From NJ PBS Studios, this is NJ Spotlight News.

with Briana Vannozzi.

Hello and thanks for joining us tonight.

I'm Joanna Gaggis.

Briana Vannozzi is off.

Coming up, we look at the impact of youth sports on families.

Some are paying tens of thousands a year just so their kids can compete.

Plus, we hear from one state senator asking for extra state aid for school districts in the Pinelands and Highlands region.

Does his plan have bipartisan support?

But first, from the Knicks to the World Cup.

It was an exciting sports weekend in the area, but how did our transit system perform?

We'll have the postgame analysis with the Transportation Reporter that's next.

Major funding for NJ Spotlight News is provided in part by NJM Insurance Group, serving the insurance needs of residents and businesses for more than 100 years.

What a weekend for sports fans in New Jersey and New York.

We kicked it off on Friday with Team USA beating Paraguay 4-1 and then on Saturday it was Knicks in five.

The New York Knicks won the NBA finals in game five against the San Antonio Spurs.

They were led by two New Jersey legends, Jalen Brunson and Carl Anthony Towns, as their team secured the first championship title since 1973.

And then there was the long awaited first match of the World Cup played right here in East Rutherford, Morocco versus Brazil, that brought some 80,000 fans to MetLife Stadium.

Among them was New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, and New York City Mayor Zoran Mondani.

So, one game down, how did the planning agency score?

Here to break down the important plays is Larry Higgs, transportation reporter for NJ.com.

Larry, thanks so much for joining us.

Here we are on Monday.

Let's play Monday morning, so to speak quarterback.

Let's talk about the 80,000 people who came into New Jersey into MetLife Stadium, New York, New Jersey Stadium for the game.

What went right when it comes to NJ Transit?

Well, I mean, the entire NJ Transit operation seems to have worked as they intended.

They had 21,000 people.

So obviously, that's about a little more than half of what they expected.

They were prepared to move 40,000 people.

And, you know, by all reports, and we have reporters on the ground all over and people who rode in on the train and what have you, you know, it went very well.

You know, in fact, you know, our NJ.com reporters said that Secaucus Junction had pretty much cleared out by 930 at night.

But of course, we've seen reporting where folks were saying, we can't believe that we're actually in America right now.

Just hordes of people clogged trying to get out of the game.

It seemed like the getting out part was the hardest.

Maybe for some who've never been to MetLife Stadium don't understand what it really takes to get 80,000 people out of one location That did feel like a surprise Given all the events that happened there.

Was this just par for the course?

Well, you know the some of the problems and again This is what what our folks who were standing there watching things said was ride shares had a lot of problems getting people out afterwards.

One of those problems was due to cars being able to get back into the stadium area which was geo-fenced so you know you couldn't have just anybody come in.

Uber was the official ride share provider so that was the big that was the big one of the big criticisms that we saw traffic was heavy and of course you know NJDOT warned about that they even put out a map of traffic hot spots for people to guard against and you know even Chris Calori in his role as New Jersey Turnpike Authority executive director said that there's gonna be no magic carpet getting you in and out of the place you know that the same traffic that you see on game days and for major concerts of MetLife was going to happen it was going to be amplified you know in fact NJDOT said treat this like a major storm event.

Yeah that's a great point and I want to just highlight this two hours before the game on Saturday Uber's senior director of public policy and communications Josh Gold sent out a post on X saying Uber can't accommodate the demand surge pricing and event surcharges will be in effect to encourage more drivers excuse me yeah more drivers to come into New Jersey but plan ahead and take NJ Transit if you can even Uber saying please take an alternate route part of the thing here is that you have to go out the way you came in like you said Chris Calori has been out there a vocal voice for this saying you might not like the way you came in but you don't have a different option on the way out do you think that with all the congestion and the clogging we saw with rideshare perhaps more people end up taking NJ Transit for the next games well and in fact I have those questions into NJ Transit right now.

One interesting thing because he did lead a media tour on Thursday of the stadium and one of the things that was mentioned was that when he said he wants people to come in on the same mode he doesn't you know he didn't want somebody to switch from host committee committee bus to trains.

However, they do have an apparatus set up where you could buy a ticket to go out on the train.

So if you came in on an on an Uber, you could buy a ticket on site at the stadium and they'll sell it to you as long as they have capacity.

So in other words, if they were up to 40,000 people, they're not going to sell you a ticket.

But for Saturday's match, which was 21,000, you know, they somebody could have bought a ticket.

So to be clear, if someone is buying a ticket at that time, regardless if it's at the end of the game, they're still paying that $98 price tag, though.

Yes.

As far as I know, you know, one of the things that Jay Transit said was, and I don't think it was widely publicized, we did write about it.

But that $98 pass is kind of like all inclusive.

So it's like an all you eat, can eat buffet on a cruise ship.

