last week and am quickly realizing that a 10 visit pass doesn't last long. The thing that drives me crazy about this ten visit pass is the price: $25. That's $2.50 a visit. I can't swim more than 45 minutes before collapsing from exhaustion, so its roughly $2.50 an hour to participate in a sport that I enjoy and benefit from. (Just to give you a comparison: in Albertville I paid $100 for an entire year--and it was a nicer pool!)

It got me thinking about the cost of sports. This pool in Merignac requires a bathing cap, so I bought one for about 8 dollars. Then of course I need my earplugs, goggles, flipflops, bathing suit, towel, and those are just the basics. When I bought my bathing cap and goggles, I was captivated by a whole wall display, charting the pros and cons of every pair in the spectrum. I went with the plain-old, since the bathing suit already cost a small fortune. Chlorine is not good for bathing suits, so I bought a special "racerback" style good for swimming movement, but in a fabric that withstands chlorine longer than a regular bathing suit. I also have a foam kickboard that I do laps with. Of course, there are other people at the pool with flippers, nose plugs, bathrobes, waterproof mp3 players and more.

That's just swimming. I also work out a ladies gym, which deducts a regular sum from my bank account. But to properly do the exercises, I need a whole specialized wardrobe from foundation garments (upwards of $30) to shoes ($50). I need a sports bag to carry the clothes, toiletries, water bottles, and more. Women being women, there are some who come dressed as if its a fashion show, so who knows how much they're spending on what is only going to be sweat upon.

Its the same for just about every sport. Companies like Champion and Nike have made billions convincing us that we "need" all the equipment they sell in order to make our exericse truly profitable. Profitable for whom is the real question.

(I found this picture on the back of a Reader's Digest and it made me laugh, because it's almost French. I've said before it's impossible to go a square mile in France without passing a bakery, and when you're exercising, its a huge temptation to stop in and treat yourself!)