This is this allows you to ride the entire system for that day, without having to pay extra train fare.

So if you're coming to World Cup from Morris County, and you have to take the Morrison Essex line, or you're coming from Central Jersey, and you have to take a 116 bus.

You don't have to pay the extra fare for that.

You know, if you're taking a light rail to get to however you need to get to Secaucus Junction, you're not paying for that light rail.

So that's one feature that I don't think was widely publicized that it's all inclusive.

One.

Yeah, it's a great point.

One fare to get you completely to to the game.

But here's the question.

How much did that $98 price tag impact the way that folks tried to get to the stadium?

And just let me add by saying that there was video that I saw people walking down I think it was Patterson Plank Road, that stretch of 120 over there to get to the game.

And we heard that you can't walk to the game.

But I'm curious how much that that train ticket did impact ridership from what you can see from what folks on the ground could see.

Well, I mean, you know, I mean, a lot of people complain about affordability, you know, they compared it to other places.

But a lot of those other places, for example, in Philadelphia, you know, they're a subway ride away from the link.

That's that's a 390 price and septic was able to get a sponsor to come in and to pick up some of that.

So there were some free rides provided.

But it's it's a different story because the link is also walkable.

You know, one of the things that was organized were old school FIFA style fan parades from Center City, and also one that went along the Delaware River, because it's only a couple of miles to walk to the to the link where, you know, MetLife Stadium is literally as many people have said, good or bad.

And it's in the middle of a swamp in Jersey.

So you're not going to walk down Route three.

Patterson Plank Road is a different story.

You know, there were there were businesses that were apparently selling parking for a discount, right, rate of 100 bucks on Patterson Plank Road.

Now, what's what, what I haven't heard is how those people got access into the stadium, you know, whether they walked through the ride share area and then just walked that last mile and a half along with all the other people who came in and Ubers or not.

And we know that there were many people at the end of the game who were told if you hadn't already booked an Uber, they simply, or any type of ride share, they simply were not going to be allowed to get to that pickup point.

Another area where, you know, folks felt like they were stranded at the game.

Just a few seconds left.

What do you think are the biggest takeaways for the transit system overall for the host committee as we go into the next game?

Well, I mean, one of the things that has to be answered is why only one ride share provider as is providing transportation on that side, you know, and that question was brought up as on Wednesday as well.

You know, was lifted included in this and apparently they weren't because it was a sponsorship arrangement.

I'm waiting for the official answer from the host committee on that.

You know, I mean, buy your train tickets.

They proved that it worked.

So you know, that might be the best solution if you don't want to sit in traffic.

You know, the train has got a dedicated right of way transit way, which is the bus rapid transit system between MetLife and Secaucus Junction, also run by NJ Transit as a dedicated right of way.

So, you know, that, not to paraphrase their slogan, but that may be the way to go.

All right, we got to leave it there.

Larry Higgs, that may be the way to go.

Transportation Reporter with NJ Advanced Media.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

School districts in the Pinelands and Highlands region are asking for more state support in the school funding formula because of the limits they face in terms of where and how they can grow their economies.

Republican State Senator Latham Tiver says it's time to better support these school districts.

He joins us now to talk about that and his other legislative priorities as part of our Under the Dawn series.

Senator, thank you so much for taking some time to talk to us today.

You're here in part because we want to talk to you about what's happening in the Pinelands region.

I know you testified earlier this month before the Senate Education Committee because you do represent many school districts that are in that Pinelands region that are affected by the Pinelands Protection Act that was signed in 1979.

Can you give us a sense what challenges the Pinelands school districts are facing when it comes to the school funding formula?

Sure, thank you for having me today.

So the Pinelands and the Highlands are pretty much in the same boat.

We're receiving numerous calls, they don't stop.

And it's basically school funding and state aid.

And part of our problem in the Pinelands and the Highlands region is that we aren't, we're asked to preserve land, which is a great thing, but yet these towns aren't able to broaden their tax base with, you know, bringing radibles into their town and the such.

So that's basically the crux of it.

We have a school who just had to lay off their security guard and in today's day and age, that's kind of eye opening.

We have sports being shut down or parents asked to pay extra for their child to pay sports.

There's another district who has to try to decide whether or not they're going to lay off 190 aides or raise taxes, which is gonna be a big thing.

So that's kind of the crux about how this bill came about.

- So let me ask you, I know you introduced legislation S4118.

This is known as the Fairness for School Districts in Development Restricted Areas Act.

What is it that you would like the state to do or like to be written into the school funding formula to protect or to help support these districts?

- So basically this isn't an open check book for these towns.

It's based on population of school and percentage of preserved pine lands or highlands in each town.

So for instance, if you have at least 25%, if you lost money in state aid and you have at least 25% of preserved land in the pine lands or highlands, then you would qualify.

So if you have a school where there's 500 to 999 students, you would qualify for up to $2.5 million.

And if you have a thousand students or more, then you would qualify for up to $5 million.

- This does seem Senator, like kind of, I wouldn't say obvious, but it seems like there are some real limitations for these districts.

and we've heard members of the legislature on both sides of the aisle, but in particular, those representing these districts say, look, this is just an unfair burden on these communities.

Does it seem like this might have some bipartisan legislative support?

We sure do hope so.

I mean, it is bipartisan.

We do have bipartisan support with sponsors.

And yeah, you think it sounds obvious, but hopefully it does.

Hopefully it does pass because these schools are really struggling.

Some of these schools have lost more than 50% of their state aid in the last seven, eight years.

So it really struck.

We know nothing is obvious or easy when it comes to Trenton and politics.

I do want to talk about a bill that you've been working on to help support the families of those who serve in our military.

Can you explain what you're asking for from the legislature?

So this one is basically for reservists and National Guards.

We are in affordability crisis, right?

Again, our phones keep ringing, ringing, ringing.

How are we paying for our electric bills, which that's a whole other subject that we can talk about later on.

You know, food, groceries, electric bills, just your medical expenses and how can we help people who go and fight for us for our freedoms.

And this is basically just it supplies a $2,500 grant for people who qualify for financial hardship.

So that $2,500 this would be under the New Jersey Military Family Relief Fund is this just a check that they get once a year what's the kind of the criteria for how and when they get that support?

So yes you would qualify for a once a year stipend basically for $2,500.

Okay.

You think that's going to go anywhere?

Again we hope so.

I mean we owe it all to our veterans right.

They're there.

We have the freedoms that we have because of them so that's a small token that we can give them.

One more bill that I know you're working on is creates better pathways for professional counselors.

This is a time when mental health obviously the importance of mental health couldn't be more stark especially for our young people.

What would you like to do to see more counselors more easily get into the profession?

Well, I think we're in a mental health crisis right now, and I think parents basically want help for their children right now.

They don't want to have to wait two or three months to be able to speak to a professional.

And basically what this does is to get licensed, you have to have three years or 4,500 hours supervised and we're trying to lower it to two years, 3,000 hours in line with most of the other states out there that are doing it.

That's how they're doing it right now.

New Jersey certainly has high standards, but some would argue that having a high bar makes sure that you have the most qualified professionals in those positions.

Are you concerned at all that lowering the standards perhaps allows folks in who aren't ready?

It's working in other states.

We're not hearing complaints from other states.

So I think that it, you know, I think it'll work in this state as well.

I do have to just say that there may be a run against you.

We've seen last week Assemblyman Anthony Angelozzi.

Excuse me.

I did say that he's not ruling out a run in 2027.

Have you given any thought to that and what that could look like?

No, I mean, whoever they want to put up against me is, you know, I can't control that.

So if Anthony wants to run against me, then, you know, that's just the way that the cookie crumbles I guess you could say.

All right.

Finally, I've got to ask you, obviously, we're just a short couple weeks away, less than a couple weeks away from the budget deadline.

Your thoughts on how the budgeting process is going right now under a new administration?

Under the Dome is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

-If you have a child who plays sports, you've probably experienced the shift that's been happening in youth sports recently.

What used to be a hobby that teaches kids some great life skills has now turned into a crushing rat race of private coaching, club team competitions, and a year-round commitment to any individual sport just so your kid can stay competitive.

NJ.com sports reporter Steve Politti recently took a deep dive into the issue to see what toll all of this is having on families both emotionally and financially.

Steve, great to have you with us.

This is really an important topic that I know touches so many families.

You call it the sports industrial complex.

What do you mean by that?

Yeah, I think it's just the entire culture of what's happened to the youth sports that we that we once played in our backyards with our kids and communities is now it's now $40 billion into industry that essentially, you know, thrives on getting every penny out of every person who is involved in it.

Yeah, I think that's the best way to call it.

And I think people enter it not kind of understanding that or perhaps hearing about it, but not really realizing what that means.

And once you get your kids signed up, you find out very quickly just how it just every turn there's there's another another handout looking for for more money another check to write another team to join it is really an all encompassing thing.

When you talk about a $40 billion industry, you know, it kind of feels like there's this coordinated effort to be taking, you know, funds from families who are perhaps vulnerable just want their kids to succeed.

But who's profiting here?

Is this is this really an organized kind of system that we've all stepped into?

You know, it's more of a patchwork than an organized system.

I think what you're seeing now on the highest level of that is because it's such a big business and so much money is involved, that a lot of private equity companies are seizing the opportunity or jumping in or are buying up local ice rinks and buying up club soccer teams and baseball facilities around the state, around the country.

And that has changed, kind of sort of changed the on the ground dynamic for a lot of parents.

You know, you're no longer writing a check to your town or to the town soccer team.

You're writing a check to a very big business that's, you know, one goal, one mission is to make money.

And I think that's really changed the experience and increased the costs on a lot of levels for different sports.

Yeah, I can speak as a parent myself.

I have two kids.

We get the messaging from coaches that, hey, if your kid wants to be competitive, you know, they need to be playing in the offseason.

Or I don't even know in some cases if there even is an offseason anymore.

Kids are in these sports and these club teams year round, right?

How much are parents paying?

Yeah, it varies wildly.

But you know, the Aspen Institute is one of the big think groups that chart this say it's a thousand dollars average for American families.

The New Jersey families I talked to would laugh at that number.

It's well above that for the cost of admission.

You know, talk to a swimming mom who spends $10,000 a year on her daughter, you know, and that doesn't include the tech suits that she has to replace for $650 four times a year.

A hockey dad, 20 grand, and that doesn't include private lessons that some of his son's friends are getting.

You know, I talked to a mom of two kids whose, you know, daughter and son are high level basketball and gymnasts.

She's in debt for 30 grand because of paying all these bills.

You know, it's just all it depends on how deep you are in this world.

But I think most parents are finding that the expenses far outweigh what they're used to when they were kids.

Steve, you know, there's going to be families who say, look, I'm just I'm making an investment in my child.

I want them to go on to play in college.

Maybe they'll get a scholarship.

In your reporting, what are you finding in terms of that actually happening or that being the reality for most kids?

Well, the reality is that those parents should take that money and put it into a college savings fund.

So it would be a much better investment than trying to invest in a, you know, a trainer or in a high-level team.

There's just not a lot of evidence that for most parents this works out.

And of course there are some who do achieve that.

I mean and one thing that you know, the youth industrial complex is very good at is that they capitalize on that and they promote these athletes on social media who do reach the highest level who do get the division 1 scholarship.

And I think parents see that and say, okay, well maybe with a little bit more maybe with some more training with some more individual work.

They go to a couple more summer showcases.

It'll be my kid who has an opportunity.

I think for the vast majority of parents and kids that does not materialize.

- Yeah, there's burnout, right?

I mean, I've seen it in my own family.

Sometimes these kids just straight up burn out.

You touched on school districts earlier and we're seeing more and more as schools are facing funding cuts, funding challenges, they're cutting athletics.

And I guess as you've reported that's trickling down to families also.

Yeah, it's sort of a sad trend and it's happening in the town I live in Montclair where we had to raise you know $176,000 to save the freshman team that my daughter is going to play on next year hopefully freshman soccer.

And it's just you know it's not every town but there's just been enough of them that it you know if it's certainly a possibility in a lot of places if the funding is not right if there's this counting error something goes wrong.

The first thing they go to to cross out is often athletics.

And I think you're seeing that this has become another way that parents aren't getting those cheaper even free opportunities for their kids to participate that we got when we were younger, you know, those are the teams, you know, those are the teams that are often cut first.

And I think we've also seen that with rec sports on in a lot of communities.

When the Great Recession hit in 2008, those were the first programs to go those lower cost opportunities for people to get involved.

And it's the it's the for profit teams that sort of stepped in and took over.

Yeah, it's hard to consider what it would even look like to put this genie back in the bottle.

But I know US Senator Cory Booker has chimed in on this and he's calling on Congress to take action to help what is he asking for?

Yeah, it's very interesting him and Chris Murphy in Connecticut, of course, Cory Booker himself, a great athlete, he talked about how it really shaped him growing up on the fields of Bergen County to playing high school football in New Jersey.

I think he wants to get the private equity money out of the equation.

And that's that's the key tenant of what's happened here wants to get rid of things like pay for play where you'll feel go to a tournament and the parents will have to stay at a certain hotel in order to participate in the event.

He's trying to get rid of these predatory actions that are become just have just become part of the experience for youth sports for a lot of people.

You know, whether or not that legislation successful, it remains to be seen.

But certainly there are a lot of people who are looking at this in Washington as not only an issue that they think they can solve, but one that really there's no right, left, red, blue.

This is something that, you know, the vast majority of people agree on that has to change.

Yeah, no political party is impacted one over the other.

In this case, it's it's families everywhere.

Thank you.

Great reporting Steve Politi sports reporter and columnist for nj.com.

We appreciate it.

Thank you very much.

That's going to do it for us tonight.

I'm Joanna Gaggis for the entire team here at NJ spotlight news.

Thanks for being with us.

We'll see you back here tomorrow.

New Jersey Education Association, making public schools great for every child and RWJBarnabas Health.

Learn more at RWJBH.org.

[laughing] Is that...?

Wow!

It's going to be okay.

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